MT001
Ta'Cenc cliffs


Country/territory: Malta

IBA criteria met: C2, C6 (2004)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 20 hectares (0.20 km2)

BirdLife Malta
IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent) State (condition) Pressure (threat) Response (action)
2013 not assessed very high low
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here


Site description (2000 baseline)
Sheer sea cliffs (135 m high), on the island of Gozo, with profuse vegetation on some ledges.

Key biodiversity
The cliffs support the largest breeding colony of Calonectris diomedea in the Maltese islands, and are a stronghold for Monticola solitarius. One of the last known breeding pairs of Falco peregrinus in Malta nested here, but was shot in the early 1980s, and a pair of Tyto alba used to breed here in the 1970s. The rocky cliff-top area is one of the best breeding areas in Malta for Calandrella brachydactyla, Sylvia conspicillata and Miliaria calandra.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ta'Cenc cliffs (Malta). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tacenc-cliffs-iba-malta on 23/12/2024.