蜜芽传媒

Mediterranean islands are popular with people, but some are so isolated that mankind has had little effect there. Piperi in the Sporades Islands (Greece) is very remote and has had no human inhabitants since a monastery was abandoned. Birds therefore have the island to themselves. Two of the bird species that live there - Audouin's gull & Eleonora's falcon - are Mediterranean specialities. Audouin's gull is the Mediterranean equivalent of the herring gull, but has green legs and a scarlet, black and yellow beak. Eleonora's falcon is named after a 14th century Sardinian princess who passed laws protecting breeding falcons, to help in the sport of falconry. Eleonora's falcon was recognised by science in the 19th century. It winters in Madagascar and breeds in the Mediterranean. When it has chicks to feed it catches migrating warblers for them.