Malta Important Bird Area
Dwejra Bay to San Dimitri Point Important Bird Area
111 bird species recorded; the most in April.
Meg Zimbeck · CC BY 2.0
This month here
30 species in January.26 species in February.67 species in March.77 species in April.43 species in May.14 species in June.19 species in July.33 species in August.60 species in September.43 species in October.37 species in November.27 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
VU
VU
VU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
111 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).
- 111Speciesrecorded more than once
- 62Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 2,432Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 12Raptors
- 1Owls
- 9Waders
- 10Gulls & seabirds
- 2Ducks & geese
- 8Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 54Songbirds
- 13Other 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 111 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Waders9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
Gulls & seabirds10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
Ducks & geese2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
Herons, ibises & grebes8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Great White EgretArdea alba
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common CraneGrus grus
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Songbirds54 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Eastern Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillans
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Italian SparrowPasser italiaeVU
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- White-crowned Black WheatearOenanthe leucopyga
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
Other birds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- European SwiftApus apus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
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 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
Dwejra Bay to San Dimitri Point Important Bird Area.
Dwejra Bay to San Dimitri Point Important Bird Area is an Important Bird Area (BirdLife) in Malta.
111 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 2,432 open records.
The most recorded are the Spanish sparrow, the Sardinian Warbler and the Barn swallow.
31 species come for the summer, 21 for the winter and 10 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including European Turtle Dove, Yelkouan Shearwater and Italian Sparrow.
The most species are recorded in April.
Get there and watch
- Wild Campcampsite · 2.2 km · 2 within 10 km
- Villaġġ ta' Sbejħaplace to stay · 1.7 km · 112 within 10 km
- San Lawrenznearest town · 2.2 km in a straight line
- Malta International Airport (MLA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 37 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
- 16bird hides within 6 km
- 6marked trails within 4 kmGozo Coastal Walk, Xlendi Walk, Salt Pans Walk and 3 more
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmMTA
- 13viewpoints within 5 kmLunzjata Valley Belvedere Viewpoint, Sannat Cliffs, View on former Azure Window and 10 more
- 6car parks within 3 km
- 8restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmWild Camp, Ruby's Camping
- 112places to stay within 10 kmVillaġġ ta' Sbejħa, Saint Patrick's Hotel, San Andrea and 109 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 Dwejra Bay to San Dimitri Point Important Bird Area.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas11 mountains within 25 kmTa' Dbieġi177 m · 3.2 kmTa’ Għammar186 m · 3.4 kmIl-Gelmus133 m · 4.9 kmTas-Salvatur Hill69 m · 6.4 kmMellieħa Ridge145 m · 20 kmIl-Ħotba ta' San Martin133 m · 23 kmĠebel Wardija107 m · 24 kmĠebel Għawżara117 m · 25 km
Coastya8 beaches within 10 kmQala tad-Dwejra · 1.6 kmId-Dejjaq · 3.3 kmNagħaġ il-Baħar · 4.9 kmQbajjar Bay · 6.0 km↗Il-Qala tax-Xwieni · 6.0 kmIr-Ramla ta’ Marsalforn · 6.9 km↗Ix-Xtajta · 8.9 km↗Qala ta’ Micħal · 9.7 km
Cavernyas9 caves within 20 kmBlue Hole · 1.6 kmXerri's Grotto · 7.2 kmNinu's Cave · 7.5 kmGħejzu Cave · 7.7 kmCalypso’s Cave · 8.7 kmRamla Bay · 9.0 kmGħar ix-Xih · 9.1 kmMixta Cave · 9.6 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.
Dwejra Bay to San Dimitri Point Important Bird Area
Malta
- 61Birdyas Score
- 111Species
- 62Migrants
- 4Threatened
Rdum Tal-Madonna Important Bird Area
Malta · 19 km
- 82Birdyas Score
- 222Species
- 142Migrants
- 8Threatened
Ta' Ċenċ Cliffs Important Bird Area
Malta · 7 km
- 66Birdyas Score
- 137Species
- 78Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q15215519) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 2,432 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, Coastya, 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