Bubali Bird Sanctuary | |
Location: | Aruba |
Map: | Aruba |
Nearest City: | Palm Beach |
Coordinates: | 12.5597°N -70.0494°W |
Area: | 0.2km2[1] |
The Bubali Bird Sanctuary (Dutch: Bubali vogelreservaat)[2] form a 20 ha[1] wetland area at the north-western end of the island of Aruba, a constituent country of the Dutch Caribbean. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it and its surrounding vegetation support populations of a variety of birds, including threatened and restricted-range species as well as large seasonal numbers of migratory waders and neotropical passerines. Originally created as a wastewater treatment facility, the wetland is threatened by encroachment of aquatic vegetation decreasing the area of open water.[3]
Waterbirds nesting in the IBA include American coots, common moorhens, white-cheeked pintails, least and pied-billed grebes, and green herons. There is a large roost of neotropic cormorants. The desert scrub vegetation along the seaward side provides habitat for nesting white-tailed nightjars, yellow warblers, burrowing owls, ruby-topaz hummingbirds, eared and common ground doves, and bananaquits.[3]
On 10 September 2018, the Bubali Bird Sanctuary caught fire. The fire fighters managed to contain the fire by 3 AM,[4] however 24% of the area was destroyed.[5]