Data Zone
Country/territory: Kenya
IBA criteria met: A4i (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 1 hectares (0.01 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2022 | poor | medium | high |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Kisite is a small, waterless coral island 8 km offshore in the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park. The park lies south of Wasini Island off Shimoni, on the south Kenyan coast near the Tanzanian border, and covers an area of 1,100 ha at low tide. Kisite itself is flat and treeless, covered in low grass and herbs. Coral platforms around the raised central portion are exposed at low tide. There are three other coral islets in the park (Mpunguti ya Juu, Mpunguti ya Chini and Jiwe la Jahazi), but these lie closer to the larger Wasini Island, are scrub-covered, and support no significant numbers of nesting waterbirds.
Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Between July and October, Kisite supports an assemblage of pelagic-feeding birds. In many (but not all) years this includes a significant breeding colony of Sterna dougallii. Up to 1,000 pairs have been recorded, but numbers fluctuate greatly from year to year. In October 1997, 400 adults and c.100 young birds were noted. Sterna fuscata also nest here regularly (50 pairs recorded in 1976, and c.20 in 1997), along with Egretta dimorpha.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kisite island (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kisite-island-iba-kenya on 26/12/2024.