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Ilhéus das Cabras
Protected Area for the Management of Habitats or Species
Gallery
Located southeast of the coast of Angra do Heroísmo, this area has about 28 hectares and is a shallow submarine volcanic system.
This system originated a tuff cone crossed by a fissure, the Ilhéu das Cabras (islet), and, having been dismantled by tectonic movements and marine erosion, divided into two distinct parts, the Ilhéu Grande and the Ilhéu Pequeno (the big and the small islets).
These islets have high sea-cliffs with herbaceous vegetation of the Macaronesian coasts, providing a breeding habitat for migratory seabirds such as Cory's Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) and Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) and where currently lives a large colony of Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis atlantis). The Azorean Bat (Nyctalus azoreum) also occurs regularly in this area.
The Ilhéu das Cabras is classified as a geosite of the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark, a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the Natura 2000 network, and an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) of the BirdLife International organization.