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Sea and Coastal Birds of Lebanon

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Sea and Coastal Birds of Lebanon tock tters hu -S ro lo The Globally Threats facing the sea and coastal birds: High F . S rates of bycatch mortality in adults, pollution, . Threatened A predation (mainly by large gulls, rats and © Species cats), disturbance, lowered water level around The Audouin’s Gull nests, lead poisoning, egg collection and is considered natio- collisions; loss of foraging habitat and breeding Sea and coastal birds nally threatened as it sites; shooting and persecution by fishers, formerly bred in Palm illegal hunting, wetland alteration, and over- of Lebanon Islands until the seventies exploitation of fish stocks, oil spill and climate of the last century. It ceased from nesting due change. to disturbance. This species breeds on unin- habited islands and islets and may abandon By convention all of the Sphenisciformes and the nest under the pressure of heavy visita- Procellariiformes, all of the Pelecaniformes Legal status of sea tion. Lives mainly on small fish. Presently, this and Suliformes except the darters, and few species is a nonbreeding Charadriiformes (the skuas, gulls, terns, auks, and coastal birds. migrant in Lebanon. and phalaropes) are classified as seabirds. All the sea and coastal birds are protected by im h c the Lebanese Hunting Law 580/2004. Many of a Many waders (or shorebirds), including herons, o J them are also covered by the AEWA Agreement, a are also highly marine, living on the sea’s edge c i CMS, and Barcelona Convention. s (coast), but are treated as coastal birds. s e J © The content of this leaflet was developed by Dr. Ghassan Ramadan-Jardai as part of the project The Yelkouan Shear- “Market policy and legislative development for water is endemic to mainstreaming sustainable management of marine the Mediterranean & globally vulnerable. and coastal ecosystems in Lebanon”. The project is Accordingly, it merits conservation to prevent executed by IUCN in partnership with the Lebanese Ministry of Environment and funded by the Global its extinction. In Lebanon, it is a winterer and Environment Facility (GEF) through UN Environment migrant. Programme (UNEP). Shearwaters spend most of their life in the IUCN, International Union for Conservation sea and take rest on the surface of water. of Nature-Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) They visit the land for nesting only. The Sooty Shearwater is classified Near Abdel Latif Salah Street, bldg. 29 Threatened by the IUCN. The European Storm P.O. Box 942230 Amman 11194, Jordan Petrel is one of the smallest seabirds in the Tel: +962 6 554 6912, Fax: +962 6 5546915 world. Its size is that of a swallow. The seabirds Email: [email protected], feed on sick fishes and as such they contribute Website: www.iucn.org/westasia in safeguarding the best genes of fishes. Follow us on social media ©2020 International Union for Conservation of Nature - Regional Office for West Asia Many species of watebirds have marine Shore or Coastal birds How to conserve seabirds: affinity and live close to the shore or sea coasts, like waders, including herons, where • Use appropriate fishing gear by they find both resting places and shallow Black-tailed waters rich in fish and invertebrates. fishermen (equipment and tool for Godwits fishing such as legal nets and baits or © i Fo proper reels and ropes, etc.). n u ta We are transporting a I d d in our inners seeds It a a u n • Reduce seabirds bycatch by using o of berries to i F new areas appropriate fishing lines, seabirds © but we scaring devices, etc. are also controling pests • Mitigate the impact of fishing on in agricultural seabirds e.g:. fields -Do not fish near breeding sites of Little Stint seabirds. -Do not fish in the water where seabirds I am a small wader but with my population, I fish to feed their chicks. contribute to purifying and recycling the sea Grey Heron -Stop fishing using dynamite. water. I also effectively disperse plant seeds to remote areas. -Stop taking seabirds by hooking I feed on fish in both fresh and them using baits or lures whilst flying sea waters but on terrestrial overhead. © lands I eat lizards among other F o herptiles and subsequently ingest u a • Raise awareness of fishermen and the d i I n t a a t general public about the importance I n d i a u and benefits of the seabirds and o F the need for their protection © together with their nests, eggs and chicks. Black-winged Stilt My long legs with partially webbed feet help me walking on mud and wading in shallow water. Due to my migration across seas and oceans, my potential importance in diaspore seeds from the eaten lizards, playing a role in dispersal to oceanic islands has long been dispersing them all around. I am also used as recognized. indicator for monitoring studies .
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