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Site description (2002 baseline):

The area extends towards the west and the north of Pico Ana Ferreira and Pico das Flores, holding a part of west coast of Porto Santo up to the airport. It's constituted by several kinds of habitats, from rocky sea cliffs to extensive dry grasslands interrupted by shrub fences or inland sand areas. In some hillsides, pine plantations and cactus are found. In the whole area human ocupation is low.

Porto Santo West Coast presents conditions for important birds nesting. In rocky zones Apus unicolor breeds in large number. In afforested places, great densities of Serinus canaria are found, and Anthus berthelottii is abundant in dry grasslands. In this area are also frequent Sylvia conspicillatta and Upupa epops, uncommon in Madeiran archipielago. In winter and during migratory season, this area is also important for Sturnus vulgaris, Phylloscopus collybita/brehmi, Alauda arvensis and Numenius phaeopus, locally non-common. the western rocky cliffs, not wellknown, have propitious habitats for Oceanodroma castro nesting and for otrer seabirds like Calonectris diomedea or Sterna hirundo and S. dougallii.

This is an area with low human ocupation, so it holds good populations of different birds species. This low ocupation becomes a future threat, due to its potenciality for recreation infrastructures or other prejudicial activities. So, there are planned some projects, including golf-courses, that could have impact on some birds populations like Anthus berthelottii. The uncontrolled practice of cross-country is an important factor of habitat destruction and disturbance to birds. In north zones sand extration and ousting of garbage occur without control. What gives importance to this zone is the absence of disturbing, being in an island with accelerated urban expansion and tourist vocation, so its fragmentation could diminish the conservation value. Deep studies of seabirds in the area are also important to define concretely its importance.

National none International none

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Porto Santo Oeste (Portugal). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/porto-santo-oeste-iba-portugal on 23/11/2024.