Palmyra Atoll


IBA Justification

The site was identified as important in 2012 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species'):
Species Red List Category Season Year(s) Population estimate at site IBA criteria met
Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda LC breeding 2002 261 individuals A4ii
Red-footed Booby Sula sula LC breeding 2002 25,000 individuals A4ii
Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis NT non-breeding 2012 200 individuals A1, A4i
Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus LC breeding 2002 876,000 individuals A4i
A4iii Species group - seabirds n/a breeding 2002 26,489 A4iii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds n/a breeding 1973-2007 883,570 individuals A4iii

The current IUCN Red List category (shown above) may differ from that which was valid at the time of IBA criteria assessment (2012).


IBA Protection

Protected area (PA) PA designation PA area (ha) Relationship of PA with IBA Overlap of PA with IBA (ha)
Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge 205,173 protected area contains site 385
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument 127,786,000 protected area contains site 0


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Palmyra Atoll. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/palmyra-atoll-iba-united-states-minor-outlying-islands-(to-usa) on 19/03/2024.