Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is the third largest and most populous Mediterranean island. It is located S of Turkey, W of Syria and Lebanon, NW of Israel and Palestine, N of Egypt and SE of Greece.
Cyprus or Republic of Cyprus is an important tourist destination in the Mediterranean. This large island measures 240 kilometres long and 100 kilometres wide.
The island is dominated by the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range, with a central plain, the Mesaoria, drained by the Pedieos River, the largest river of the island. The highest point is Mount Olympus (1,952 metres) located in the centre of Troodos Mountains, whereas the highest point of Kyrenia Range reaches up to 1,024 metres of elevation.
Cyprus has a subtropical climate with very mild winters on the coasts, and warm to hot summers. Numerous dams remain the main source of water, and water desalination plants have been built to deal with prolonged droughts in recent years.
The Cyprus wildlife has rich flora and diverse fauna but with few mammals. The natural habitats are disappearing with currently only 20% of the original habitat, due to urbanization, commercial usage of forests, tourism and human disturbance.
The Cyprus avifauna includes between 370 and 400 bird species according to the authors. The island is placed on migration routes between Africa, Europe and W Asia.
Only two endemic species of songbirds breed on the island and migrate S after breeding, the Cyprus Warbler (Sylvia melanothorax) and the Cyprus Wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca).
But numerous other species can be seen during their migration, such as the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and the Eleonora’s Falcon (Falco eleonorae).
About 53 bird species are permanent residents, while the others are migratory, and most of them are usual visitors in a beautiful variety of suitable habitats for numerous animal species.
Source: oiseaux-birds.com
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