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Mayotte

Mayotte Drongo Dicrurus waldenii ©Dubi Shapiro Website

Mayotte, officially the Department of Mayotte, is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the overseas departments of France as well as one of the 18 regions of France, with the same status as the departments of Metropolitan France. It is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, part of the eurozone. French is the official language and is spoken as a second language by an increasing part of the population, with 63% of the population 14 years and older reporting in the 2007 census that they could speak it. There are two native languages of Mayotte. The most commonly spoken is Shimaore, and the lesser spoken is a Malagasy language called Kibushi, of which there are two dialects.

Mayotte is located in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel in the western Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeastern Africa, between the northwestern part of the island of Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique on the continent. Mayotte consists of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), as well as several islets around these two. Mayotte’s land area is 374 km² (144 square miles) and, with its c.331,000 people according to January 2025 official estimates, is very densely populated. The biggest city and prefecture is the capital, Mamoudzou on the larger Grande-Terre. The Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport is located on the neighbouring smaller island of Petite-Terre. The territory is also known as Maore, the native name of its main island.

The main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), geologically the oldest of the Comoro Islands, is 39 kilometres (24 miles) long and 22 kilometres (14 miles) wide, and its highest point is Mount Benara, at 2,165 feet above sea level. Because of the volcanic rock, the soil is relatively rich in some areas.

Mayotte’s Agricultural Landscape – ©Frédéric Ducarme CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A coral reef encircling much of the island ensures protection for ships and a habitat for fish.  Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi) is, at 10 square kilometres the largest of several islets adjacent to Maore. The area of the lagoon behind the reef is approximately 1,500 km², reaching a maximum depth of about 80m. It is described as “..the largest barrier-reef-lagoon complex within the southwestern Indian Ocean”. Part of the barrier reef features a double barrier that is rare on the planet. It protects almost all of Mayotte from ocean currents and waves, except for a dozen passes. It is dotted with about a hundred coral islets, such as Mtsamboro, which at just km2 is the third largest island. The next is the 84-hectare Mbouzi islet, which is a nature reserve. This reef serves as a refuge for boats and oceanic fauna. However, this area is difficult to assess accurately, given the number of small uninhabited islets, some of which are completely underwater at high tide, but may reveal significant areas at low tide. All Mayotte waters are ruled by a National Marine Park, and many places are natural reserves.

Birding Mayotte

Mayotte has a great diversity in its plant life: more than 1,300 species are recorded, half of them being endemic, making this island one of the richest in plant diversity in the world compared to its size. 15% of the island is classified as natural reserve; however, the primal forest now covers barely 5% of the island due to illegal deforestation.

Mayotte Forest National Nature Reserve – ©Frédéric Ducarme CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

There are 30 protected areas on Mayotte, totalling 55 km² or c.14% of Mayotte’s land area, and 100% of Mayotte’s was designated very recently. The reserve consists of 2,801 hectares (6,920 acres) in six mountain forests, covering 51% of Mayotte’s reserve forests and 7.5% of Mayotte’s total land area. Areas protected by the reserve include Mount Mtsapéré, Mount Combani, Mount Benara, and Mount Choungui. The purpose of the reserve is to protect the relict primary forests of the island, restore the island’s secondary forests, and protect the island’s native flora and fauna.

Mayotte Sunbird Cinnyris coquerellii – ©Dubi Shapiro

Just like many volcanic islands, Mayotte shelters quite a limited mammal biodiversity, the only native species being flying foxes Pteropus seychellensis comorensis. However, there are 18 species of reptiles, 23 of terrestrial molluscs, 116 butterflies, 38 dragonflies, 50 grasshoppers, and 150 beetles.

Mayotte White-eye Zosterops mayottensis – ©Dubi Shapiro

The vast majority of the 139 species recorded at Mayotte are accidental with only a handful of terrestrial birds and more resident or regular seabirds. Four Mayotte endemics; Mayotte Scops Owl, Mayotte Sunbird, Mayotte White-eye and Mayotte Drongo are birders’ main targets, but there are many other interesting species, such as Malagasy Pond Heron, Olive Bee-eater, Comoros Fody, Malagasy Turtle Dove, the gigantic Comoros Olive Pigeon, Comoros Blue Pigeon, Frances’s Sparrowhawk, Malagasy Black Swift, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Malagasy Bulbul and Malagasy Kingfisher. Regular visitors to look out for include Humblot’s Heron, Lesser Crested Tern, Brown Noddy, and Crab-plover.

Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 139

    (As at February 2025)
Endemics

  • Number of endemics: 4

    Mayotte Scops-Owl Otus mayottensis
    Mayotte Drongo Dicrurus waldenii
    Mayotte White-eye Zosterops mayottensis
    Mayotte Sunbird Cinnyris coquerellii
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Mayotte , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • E-Bird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.

  • Wikipedia

    Annotated List
    This is a list of the bird species recorded in Mayotte. The avifauna of Mayotte include a total of 138 species.
Useful Reading

  • Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands

    | Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles and the Comoros | By Ian Sinclair & Olivier M Langrand | New Holland Publishers | Edition 2 | 2013 | Paperback | Out of Print | ISBN: 9781431700851 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Les Oiseaux de Mayotte

    | By M Clement, P de Griddac & R Rolland | Ligue Francais pour la Protection des Oiseaux | 2008 | Paperback | 256 pages, Col photos | ISBN: 9782952154307 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Useful Information

  • BirdLife Data

    Webpage
    Total number of important sites for birds (IBAs/KBAs) 5
Organisations

  • Africa Bird Club

    Webpage
    Mayotte is an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre/Maore, a smaller island, Petite-Terre/Pamanzi, and several islets, with a combined total land area of 374 km²

  • Groupe d’Études et de Protection des Oiseaux de Mayotte (GEPOMAY)

    Website
    Le GEPOMAY est le Groupe d’Études et de Protection des Oiseaux de Mayotte. Cette association locale loi 1901 a été créée en 2010 et compte chaque année plus d’une centaine d’adhérents. Le GEPOMAY est partenaire officiel de la Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, en France métropolitaine.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • *Protected areas of Mayotte

    InformationSatellite View
    Interactive links to reserves etc.

  • IBA Baie de Bouéni

    InformationSatellite View
    It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because its mangroves and intertidal mudflats support populations of Malagasy pond herons, Mayotte drongos, Mayotte white-eyes, Mayotte sunbirds and red-headed fodies. It is also home to the endangered and endemic Robert Mertens's day gecko.

  • IBA Pointes et plages de Saziley et Charifou

    InformationSatellite View
    The area supports populations of Comoros olive pigeon (Columba pollenii), Comoros blue pigeon (Alectroenas sganzini), Mayotte white-eye (Zosterops mayottensis), Mayotte sunbird (Cinnyris coquerellii) and red-headed fody (Foudia eminentissima). It is also home to Robert Mertens's day geckos (Phelsuma robertmertensi), island day geckos (Phelsuma nigristriata) and Pasteur's day geckos (Phelsuma v-nigra pasteuri). Its beaches are a nesting site for green, and probably hawksbill, sea turtles.

  • NNR Forests of Mayotte National Nature Reserve

    InformationSatellite View
    he reserve was created in 2021 to protect Mayotte's remnant primary forests, restore the island's secondary forests, and protect the island's native flora and fauna.
Sightings, News & Forums
Guides & Tour Operators
Trip Reports

  • 2018 [10 October] - Daniel Keith Danckwerts

    PDF Report
    The Comoros form an archipelago of volcanic islands off the central-east African coast. They are divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation formed by the three islands of Grande Comoro, Anjoua & Mohéli, and the French overseas department of Mayotte.

  • 2018 [10 October] - János Oláh

    PDF Report
    ...We had an unexpected short visit to Anjouan and had extended long stay on Mayotte...

  • 2018 [10 October] - Michael Mills

    PDF Report
    Our first tour to the fascinating islands of Comoros was a resounding success. With airlines behaving well we had no trouble finding all the endemic birds, which included four terrific scops owls

  • 2024 [10 October] - Hannu Jännes

    PDF Report
    ...The next morning, we birded the surrounds of our resort situated on the edge of a large patch of forest giving great views over a wide valley. Interesting birds seen during the morning included several Comoro Blue and Comoro Olive Pigeons, and couple of noisy Cuckoo-rollers of the form discolor. After breakfast we were picked up by our local team...

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