Graciosa Island

Graciosa Island stands out from the rest of the archipelago for its relative dryness associated with the absence of large reliefs, which translates into a relatively small number of habitats and species, mainly terrestrial flora and fauna.However, this apparent limitation is offset by a high geodiversity characterized by a wide variety of geological structures, shapes and materials, with emphasis on Furna do Enxofre, located inside the Natural Monument of Caldeira (Caldera) da Graciosa, an imposing lava cave that has the largest volcanic dome in Europe. There are also hot springs, the best known on the coast of Carapacho, which feed the existing thermal facilities (Termas do Carapacho).Furthermore, with regard to biodiversity, the natural reserve of the islet of Praia, located in front of Vila da Praia, is particularly noteworthy, as it hosts one of the richest and most diverse colonies of sea birds in the Azores and various other endemic species, in relation to its vegetation cover.This biodiversity hotspot is sought annually by 8 rare and sensitive species of birds, which nest in it, all included in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive, of which stand out a Macaronesian endemic subspecies, Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri baroli) and a local endemism, the Monteiro's Storm-petrel (Hydrobates monteiroi).Also noteworthy is the presence of two species of bats, one endemic in the Azores (Nyctalus azoreum), which is one of the few species in the world with strong daytime activity and the other endemic in Macaronesia (Pipistrellus maderensis), with its usual nocturnal activity.