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TN026
Kerkennah islands
Location Tunisia, Sfax
Central coordinates 11o 10.00' East  34o 45.00' North
IBA criteria A3, A4i
Area 15,000 ha
Altitude 0 - 13m
Year of IBA assessment 2001

Association "Les Amis des Oiseaux"



Ornithological information 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.

Site description 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.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Barbary Partridge Alectoris barbara resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus winter  -  400-1,500 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia winter  -  400-800 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo winter  -  1,000-10,000 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans passage  1999  -  -    Least Concern 
Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Moussier's Redstart Phoenicurus moussieri resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica breeding  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Kerkennah Island Hunting Reserve Other Area 15,000 is identical to site 15,000  

Local conservation groups The local conservation group below is working to support conservation at this IBA.

Name Year formed
AAO/ Sfax Regional Branch 2000

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Sea Rock stacks & coastal islets  major

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
hunting -

Other biodiversity The gerbil Gerbillus simoni zakariai is endemic to Kerkennah.

Management considerations The islands threatened by erosion by the sea, particularly if sea-levels rise.

References Association Les Amis des Oiseaux and Medmaravis (1995), Association Les Amis des Oiseaux (2000), Azafzaf (1999b , 2000), Gaultier (1981, 1986, 1988b), Hughes et al. (1997), Maamouri and Hugues (1991), Ministère de l’Agriculture, Direction Générale des Forêts (2000), Nouira (1986, 1992), Oueslati (1995), Thomsen and Jacobsen (1979), Waechter (1980).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kerkennah islands. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife