Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A small island lying mid-way between mainland Malta and Gozo. The karst landscape supports sclerophyllous scrub. An afforestation programme has been carried out on a limited scale with
Pinus. There is a sand-dune system at Santa Maria bay with typical native vegetation, including trees of
Tamarix and
Vitex.
An important site for breeding
Puffinus yelkouan. Many trans-Saharan passerine migrants seek refuge on the island, especially during bad weather conditions in spring, and birds of prey occur regularly on migration, including
Circus aeruginosus,
Milvus migrans and
Falco vespertinus.
Falco peregrinus used to breed, and a pair of
Asio flammeus nested in 1983.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
There is a management plan for the site. BirdLife Malta participates in an ongoing research programme coordinated by the Wildlife Institute of Bologna, the main aim of which is to study the spring migration of passerines across the western Mediterranean. BirdLife Malta also manages part of a valley where it is intended to set up a bird observatory.
National High
International None260 ha of IBA covered by Bird Sanctuary (Comino Island, 260 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Comino island (Malta). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/comino-island-iba-malta on 22/11/2024.
