Cyprus Fauna

Cyprus Fauna information and usefull links

Cyprus rears many wild asses and rams, stags and hinds; but it has no bears, lions or wolves, or other dangerous beasts.' 'There are in the mountains of Cyprus wild sheep, with hair like that of goats and dogs, which are said to be found nowhere else. It is a very swift animal and its flesh is good and sweet. When I was out hunting I saw several caught by dogs, and especially by the tame leopards of Cyprus. The hunting leopards have gone the same way as the wild asses and deer, but the rare species of wild sheep, the moufflon, has survived to become one of the prides of the island. Throughout the history of Cyprus, these animals, with their agility and preference for the most inaccessible mountain regions, have constituted a challenge to the hunter. The Lusignans, the Prankish Crusaders who ruled for nearly three hundred years, were as fanatical sportsmen as the British. It is a great credit to the recent policy of the authorities that the breed has been preserved, not only in zoos and the special enclosure at Stavros tis Psokas but also in its natural habitat in the western spurs of the Troodos Mountains, in the region known as the Paphos Forest. This favourable state of affairs is the result of strict protection enforced at a time when the surviving breeding couples could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The moufflon are now on the increase, and are thought to number over 200. The breed may be seen in realistic surroundings in the enclosures of Stavros tis Psokas Forest Station.

This is the most noteworthy form of wild life in Cyprus. In fact, to the ordinary European observer there is no other species of special importance. One form of wild life which captures attention by its depredations is the rat, which lives in carob trees. It is noticeable that these large evergreen trees frequently have branches of brown withered foliage, due to the colonies of rats which inhabit them and eat the bark. Foxes and hares live in the mountains, and all over the island many different kinds of lizard and some snakes are to be found, but these are of passing interest except to the naturalist. Few of the snakes are poisonous, but the exception is the coupli, two to three feet long, which has a greenish skin and dark spots, and may be occasionally encountered at Salamis.

Domestic animals fare better in Cyprus than in many Mediterranean countries. In fact, any cruelty seems to arise from kindness, especially as regards cats, which are allowed to survive as they will, leading to gross over population. In some monasteries, notably at the Monastery of St Nicholas of the Cats, near Akrotiri, and at Ayia Barbara below Stavrovouni, the cats are kept as snake exterminators. Village dogs are rarely fierce, as though they have been taught to welcome strangers in the same tradition of hospitality as is practised by their masters. Though mechanized transport is increasing in an island which is employing its resources to keep abreast with the times, donkeys are much in use for carrying loads, camels plough some of the smaller holdings in the Mesaoria and some bullock carts are still in use. The Cyprus Ornithological Society, which was formed in 1957, has recorded over three hundred species of birds as having been reliably observed on the island. The majority of these are migratory, and it is from this group that the casual observer will derive most pleasure. For instance, between December and April each of the salt lakes near Larnaca and Akrotiri has a large flock of flamingoes. The same two regions harbour egrets, ibises, herons and other waders. The mass migration of storks and cranes is particularly spectacular, made the more fascinating on account of its regular pattern, not only as regards formation in flight but because of the predictability of the birds' arrival, usually for one night in early August, en route for Egypt. Golden orioles are usually seen and cuckoos heard during the spring migration. Swallows may be expected on February 19th. Other winter visitors include several species of wild duck, wagtails, blackcaps and chiffchaffs. The warblers and the blackcaps face the greatest danger on arrival because they are greatly sought after for eating, and are netted and trapped in bushes spread with bird-lime. The eastern spurs of the Kyrenia mountains are the surest locality for spotting the hoopoe, whose brilliant colouring and crest distinguish him from all others. Nightingales nest south of the Troodos range and at Lapithos near North Cyprus Kyrenia.

There are indeed very few migratory birds which do not habitually or occasionally visit or pass across Cyprus. The few resident birds are apt to develop distinctive features, and these modifications have been classified separately by ornithologists. The one bird peculiar to Cyprus is Cetti's Warbler, sometimes known as the Cyprus Warbler. This attractive little bird favours the Kyrenia range but can also be found nesting in bushes on the lower slopes of the Troodos Mountains. Rock doves are common in both ranges. The Little Owl and Scops Owl have managed to survive a reputation for being harbingers of death.

Of the larger birds, the griffon vultures of the Kyrenia mountain peaks have a peculiar fascination. Bonelli's Eagle breeds in both mountain ranges, as do fewer pairs of the Imperial Eagle. Other eagles have been sighted, but usually on migration. Buzzards come in large flocks, and are best seen at Akrotiri in September. The cliffs of Akrotiri have recently sprung into ornithological fame as the nesting place of the rare Eleonora's falcon, which was made the subject of a fascinating television programme in 1969. Partridges are common, but francolin similar in their gait and flight, but larger are most likely to be seen in the Kantara neighbourhood. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for bird watching. Members of the Cyprus Ornithological Society undertake bird ringing under the auspices of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London.

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