• Summary
• Text account
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• Reference and further resources

Site description (2008 baseline)
The proposed IBA occupies a total of 385 km2 and includes the marine area adjacent to terrestrial IBAs PT058, PT054 and PT055. The area is extensively used by marine tourism companies, namely for observing cetaceans or for recreational diving. Perhaps as a result of the regular presence of birdwatchers, rare seabird species in the Western Paleartic are often seen in this IBA, coming from America or from the South Atlantic. In terms of breeding birds on the archipelago, the marine area is mostly used by the Roseate Tern, which breeds on a small colony on the western part of the island, commonly known as Capelinhos. In this and other adjacent marine areas, large gatherings of Common Terns, Little Terns and Cory's Shearwaters are often found. These represent a significant part of the populations of these species in the whole island of Faial.

Key biodiversity
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea: Fairly common species, with regular records of over 17,000 birds in rafts inside the IBA, corresponding to around 76% of the island's population. The birds in colonies sampled in Faial travel to other feeding areas north of the Azores (even areas outside the EEZ) and also use some closer areas frequently, such as the west coast of São Jorge island. Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis: There are only around 10-25 breeding pairs, essentially in the colony at Castelo Branco (Monteiro et al. 1999). Work carried out in Northern Europe reveals a tendency to coastal gatherings (Guilford et al. 2008), suggesting a regular presence in the IBA. However, further studies on its behaviour at sea should be carried out. Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii: A species of coastal behaviour that uses this IBA intensively for feeding. All the individuals breed in the Capelinhos colony, with an estimated population of around 25 breeding pairs (DOP-IMAR UAç). In recent years, the number of pairs using this marine area has been quite irregular. Common Tern Sterna hirundo: All individuals in this IBA use the marine area for feeding. The total population estimated in the area of the IBA is approximately 180 pairs. Capelinho and Morro de Castelo Branco are the most important colonies on Faial island (Neves 2007). Other species observed in this IBA: Great Shearwater, Leach's Storm-petrel, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Skua and Pomarine Skua.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Faial (Portugal). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/faial-iba-portugal on 27/12/2024.