Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
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.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Kisite’s relatively remote location and the lack of tall vegetation make it suitable for nesting seabirds. All along the Kenya coast, seabirds nest during the June–October period, when the south-east
monsoon makes for rough seas and prevents human access to their nesting sites. Nonetheless, before this site was protected in 1978, egg collectors frequently disturbed the breeding colonies. The colonies now appear to be recovering. The number of tourists visiting Kisite is increasing, and careful management is needed to ensure that they do not disrupt the colonies.
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.
