The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2000 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting IBA criteria.
Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:
| Species |
Red List |
Season (year/s of estimate) |
Size |
IBA criteria |
| Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus |
LC |
passage (1996) |
1,600–1,800 individuals |
A4i, B1i, C2 |
| Great White Egret Ardea alba |
LC |
winter (1996) |
280–360 individuals |
A4i, B1i, C2 |
| Little Egret Egretta garzetta |
LC |
passage (1995) |
1,500–2,000 individuals |
A4i, B1i, C2 |
| Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo |
LC |
winter (1996) |
1,000 individuals |
B1i, C3 |
| Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola |
LC |
passage (1996) |
7,000–11,000 individuals |
A4i, B1i, C2 |
| Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis |
LC |
passage (1996) |
300–500 individuals |
A4i, B1i, C3 |
| Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola |
LC |
passage (1996) |
117 individuals |
B1i, C2 |
| Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica |
LC |
passage (1996) |
210–220 individuals |
B1i, C2 |
| Habitat |
% of IBA |
Habitat detail |
| Artificial/Terrestrial |
20 |
Arable land; Forestry plantations |
| Shrubland |
10 |
Sclerophyllous scrub, garrigue and maquis |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal |
major (>10) |
|
| Marine Intertidal |
major (>10) |
|
| Land use |
% of IBA |
| fisheries/aquaculture |
65 |
| tourism/recreation |
30 |
| agriculture |
14 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Divari Pylou (Gialova) lagoon and Sfaktiria island (Greece). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/divari-pylou-(gialova)-lagoon-and-sfaktiria-island-iba-greece on 24/01/2025.
