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The site was identified as important in 2011 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species'):

Species	Current IUCN Red List Category	Season	Year(s)	Population estimate at site	IBA criteria met
Common Crane Grus grus	LC	passage	2009	max 48,000 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Common Crane Grus grus	LC	winter	2009	max 25,000 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax	NT	resident	2006	40-115 individuals	A1, C1, C6
Great Bustard Otis tarda	VU	non-breeding	2011	max 158 individuals	A1, C1
Great Bustard Otis tarda	VU	resident	2011	21-55 individuals	A1, C1
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	non-breeding	2009	min 100 individuals	C6
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	breeding	2009	25-30 breeding pairs	C6
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	non-breeding	2009	min 350 individuals	C6
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding	2009	25-50 breeding pairs	C6
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida	LC	resident	2007	present	C6
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida	LC	passage	2009	max 35 individuals	C6
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	resident	2009	min 20 breeding pairs	C6
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus	LC	breeding	2006	min 14 breeding pairs	C6
Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti	VU	resident	2007	min 31 males	A1, C1
A4iv Species group - soaring birds/cranes	n/a	passage	2009	max 48,000 individuals	A4iv, B1iv, C5

The current IUCN Red List category may differ from that which was valid at the time of IBA criteria assessment (2011).

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Scientific name	Common name	Reference population	Actual population	Units	% of population remaining	Result
Netta rufina	Red-crested Pochard	150	2	individuals	2	very unfavourable
Aythya ferina	Common Pochard	150	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Mareca strepera	Gadwall	20	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Fulica atra	Common Coot	1200	0	individuals	0	very unfavourable
Grus grus	Common Crane	50000	50000	individuals	100	favourable
Himantopus himantopus		2800	20	breeding pairs	1	very unfavourable
Chlidonias hybrida	Whiskered Tern	100	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Sterna nilotica		25	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Circus pygargus	Montagu's Harrier	10	2	breeding pairs	20	very unfavourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Habitat detail	Reference area (ha)	Actual area (ha)	Habitat quantity (% remaining)	Habitat quality (carrying capacity)	Result
Artificial/Terrestrial		70	40	-	moderate (70-90%)	very unfavourable
Grassland	Humid grasslands	15	25	-	good (> 90%)	favourable
Wetlands (inland)	Standing brackish and salt water	15	35	-	good (> 90%)	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	annual & perennial non-timber crops - agro-industry farming	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	livestock farming and ranching (includes forest grazing) - small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	hunting & collecting terrestrial animals - persecution/control	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Climate change and severe weather	drought	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	recreational activities	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	other ecosystem modifications	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	low
Pollution	agricultural & forestry effluents - herbicides and pesticides	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Pollution	domestic & urban waste water - type unknown/unrecorded	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected-area designation	Management planning	Other conservation action	Result
Most of site (50-90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

For more information about IBA conservation status, please click here

Protected area (PA)	PA designation	PA area (ha)	Relationship of PA with IBA	Overlap of PA with IBA (ha)
Sierras de Pardos y Santa Cruz	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	5,672	protected area overlaps with site	914
Parameras de Blancas	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	4,033	protected area overlaps with site	584
Montes de La Cuenca de Gallocanta	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	5,328	protected area overlaps with site	0
Los Romerales - Cerropozuelo	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	7,899	protected area overlaps with site	0
Laguna de Gallocanta	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	6,720	protected area contained by site	6,720
Laguna de Gallocanta	Reserva Natural Dirigida	1,924	protected area contained by site	0
Laguna de Gallocanta	National Game Reserve	6,720	protected area contained by site	6,720
Laguna de Gallocanta	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	2,813	protected area contained by site	2,813
Hoces de Torralba - Río Piedra	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	3,037	protected area overlaps with site	0
Cuenca de Gallocanta	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	15,221	protected area contained by site	15,494
Balsa Grande y Balsa Pequeña	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	16	protected area contained by site	16

Habitat (IUCN level 1)	Habitat detail	Extent (% of site)
Grassland	Humid grasslands, Mesophile grasslands	-
Wetlands (inland)	Standing brackish and salt water, Water fringe vegetation	-
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land, Ruderal land	-

For more information about the IUCN Habitat classification, please click here.

Land-use	Extent (% of site)
agriculture	-
hunting	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Gallocanta lake. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/gallocanta-lake-iba-spain on 26/09/2023.