Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The Kerkennah islands form an archipelago, 20 km east of the town of Sfax, in the tidal Gulf of Gabès. The archipelago is composed of two main islands, Chergui and Gharbi, and 12 smaller ones. Relief is low; the highest point is only 13 m above sea-level. Common plant species include
Phoenix dactylifera,
Nitraria nitraria,
Salicornia radicans,
Imperata cylindrica and
Zygophyllum album.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. See under Kneiss (site TN032) for a general presentation of the ornithological importance of the Gulf of Gabès. The Kerkennah archipelago is an important wintering area for
Phalacrocorax carbo and gulls and terns, including
Larus genei,
L. fuscus,
L. cachinnans,
Sterna caspia and
S. sandvicensis. Species that breed on the islands include
Falco tinnunculus,
Cursorius cursor,
Merops apiaster and
Lanius excubitor. In addition, the islands are an important stop-over site each spring and autumn for hundreds of thousands of migrant passerines.
Non-bird biodiversity: The gerbil Gerbillus simoni zakariai is endemic to Kerkennah.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The islands threatened by erosion by the sea, particularly if sea-levels rise.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Îles Kerkennah (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/îles-kerkennah-iba-tunisia on 23/11/2024.
