Malta Important Bird Area
Rdum Tal-Madonna Important Bird Area
222 bird species recorded; the most from March to April.
Frank Vincentz · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
77 species in January.86 species in February.156 species in March.158 species in April.124 species in May.32 species in June.47 species in July.66 species in August.143 species in September.130 species in October.105 species in November.87 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.
VU
NT
VU
VU
VU
NTVUVU
NT
NT
VU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
222 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).
- 222Speciesrecorded more than once
- 142Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 23,232Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 15Raptors
- 2Owls
- 36Waders
- 25Gulls & seabirds
- 12Ducks & geese
- 14Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 94Songbirds
- 21Other 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 222 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
- Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
Waders36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Eurasian DotterelCharadrius morinellus
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Great SnipeGallinago mediaNT
Gulls & seabirds25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Common GullLarus canus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Little TernSternula albifrons
Ducks & geese12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Marbled TealMarmaronetta angustirostrisNT
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
Herons, ibises & grebes14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common CraneGrus grus
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds94 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Eastern Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillans
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Italian SparrowPasser italiaeVU
- Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
- Common Rock ThrushMonticola saxatilis
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Red-breasted flycatcherFicedula parva
- Half-collared FlycatcherFicedula semitorquata
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Hoopoe LarkAlaemon alaudipes
- Lesser Short-toed LarkCalandrella rufescens
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- Eastern Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus orientalis
- Moussier's RedstartPhoenicurus moussieri
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Moltoni's WarblerCurruca subalpina
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
- Rustic BuntingEmberiza rusticaNT
- Subalpine WarblerSylvia cantillans
- Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Trumpeter FinchBucanetes githagineus
- Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Pale Crag MartinPtyonoprogne obsoleta
Other birds21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European SwiftApus apus
- CootFulica atra
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Chukar PartridgeAlectoris chukar
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from March to April.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan15°/14°74 mm
- Feb15°/13°65 mm
- Mar15°/14°51 mm
- Apr17°/16°33 mm
- May20°/18°17 mm
- Jun24°/22°11 mm
- Jul27°/25°4 mm
- Aug28°/26°10 mm
- Sep26°/24°63 mm
- Oct23°/22°82 mm
- Nov20°/19°95 mm
- Dec17°/16°82 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Rdum Tal-Madonna Important Bird Area.
Rdum Tal-Madonna Important Bird Area is an Important Bird Area (BirdLife) in Malta.
222 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 23,232 open records.
The most recorded are the Spanish sparrow, the Yellow-legged Gull and the Sardinian Warbler.
61 species come for the summer, 66 for the winter and 15 only pass through.
8 are threatened worldwide, including Yelkouan Shearwater, European Turtle Dove and Curlew Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded from March to April.
Get there and watch
- Adventure Campsitecampsite · 1.3 km · 6 within 10 km
- Gillieru Harbour Hotelplace to stay · 5.2 km · 122 within 10 km
- Mellieħanearest town · 3.0 km in a straight line
- Malta International Airport (MLA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 19 km in a straight lineCar hire at MLA airport (Valletta)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
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
- 7bird hides within 6 km
- 6marked trails within 4 kmMMV Tour 7, MMV Tour 4, MMV Tour 5 and 3 more
- 5visitor centres within 6 kmHello Malta Tours, Is-Simar nature reserve, Tourist Information Office and 2 more
- 21viewpoints within 5 kmSaint Paul's Island Viewpoint, Sea View Bar, Veduta fuq Popeye Village and 18 more
- 36car parks within 3 km
- 50restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 6campsites within 10 kmAdventure Campsite, Tal-Ful Campsite, Għajn Tuffieħa Scout Campsite and 3 more
- 122places to stay within 10 kmGillieru Harbour Hotel, Relax Inn, Primera and 119 more
- observation towers within 6 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 Rdum Tal-Madonna Important Bird Area.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas18 mountains within 25 kmNadur238 m · 9.2 kmIl-Qolla183 m · 9.5 kmĠebel San Pietru147 m · 9.9 kmTa' Baldu186 m · 12 kmIl-Gelmus133 m · 14 kmTa' Dmejrek253 m · 16 km↗Ta’ Għammar186 m · 16 kmTa' Dbieġi177 m · 16 km
Coastya25 beaches within 10 kmArmier Bay · 1.0 km↗Ir-Ramla taċ-Ċirkewwa · 3.1 kmIr-Ramla tal-Pwales · 4.4 km↗Ix-Xtajta ta’ Buġibba · 5.5 kmIr-Ramla tal Mixquqa · 5.8 km↗Ix-Xtajta tal-Qawra · 6.0 kmIr-Ramla ta’ Għajn Tuffieħa · 6.4 kmDaħlet Qorrot · 8.7 km
Darkskyas1 dark-sky places within 30 kmFlarestar ObservatoryBortle 8 · 12 km
Cavernyas12 caves within 20 kmRamla Bay · 12 kmCalypso’s Cave · 12 kmNinu's Cave · 12 kmXerri's Grotto · 12 kmGhar il-Kbir · 15 kmBlue Hole · 18 kmGhar Lapsi · 18 kmBlue Grotto · 20 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.
Rdum Tal-Madonna Important Bird Area
Malta
- 82Birdyas Score
- 222Species
- 142Migrants
- 8Threatened
Il-Kullana to ta' Gifen Cliffs Important Bird Area
Malta · 17 km
- 68Birdyas Score
- 135Species
- 89Migrants
- 4Threatened
Ta' Ċenċ Cliffs Important Bird Area
Malta · 13 km
- 66Birdyas Score
- 137Species
- 78Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q15272092) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 23,232 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, Cavernyas |
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
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
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