Malportas Pond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malportas Pond |
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 Malportas Pond
Location in Cayman Islands
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| Location | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands |
| Coordinates | 19°20′41″N 81°12′10″W / 19.34472°N 81.20278°W |
| Type | salt lake |
Malportas Pond is a special saltwater pond located on the northern coast of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. It's found close to a village called North Side. This pond is quite large, covering about 44 to 52 hectares. That's like 80 to 100 football fields!
Malportas Pond is very important for many birds. It is a key place for them to breed and raise their young. Two other nearby ponds, Rock Pond and Point Pond, are also important for birds.
Home for Wildlife
Malportas Pond is a busy home for many different kinds of birds. You can often spot herons, egrets, moorhens, and coots living here. These birds find food and safe places to nest around the pond.
In 1990, a local farmer named Willie Ebanks helped introduce West Indian whistling-ducks to the pond. These ducks have made Malportas Pond their home ever since. It shows how people can help protect and grow wildlife populations.
Important Bird Area
Malportas Pond is part of a bigger area called the Central Mangrove Wetland. This entire wetland is recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA). BirdLife International, a global bird conservation group, identified it as an IBA.
This means the area is super important for protecting bird populations. It provides a safe habitat for many waterbirds. Protecting places like Malportas Pond helps make sure these amazing birds have a future.
