CY010
Diarizos Valley


Site description (2012 baseline):

Site location and context
This is a relatively remote and undeveloped site in one of the four ‘valley’ IBAs carved by rivers flowing from the Troodos massif to the southwest coast. The Diarizos riverside extends from near the river’s source in the Pafos forest to just before it spills into the Pafos plain, ranging in elevation from 800m to 50m. Diarizos Valley is an Endemic Bird Area site with good populations of Cyprus Wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca) and especially of Cyprus Warbler (Sylvia melanothorax). It is also a top breeding site for European Roller (Coracias garrulus) and Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus). Also of note are the local populations of Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus), Little Owl (Athene noctua) and Cretzschmar’s Bunting (Emberiza caesia). The valley also witnesses a passage of raptors in the autumn. Finally, mention should be made of this site being an important feeding area for the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) that also hosts breeding Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus).


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Diarizos Valley (Cyprus). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/diarizos-valley-iba-cyprus on 22/11/2024.