Raptor migration across the Strait of Messina, southern Italy

Abstract

The Strait of Messina, at the foot of Italy, is a major migration flyway for many raptors and other species, yet very little has been published on the numbers of birds passing through the area each year.The results of spring counts over the five years 1996-2000 indicate that the Strait is of international importance for seven species of raptor and two species of stork Ciconia.The area is also of great interest for its varied avifauna in general, which includes several distinctive Sicilian subspecies.