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Corsican mountains (secondary area)
Country/Territory France
Area
Altitude  
Priority
Habitat loss
Knowledge


General characteristics 

The French Mediterranean island of Corsica (covering 8,740km2 and reaching 2,710m) is a Secondary Area because of its one endemic species, Corsican Nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi, which numbers some 4,000-6,000 birds. The key habitat is coniferous mountain forest which today covers only 240km2 of the island. The main threats are forest exploitation and burning, although there is no recent evidence of a significant reduction in the overall population or range of S. whiteheadi (Tucker and Heath 1994), which is classified as Near Threatened. Citril Finch Serinus citrinella exists on Corsica, Sardinia, Elba and off-lying islands as a very well-marked race corsicana, sometimes considered a separate species; if this taxonomic split is recognized, these islands, then with two endemic species, would qualify as an Endemic Bird Area.

Species IUCN Category
Corsican Nuthatch (Sitta whiteheadi)  VU 

Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

IBA Code Site Name Country
FR269  Forêts domaniales de Corse  France 
FR270  Vallée d'Asco  France 

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Corsican mountains. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013

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