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19-461: Kerkennah's main town, Remla (on Chergui ), had a population of 2,623 as of Census 2014-04-23. The population of the islands significantly decreased during the 1980s due to drought . The islands were unable to provide suitable irrigation systems and, with clean water rapidly running out, many islanders were forced to leave for mainland Tunisia, the nearest city being Sfax . The natives of Tunisia and Kerkennah originally settled there, but during

38-873: A critical migration bottleneck for 3 species : the previously mentioned great cormorants, the Eurasian spoonbill ( 400–800 individuals ) and the greater flamingo (400 to 1,500 individuals). In addition, the following 7 species that are mostly restricted to the Mediterranean North African biome see significant populations migrate through the Kerkennah (BirdLife conservation criteria A3): Barbary partridge Alectoris barbara , Moussier's redstart Phoenicurus moussieri , Western black-eared wheatear Oenantha hispanica , Sardinian warbler Sylvia melanocephalia , Eastern subalpine warbler Sylvia cantillans , spectacled warbler Sylvia conspicillata and

57-664: A titular see . It was proposed to locate the monastery built in 532 by Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe on one of the islets of the group, but it was more recently argued for an identification on the Kneiss island. During the Second World War , the Battle of the Tarigo Convoy was fought near the islands on 16 April 1941. The islands are warm and dry, with strong prevailing winds. This is mainly due to its positioning in

76-610: A gull or other large seabird, and fuscus meant black or brown. The five recognized subspecies are: The lesser black-backed gull is smaller than the European herring gull . The taxonomy of the herring gull / lesser black-backed gull complex is very complicated; different authorities recognise between two and eight species. This group has a ring species distribution around the Northern Hemisphere. Differences between adjacent forms in this ring are fairly small, but by

95-620: A port known as Kraten . The whole archipelago is an important wintering area for migratory birds. BirdLife international classifies the Kerkennah islands as an Important Bird Area (code TN026) particularly critical as it constitutes a major migration bottleneck (category A4i) and in that it hosts at time significant populations of some species whose distribution is mostly confined to the Mediterranean North-African biome (i.e. category A3). In terms of winter-migrating birds, great cormorants , gulls and terns are

114-495: Is a key industry of Kerkennah, whence it is exported to mainland Tunisia and nearby countries. Tourism is limited in Kerkennah and it lacks grandiose sandy beaches. Many mainland Tunisians spend their holidays in Kerkennah, and many more affluent Tunisians often build private second homes on the island. Tourists also come from European countries. Temperatures on the island are high, with a minimum of 4 °C (39 °F) and often reaching 40 °C (104 °F). The north includes

133-646: Is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory , wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. However, it has increased dramatically in North America, especially along the east coast. Formerly just a winter visitor to North America, it has increased and occurs in large numbers some winters and birds are now recorded year-round. However, there is serious concern about decline in many parts of its range. The species

152-534: Is most readily done by the more solidly dark (unbarred) tertial feathers. Their call is a "laughing" cry like that of the herring gull, but with a markedly deeper pitch. Lesser black-backed gulls have expanded their range westwards, first colonising Greenland in the 1980s. The species has not yet bred in the United States, although hybrid pairs with American herring gulls have been recorded twice. This species breeds colonially on coasts and lakes, making

171-604: Is on the UK Amber List because the UK is home to 40 per cent of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than ten breeding sites. The lesser black-backed gull was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae , and it still bears its original name Larus fuscus . The scientific name is from Latin . Larus appears to have referred to

190-481: Is yellow with a red spot at which the young peck, inducing feeding (see fixed action pattern ). The head is greyer in winter, unlike great black-backed gulls. Annual moult for adults begins between May and August and is not complete on some birds until November. Partial prebreeding moult occurs between January and April. Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts and a neat wing pattern. They take four years to reach maturity. Identification from juvenile herring gulls

209-540: The Gulf of Gabes , with strong sea winds ( Gharbi ), carried over the mainland, making them hot and dry. What little water vapour there is, is lost over cooler Tunisia first. This causes the general ecology of the island to mainly consist of tall xerophytic (and often halophytic ) flora, such as palms and saltbushes . The land is arid and there is little agriculture, though the islanders own chickens and goats for their personal consumption. Fishing , especially for octopus,

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228-513: The spotless starling sturnus unicolor . Finally, some species do not simply pass through but breed on Kerkenah, such as the common kestrel Falco tinnunculus , the cream-colored courser Cursorius cursor , the European bee-eater Merops apiaster and the Great grey shrike Lanius excubitor . Aside from these birds, the islands are also an important stop-over site each spring and autumn for hundreds of thousands of migrant passerines . All

247-444: The wing chord is 38 to 45 cm (15 to 18 in), the bill is 4.2 to 5.8 cm (1.7 to 2.3 in), and the tarsus is 5.2 to 6.9 cm (2.0 to 2.7 in). A confusable species is the great black-backed gull . The lesser is a much smaller bird, with slimmer build, yellow rather than pinkish legs, and smaller white "mirrors" at the wing tips. The adults have black or dark grey wings (depending on race) and back. The bill

266-586: The city that was on the island was also called Cercinna ( Ancient Greek : Κέρκιννα ), same as the island. Among the Catholic bishops whom the Arian Vandal king Huneric summoned to Carthage in 484, was a Bishop Athenius of Cercina , the seat of the bishopric being in the most easterly island of the group. No longer a residential bishopric, Cercina is today listed by the Catholic Church as

285-649: The islands are classified as hunting reserve, meaning that the hunting of game, including birds, is only allowed at specific times and under license. The Kerkennah Islands gerbil , Gerbillus simoni zakariai is a subspecies of Gerbillus simoni endemic to the archipelago. Remla Remla ( Arabic : رملة ) is the main town of the Kerkennah Islands , Tunisia . It is part of the Sfax Governorate . A three-day Octopus Festival in March marks

304-467: The most striking: For the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo between 1,000 and 10,000 individuals can be counted some winters (the migration route can depend on the amount of rains for a given year). For gulls and terns, notable species including slender-billed gull Larus genei , lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus , Caspian gull Larus cachinnans , Caspian tern Sterna caspia and Sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis . The islands constitute

323-600: The spread of the Roman Empire , Kerkennah was used as a port and look-out point by the Romans, to keep note of off-shore activity. In 2 BC, Augustus exiled Sempronius Gracchus , a lover of Julia the Elder , to the islands for 14 years for his indiscretions with his then-married daughter. Greeks called it Cercina ( Ancient Greek : Κέρκινα ) and Cercinna ( Ancient Greek : Κέρκιννα ). Strabo and Ptolemaeus wrote that

342-404: The start of the octopus fishing season. The sector had a population of 2,623 as of Census 2014-04-23. 34°42′39″N 11°11′40″E  /  34.71083°N 11.19444°E  / 34.71083; 11.19444 This Tunisia location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lesser black-backed gull The lesser black-backed gull ( Larus fuscus )

361-544: The time the circuit is completed, the end members, herring gull and lesser black-backed gull, are clearly different species. The lesser black-backed gull measures 51–64 cm (20–25 in), 124–150 cm (49–59 in) across the wings, and weighs 452–1,100 g (0.996–2.425 lb), with the nominate race averaging slightly smaller than the other two subspecies. Males, at an average weight of 824 g (1.817 lb), are slightly larger than females, at an average of 708 g (1.561 lb). Among standard measurements,

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