Cape Verde Ramsar wetland
Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area
74 bird species recorded; the most in March and in August.
Fulvio Barudoni · CC BY 3.0
This month here
41 species in January.40 species in February.48 species in March.47 species in April.36 species in May.27 species in June.14 species in July.52 species in August.31 species in September.44 species in October.37 species in November.40 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
VU
NT
VU
NT
VU
VUNT
NT
NTNT
VU
VUNTNTVUNTVUNTVUNTNTNTVUNTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
74 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 74Speciesrecorded more than once
- 27Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 3,770Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 8Raptors
- 25Waders
- 11Gulls & seabirds
- 2Ducks & geese
- 8Herons, ibises & grebes
- 13Songbirds
- 7Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 74 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Egyptian vultureNeophron percnopterus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
Waders25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Cream-coloured CourserCursorius cursor
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
Gulls & seabirds11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- Cape Verde ShearwaterCalonectris edwardsiiNT
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Phaethon aethereusPhaethon aethereus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- White-faced storm petrelPelagodroma marina
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Red-footed BoobySula sula
- Fea's PetrelPterodroma feaeNT
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
Ducks & geese2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
Herons, ibises & grebes8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Western Reef HeronEgretta gularis
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
Songbirds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brown-necked RavenCorvus ruficollis
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Hoopoe LarkAlaemon alaudipes
- Bar-tailed Desert LarkAmmomanes cinctura
- Black-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix nigriceps
- Iago SparrowPasser iagoensis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
Other birds7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Alexander's SwiftApus alexandri
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in March and in August.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan23°/22°24 mm
- Feb22°/21°21 mm
- Mar22°/21°10 mm
- Apr22°/21°6 mm
- May22°/22°4 mm
- Jun23°/22°3 mm
- Jul25°/24°9 mm
- Aug26°/26°39 mm
- Sep27°/26°64 mm
- Oct27°/26°36 mm
- Nov26°/25°32 mm
- Dec24°/24°25 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area.
Bird sanctuary in Cape Verde
Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Cape Verde.
74 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 3,770 open records.
The most recorded are the Kentish Plover, the Brown Booby and the Brown-necked Raven.
10 species come for the summer, 16 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover and Lesser yellowlegs.
The most species are recorded in March and in August.
Get there and watch
- Hotel RIU Touaregplace to stay · 3.4 km · 1 within 10 km
- Rabilnearest town · 21 km in a straight line
- Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 21 km in a straight line
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1places to stay within 10 kmHotel RIU Touareg
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmMonte Estância387 m · 9.4 kmMonte Santo António379 m · 14 kmRocha Estância357 m · 15 kmMonte Caçador and Pico Forcado Protected Countryside364 m · 17 kmMorre Negro156 m · 19 km
Islandyasthe islandIlhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area0.0 km²
Coastya8 beaches within 10 kmBancona · 0.5 kmPraia de Curral Velho · 1.6 kmPraia de Cruzinha Brito · 3.1 kmPraia de Medronho · 3.5 kmPraia de Curral Mateus · 5.6 kmPraia de Carquejinha · 7.0 kmPraia de João Barrosa · 7.9 kmPraia de Lacacão · 8.4 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area
Cape Verde
- 51Birdyas Score
- 74Species
- 27Migrants
- 4Threatened
Ribeira do Rabil Important Bird Area
Cape Verde · 22 km
- 49Birdyas Score
- 71Species
- 28Migrants
- 3Threatened
Pedra Badejo lagoons Important Bird Area
Cape Verde · 122 km
- 50Birdyas Score
- 65Species
- 24Migrants
- 3Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q15228273) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 3,770 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
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lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit