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Site description (2022 baseline):
Site location and context
The islets Raso and Branco are part of the Integral Nature Reserve. The Raso islet is uninhabited, is part of the Barlavento group of islands and has about 5.8 km2 and is the easternmost islet in Cape Verde. It is a fairly flat islet, its highest point being the Monte de Ribeira do Ladrão, with an altitude of around 164 m. The Raso islet is characterized as being very dry and arid, with persistent dry streams throughout the year, having only running water during the rains around August-September. It is also at this time that the only endemic bird of the island, the calhandra do Raso, begins to breed due to the abundance of food offered by the rains. The Raso islet is where most seabird species reproduce.
The Raso islet has one of the most important seabird colonies in Cape Verde, with 6 of the 9 species that breed there, namely the Calonectris edwardsii, Hydrobates jabejabe, Puffinus boydi, Sula leucogaster and Bulweria bulwerii. In addition to seabirds, we can also find other species of terrestrial birds, such as the Raso lark (Alauda razae), which until 2018 was restricted to the small islet, but which was translocated to the Santa Luzia island, Passer iagoensis,Falco tinnunculus, Pandion haliaetus and Corvus ruficollis . As for migratory birds, every year we register some that pass by the islet.t is also the habitat for several species of terrestrial reptiles and all endemic of Cabo Verde. For example: tarentola gigas, Tarentola raziana, Chioninia strageri, and Hemidactylus bouvieri razoensis.
MAVA Foundation, BirdLife International, DNA, SPEA, University of Coimbra. .
Site identified during the MAVA funded project: "Conserving the seabirds of Cabo Verde" (2020 - 2022). Partner consultation supported by Ana Veiga (BirdLife Project Manager, Cabo Verde) and Jonathan Handley (BirdLife, UK). Site identification supported by: Samir Martins (BIOS.CV), Herculano Dinis (Projecto Vitó), Albert Taxonera (Associação Projeto Biodiversidade), Marcos Hernández (Associação Projeto Biodiversidade), Isabel Fortes (Biosfera), Catelene Monteiro (Biosfera), Pedro Geraldes (SPEA ), Ariana Cabral (Lantuna), Jacob González-Solís (University of Barcelona), Teresa Militão (University of Barcelona), Vitor Paiva (University of Coimbra)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Raso Islet Integral Natural Reserve (Cape Verde). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/raso-islet-integral-natural-reserve--iba-cape-verde on 23/12/2024.
