Avifauna

Sant'Antioco is an evocative and welcoming land, and not only for humans. In this piece of Sardinia, you can admire at close quarters the numerous species of avifauna that inhabit the lagoon, the hinterland and the rocky coastline: a true paradise for birdwatchers. But that is not all, because in the boundless naturalistic landscape of Antioch it is possible to appreciate various types of birds just a stone's throw from the town centre and without having any special equipment. It is enough, for example, to lay one's eyes on the lagoon that welcomes visitors on the isthmus of Sant'Antioco to be dazzled by the beauty of the pink flamingo, certainly one of the island's symbols, present in numerous specimens together with the various types of heron: Great White, Grey and Watching Egret. With them, the Black-winged Stilt, the Little Egret, the Cormorant, the Sandpiper, the Avocet and the other beautiful and 'sounding' species that populate the brackish areas on the outskirts of Sant'Antioco. We said that the island is a paradise for birdwatchers, right? Then you should know that at the mouth of the Rio Sassu (near the hamlet of Santa Caterina) it will not be difficult to spot the Little Bittern, the Nightjar, the Osprey and the Kingfisher. And on the islands of La Vacca and Toro? Those are special areas, in every sense of the word, home to a very rare species of falcon, known as the Falco della Regina, which owes its name to the Giudicessa Eleonora D'Arborea who, in 1392, instituted a code of local laws, the Carta De Logu, in which an article was dedicated to the prohibition of taking goshawks and falcons from their nests, thus constituting the first case of protection for birds of prey. And always on that stretch of coast, it will also be possible to come across the Peregrine Falcon or the extremely rare species of Storm Bird. Finally, we would like to give you a piece of advice: if just before sunset you go to the south coast (opposite La Vacca Island), sit down, close your eyes and listen to the sound of nature. And of the hundreds of birds you will hear flying over your head.