The avifauna
The avifauna
Giglio and its birdlife
Excursions and identification exercises on Mediterranean vegetation and marine life forms form the actual focus of the trip to Giglio. However, smaller, 2-3 day scientific projects organised and carried out by students on Giglio were also dedicated to other topics. Among other things, there were projects to record and map bird species in the various habitats on the island. The habitat types include village and urban habitats as well as the natural structures of holm oak forests, maquis, garigues and the rocky coast.
Every year, millions of small songbirds cross the Mediterranean on their way from the wintering grounds in the south to their breeding grounds in the north. Larger species avoid the large water surface of the sea on their way northwards due to the poorer thermals. They switch to the land passages in the west and east. Depending on when you are in the Mediterranean region, you can observe a large number of native bird species in addition to true Mediterranean species.
The species lists presented below, of the more urban habitats in Campese, the rocky coast, the cistus macchia, the holm oak forest and a transition zone between the latter two habitats, show sightings from 2019 and are therefore certainly not complete. In addition to the species actually found, the detailed tables also show the species that could potentially have been expected and those that were also sighted in the respective habitats.
Sightings within the short project "Avifauna"
Family | Species name | Number of observations | |
Leaf warbler | Willow Warbler | Regulus ignicapilla | 3 |
Twig Warbler
| Orphean Warbler | Sylvia hortensis | 4 |
Ligurian warbler | Sylvia subalpina | 5 | |
Blackcap | Sylvia atricapilla | 6 | |
Velvet-headed warbler | Sylvia melanocephala | 21 | |
Provence Warbler | Sylvia undata | 6 | |
Sardinian Warbler | Sylvia sarda | 1 | |
Yellow warbler | Hippolais icterina | 1 | |
Finch
| Chaffinch | Fringilla coelebs | 3 |
Goldfinch | Carduelis carduelis | 26 | |
Serinus serinus | Serinus serinus | 5 | |
Common Linnet | Carduelis cannabina | 6 | |
Great Tit | Great Tit | Parus major | 8 |
Sparrows | Italian Sparrow | Passer italiae | 4 |
Oriole | Oriole | Oriolus oriolus | 2 |
Crows
| Hooded Crow | Corvus cornix | 1 |
Jackdaw | Corvus monedula | 1 | |
Flycatcher
| Grey Flycatcher | Muscicapa striata | 14 |
Nightingale | Luscinia megarhynchus | 1 | |
Thrushes
| Blackbird | Turdus merula | 3 |
Blue rock thrush | Monticola solitarius | 1 | |
Stilts | Yellow wagtail (hybrid) (meadow/ashy wagtail) | Motacilla flava flavissima x cinereocapilla | 1 |
Swallows
| House martin | Delichon urbicum | 11 |
Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | 3 | |
Roller birds
| Bee-eater | Merops apiaster | 22 |
Hoopoe | Upupa epops | 1 | |
Swift
| Swift | Apus apus | 7 |
Alpine swift | Apus melba | 3 | |
Pallid Swift | Apus pallidus | 1 | |
Pigeons
| Eurasian collared dove | Streptopedia decaocto | 7 |
Turtle Dove | Streptopelia turtur | 1 | |
Rock Pigeon | Columba levia | 5 | |
Birds of prey
| Peregrine falcon | Falco peregrinus | 1 |
Hobby | Falco subbuteo | 2 | |
Eleonora's Falcon | Falco eleonora | 1 | |
Kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | 1 | |
Common buzzard | Buteo buteo | 1 | |
Honey buzzard | Pernis apivorus | 12 | |
Heron | Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | 12 |
Cormorants | Cormorant | Phalacrocorax aristotelis | 1 |
Gulls | Mediterranean Gull | Larus michahellis | 73 |
Tubenoses
| Cory's Shearwater | Calonectris diomedea diomedea | 21 |
Mediterranean shearwater | Puffinus yelkouan | 13 | |