3. Birdlife

A variety of habitats are present at Corru Mannu and Corru S’Ittiri. Here, bird species can be seen moving from the lagoon to the shallow waters of the temporary areas to the expanses of Salicornia, where they nest.
Species such as the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), redshank (Tringa totanus), black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei) and common tern (Sterna hirundo) all reproduce among the Salicornia. Little egrets (Egretta garzetta) and common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) nest in the stretches of surrounding vegetation bordering the lagoon. Stone-curlews (Burhinus oedicnemus) reproduce in the arid areas.
Sardinian warblers (Sylvia melanocephala) can be spotted in the Mediterranean scrub, where they build their nests.
Migratory and wintering species include the osprey (Pandion haliaetus), grey heron (Ardea cinerea), great white egret (Egretta alba), and sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) can be observed in winter, while the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is present all year round.
The shores of the lagoon are populated by a variety of wading birds such as the curlew (Numenius arquata), northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola), ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), and the dunlin (Calidris alpina).
In winter, oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) and sanderlings (Calidris alba) can be seen on the nearby beach.