View source for Plaine des Chicots – Plaine d'Affouches Important Bird Area

[[File:Sentier-Roche-Ecrite.jpg|thumb|right|Alpine shrubland on the walking track to Roche Ecrite in the upper part of the IBA]]
''' Plaine des Chicots – Plaine d'Affouches Important Bird Area ''' is a 3688&nbsp;ha tract of land on the island of [[Réunion]], a [[Overseas departments and territories of France|French territory]] in the western [[Indian Ocean]].
==Description==
The IBA comprises a sloping plain extending northwards and downwards from the northern rim of the [[Mafate]] [[caldera]], at an elevation of 2277&nbsp;m on the summit of Roche Ecrite, towards [[Saint-Denis, Réunion|Saint-Denis]], the coastal capital of the island territory. The plain is divided by the [[gorge]] of the [[Rivière Saint-Denis|Saint-Denis River]] into the Plaine d’Affouches in the west and the Plaine des Chicots in the east. The higher part of the site is dominated by native alpine [[shrubland]] [[plant community|communities]], from 1600&nbsp;m to 1500&nbsp;m by endemic ''[[Acacia heterophylla]]'' forest, and then native mixed mountain forest down to about 1000&nbsp;m above sea level. Although the site is now a [[nature reserve]], in the past it was stocked with [[Javan rusa|Javan rusa deer]] for [[hunting]]. There is a popular walking track from Saint-Denis to Roche Ecrite across the Plaine des Chicots. The lowest part of the site abuts ''[[Cryptomeria]]'' plantations.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url= http://www.birdlife.org |title= Plaine des Chicots – Plaine d'Affouches |accessdate=2014-03-04 |work= Important Bird Areas factsheet |first= |last= |publisher= BirdLife International |year=2014 }}</ref>
===Birds===
The site has been identified by [[BirdLife International]] as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) because it supports a [[bird colony|breeding colony]] of [[Audubon's shearwater]]s (300 breeding pairs) as well as populations of [[Mascarene swiftlet]]s, [[Réunion cuckooshrike]]s, [[Mascarene paradise flycatcher]]s, [[Réunion bulbul]]s, [[Réunion grey white-eye|Mascarene white-eyes]], [[Réunion olive white-eye]]s and [[Réunion stonechat]]s.<ref name=bli/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Coord|20|58|S|55|27|E|region:RE|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaine des Chicots - Plaine d'Affouches Important Bird Area}}
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Réunion]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]
[[Category:Saint-Denis, Réunion]]
{{Réunion-geo-stub}}