Abstract

This study was conducted during the period from February to July 2020 on three sites along Tripoli coast; Gargaresh, Siahiya and Janzour. This study aimed to inventory the biodiversity of birds that utilize these small islands, compare the diversity and numbers of birds among the sites, as well as to investigate the impact of disturbance on them. Moreover, highlight the importance of small islands on the beach between Janzour and Gargaresh along the coast of Tripoli. This study recorded a total of 40 bird species belong to 16 families. The highest number of birds was in Gargaresh islands, and the lowest was in the Janzour site, both in terms of species and individuals. By using Shannon's diversity index, Gargaresh site was the most diverse and the Janzour site was the lowest. This study also recorded some tags (rings) on the legs of birds, which indicate their migratory line and the curriculum vitae of each bird, these species are: lesser black-backed gull Larus fascus (Linnaeus 1758), Audouin's gull Larus audouinii (Payraudeau 1826) and Yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis (Naumann 1840). Furthermore, a total of 10 endangered species that mentioned in Annex II issued by the Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas in the Mediterranean (UNEP, MAP, RAC/SPA) were recorded, and two species mentioned in the Red List issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN/ Red) list). Among the results of this study, three rare species were recorded at the Gargaresh site: Pallas's gull Larus ichthyaetus (Pallas 1773), Great black-back gull Larus marinus (Linnaeus 1758), and a first record of European herring gull Larus argentatus (Pontopiddan 1763) in Libya.