The position of the Maltese archipelago in the centre of the Mediterranean made the area extremely important for thousands of migratory birds each year, for resting and supplies.
Moreover, the Maltese Islands host about 29 species of breeding birds, whose distribution varies considerably along the archipelago. The most common species recorded are typical of the agricultural environment that is one of the most abundant environmental types in the archipelago. However, some species of conservation importance are present: the Greater short-toed lark, the Red-footed falcon and the Ferruginosus duck (included in Annex IV of the Birds Directive), as well as the turtledove, which is rare in Malta.
In the intervention areas 13 species of butterflies have been detected (including species of conservation interest such as Plebejus argus, Pararge aegeria, Polyommatus celina and Papilio machaon melitensis), as well as 4 species of reptiles (Tarentola mauritanica, Podarcis filfolensis, Chalcides ocellatus and Hierophis viridiflavus), three of which included in Annex IV of Habitat Directive.
