Flowering plants
About 1,200
Indigenous flowering-plant species recorded by ERA.
Malta Guide · 07
NatureHabitats, flora and fauna
Small islands, dense biodiversity
Malta looks dry, rocky and exposed. Look closer and it is extraordinarily alive.
Its nature is Mediterranean, compact and often specialised for heat, salt, wind and very little water.
Nature in miniature
Wild Malta lives in the details.
The Maltese Islands do not have vast forests, rivers or mountain wilderness. Their natural world is instead packed into limestone plateaux, garrigue, steppe, valleys, cliffs, pockets of woodland, wetlands, caves and a biologically rich sea.
Isolation has also produced species and subspecies found nowhere else, while Malta’s position in the central Mediterranean makes the islands an important stopping point for birds moving between Europe and Africa.
Nature profile
More diverse than the map suggests.
A few figures that put Malta’s biodiversity into perspective.
Insects
3,200+
Probably more, with new records still being added.
Bird movement
200+ migrants
Alongside roughly 25 breeding bird species.
Mammals
Fewer than 30
Mostly bats and cetaceans rather than large land mammals.
National plant
Widnet il-baħar
The endemic Maltese rock-centaury.
National bird
Il-merill
The Blue Rock Thrush, a cliff-loving resident.
National tree
Għargħar
The Sandarac gum tree, Tetraclinis articulata.
National animal
Kelb tal-Fenek
The Pharaoh Hound, Malta’s national hound.
Habitats
The landscape is the ecosystem.
On Malta, small changes in soil, exposure, water and altitude can completely change what grows and lives there.
Karst
Garrigue
Low, aromatic shrubs spread across exposed limestone where soil is thin and summer drought is intense. Thyme, spurge and rock roses are typical companions of this quintessentially Maltese landscape.
Open country
Steppe
Grasslands and herb-rich open ground can look dry for much of the year, then change rapidly after autumn rain and through spring as annuals and bulbs emerge.
Shrubland
Maquis
Denser Mediterranean scrub develops in more sheltered or deeper-soiled places, with carob, lentisk, olive, myrtle and other woody species forming taller cover.
Rock face
Cliffs & screes
Some of Malta’s most distinctive endemic plants survive on steep coastal rock faces and boulder slopes, where inaccessibility has historically reduced disturbance.
Freshwater
Wetlands & temporary pools
Permanent fresh water is scarce, which makes saline marshes, valley watercourses, springs and rain-fed temporary pools disproportionately important for wildlife.
Shade
Woodland & valleys
Woodland is limited today, but places such as Buskett and vegetated valley systems support communities very different from the exposed garrigue around them.
Underground
Caves
Deep caves are not especially common, but their stable, dark conditions support bats and specialised invertebrates, including species with very restricted distributions.
Coast
Dunes & salt-tolerant communities
Sandy systems and saline coastal margins occupy little space, but they support specialised plants adapted to moving sand, sea spray and high salt levels.
Marine
Reefs & seagrass
Below the waterline, rocky reefs, caves and seagrass meadows form the foundation of a second natural landscape that is just as important as the one on land.
Flora
Built for limestone, salt and drought.
Many Maltese plants survive by staying low, growing in rock fissures, storing water, flowering quickly or retreating underground for summer.
National plant · endemic
Maltese rock-centaury
One of Malta’s most recognisable endemic plants, widnet il-baħar is strongly associated with coastal cliffs and belongs naturally to Malta and nowhere else.
Palaeocyanus crassifolius
Endemic
Maltese cliff-orache
A highly specialised silvery shrub of Malta’s coastal cliff communities, adapted to exposed limestone, wind and salt spray.
Atriplex lanfrancoi
Endemic orchid
Maltese pyramidal orchid
A locally endemic form of the pyramidal orchid found in garrigue, open maquis and steppe, flowering early in the Maltese spring.
Anacamptis pyramidalis subsp. urvilleana
Endemic orchid
Maltese spider orchid
A scarce Maltese endemic of garrigue and steppe whose flower mimics the appearance and scent cues used by its specialised pollinators.
Ophrys melitensis
National tree
Sandarac gum tree
Known locally as għargħar, this native conifer is Malta’s national tree and survives in a small number of natural and semi-natural settings.
Tetraclinis articulata
Endemic
Maltese everlasting
A compact cliff plant found naturally only in the Maltese Islands, especially on exposed limestone in western Gozo, with dense silvery foliage and yellow flower heads.
Helichrysum melitenseGarrigue
Mediterranean thyme
One of the characteristic scents of Maltese garrigue. Its low woody cushions carry purple flower heads that are especially conspicuous in late spring.
Thymbra capitata
Native tree
Carob
A familiar Mediterranean tree of valleys, field margins and old rural landscapes, valued for its shade, long life and dark edible pods.
Ceratonia siliqua
Bulb
Sea squill
Its large underground bulb survives the dry summer, then sends up a tall flower spike before broad leaves return with the cooler season.
Drimia maritima
Fauna
Small animals, island stories.
Malta lacks large native land mammals, so much of its distinctive fauna is found among birds, reptiles, insects, bats and freshwater species.
National bird
Blue Rock Thrush
Il-merill is a resident of cliffs, rocky coasts and other ledges. The male’s slate-blue plumage and fluting song make it one of Malta’s most characteristic birds.
Monticola solitarius
Pelago-Maltese endemic
Maltese wall lizard
Common on the main islands, with distinctive island forms historically described from Filfla, Fungus Rock and St Paul’s Islands.
Podarcis filfolensis
National crustacean
Maltese freshwater crab
Il-qabru depends on the islands’ scarce freshwater habitats, making streams, springs and valley systems disproportionately important to its survival.
Potamon fluviatile lanfrancoi
National insect
Maltese honeybee
The locally recognised honeybee subspecies is closely tied to Malta’s flowering landscapes and long beekeeping tradition.
Apis mellifera ruttneri
Gozo
Sicilian shrew
A tiny insect-eating mammal. The Maltese population is associated with Gozo, adding another small-island story to the archipelago’s mammal fauna.
Crocidura sicula calypso
Night fauna
Bats
Several bat species use caves, buildings, valleys and open habitats. They make up an important share of Malta’s limited native mammal fauna.
Multiple species
Mammal
Weasel
Malta’s small weasel is an elusive terrestrial predator, most often active away from people and feeding on small vertebrates and other prey.
Mustela nivalis
Reptile
Western whip snake
A fast, non-venomous snake of scrub, rocky ground and agricultural edges. Adults can be strikingly patterned and are generally quick to retreat when disturbed.
Hierophis viridiflavus
Migrant bird
Eurasian hoopoe
The hoopoe is a memorable passage migrant, recognised by its cinnamon plumage, black-and-white wings and folding crest as birds cross Malta in spring and autumn.
Upupa epops
Reptile
Mediterranean chameleon
Introduced long ago and now established locally, chameleons occur in scrub, gardens and wooded areas, moving slowly through vegetation while hunting insects.
Chamaeleo chamaeleon
Amphibian
Painted frog
Malta’s only native amphibian depends on freshwater pools, valley water and other wet places for breeding, making small freshwater habitats especially important.
Discoglossus pictus
Resident bird
Spanish sparrow
Sparrows are among the most familiar birds around Maltese towns and countryside; local birds can show mixed Spanish and House Sparrow ancestry.
Passer hispaniolensis / hybrids
Migration
The islands sit on a flyway.
For birds crossing the central Mediterranean, Malta can be breeding ground, winter refuge, navigation point or simply somewhere to rest and refuel.
A stepping stone between continents.
Spring migration generally carries birds north towards European breeding grounds, while autumn movement brings many species south towards Africa. Weather can concentrate migrants dramatically on the islands.
Cliffs, wetlands, farmland, woodland and small offshore islands each attract different groups, from raptors and bee-eaters to waders, warblers, flycatchers and seabirds.
Spring passage
Hirundines, waders, warblers, bee-eaters and raptors move north, with the mix changing rapidly through the season.
Breeding season
Resident species defend territories while shearwaters and other breeding birds use coastal cliffs and offshore sites.
Autumn passage
Southbound migration can be especially visible at wetlands, headlands and elevated sites such as Buskett.
Winter visitors
Some birds remain for the cooler months, adding seasonal species to Malta’s resident bird community.
The sea
Malta’s largest natural habitat is underwater.
The same limestone coast continues below sea level into reefs, caves, sand, seagrass and open water.
Marine habitats
The landscape continues below the surface.
The cards use the same image-led structure as Malta’s terrestrial habitats, because underwater habitats are part of the same ecological story.
Foundation habitat
Posidonia meadows
Dense meadows of Posidonia oceanica shelter juvenile animals, stabilise sediment and form one of the Mediterranean’s most important shallow-water habitats.
Hard substrate
Rocky reefs
Limestone ledges, fissures and vertical faces create shelter and feeding ground for algae, sponges, molluscs, crustaceans and fish.
Low light
Sea caves
Submerged and semi-submerged caves create sharp gradients in light and water movement, supporting specialised communities on their walls and ceilings.
Soft substrate
Sandy bottoms
Apparently bare sand is a living habitat, with animals burrowing beneath the surface and seagrasses colonising suitable shallow areas.
Pelagic
Open water
Beyond the seabed, the water column is habitat in its own right, used by schooling fish, turtles, cetaceans and wide-ranging predators.
Shoreline
Rock pools & littoral
At the boundary between land and sea, rock pools and wave-washed limestone experience rapid changes in heat, salinity and exposure.
Marine flora
Plants and algae build underwater habitat.
Seagrasses and large algae do more than cover the seabed - they create structure, food and shelter for whole communities.
Seagrass
Posidonia oceanica
A true flowering plant and Mediterranean endemic. Its long-lived meadows create habitat, trap sediment and help buffer the seabed from wave energy.
Posidonia oceanica
Seagrass
Little Neptune grass
A second seagrass of shallow sheltered waters, Cymodocea nodosa forms underwater lawns on suitable sandy and muddy bottoms.
Cymodocea nodosa
Brown algae
Cystoseira forests
Large canopy-forming brown algae create three-dimensional coastal habitat and are useful indicators of healthy rocky-shore communities.
Cystoseira spp.
Green alga
Mermaid’s wine glass
Tiny parasol-shaped cells form delicate underwater clusters on shallow rock. Despite its miniature appearance, each visible “umbrella” belongs to a single giant algal cell.
Acetabularia acetabulum
Brown alga
Peacock’s tail
Fan-shaped blades with pale concentric bands make this shallow-water brown alga easy to recognise on sunlit rocky seabeds.
Padina pavonica
Green alga
Sea lettuce
Thin bright-green sheets grow on well-lit rock and other hard surfaces, especially in shallow nutrient-rich coastal water.
Ulva lactuca
Marine fauna
From crevices to open water.
Malta’s marine fauna ranges from reef fish and rays to jellyfish, cephalopods, crustaceans and echinoderms living across reefs, sand and open water.
Reef fish
Painted comber
A colourful small serranid commonly seen holding position close to rocky reef structure, waiting for crustaceans and small fish.
Serranus scriba
Benthic fish
Flying gurnard
Usually encountered over sand, rubble and mixed seabeds. When disturbed it can spread spectacular blue-edged pectoral fins, giving this bottom-walking fish its distinctive appearance.
Dactylopterus volitans
Reef predator
Mediterranean moray
A nocturnal predator that spends much of the day with its head protruding from reef crevices, using a powerful sense of smell to locate prey.
Muraena helena
Reef fish
Mediterranean parrotfish
Increasingly familiar on warm rocky reefs, this brightly coloured grazer scrapes algae from hard surfaces and helps shape the shallow reef community.
Sparisoma cretense
Cephalopod
Common octopus
A familiar resident of rocky Mediterranean seabeds, the common octopus uses crevices and dens and can change colour and texture with remarkable speed.
Octopus vulgaris
Ray
Common stingray
This bottom-dwelling ray often rests partly buried on sand or mud and feeds on benthic invertebrates and small fishes. Give resting rays plenty of space.
Dasyatis pastinaca
Crustacean
Mediterranean slipper lobster
A large, heavily armoured nocturnal crustacean associated with rocky reefs, caves and crevices. Unlike true lobsters it has broad flattened antennae rather than long spiny ones.
Scyllarides latus
Echinoderm
Brown brittle star
A delicate relative of starfish with a small central disc and long flexible arms. Brittle stars hide beneath rocks and in crevices, emerging to feed on suspended or settled organic material.
Ophiothrix fragilis
Conservation
On small islands, there is very little spare habitat.
Malta’s biodiversity is resilient to heat, drought and salt, but less able to absorb rapid habitat loss or disturbance. Small populations and species confined to single cliffs, valleys or islets can be especially vulnerable.
Habitat loss & fragmentation
Development, roads and land-use change can shrink habitats and separate populations that were once connected.
Invasive alien species
Introduced plants and animals can outcompete native species or alter already restricted island habitats.
Marine pressure
Anchoring, pollution, coastal works and other physical disturbance can damage sensitive seabed habitats such as seagrass.
Disturbance
Nesting cliffs, caves, wetlands and small islets can be sensitive to repeated human access, noise, lighting and recreation.
Protection works best at habitat scale.
Species protection matters, but preserving the cliff, wetland, garrigue, cave, valley or seagrass meadow that supports a whole community usually protects much more than a single organism.
Further reading
Go deeper into Malta’s natural world.
Authoritative starting points for habitats, species, protected areas and bird migration.
ERA Biodiversity Registers
Protected areas, habitats, species and conservation information for the Maltese Islands.
Nature Trust Malta - Biodiversity
Accessible guides to Malta’s habitats, flora, fauna and endemic species.
BirdLife Malta Nature Reserves
Explore Għadira, Simar, Salina and Foresta 2000, with information on local wildlife and habitats.
EU Natura 2000 Network
Find protected Natura 2000 sites in Malta and learn more about the habitats and species they safeguard.