Data Zone
Country/territory: Ireland
IBA Criteria met: B3, C7 (2000)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 7,227 ha
Site description
A wetland complex, 2 km east of Foxford in County Mayo and comprising two large lakes, with islands, and a diversity of shoreline habitats including fens, marshes, wet grasslands, rocky shorelines and deciduous woodland. The lakes are drained by the Moy river and the site also includes grasslands which surround this river to the east and north-east of Lough Cullin (Moy valley). The site has been extended since the previous European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989) to include the Moy valley. The Moy river was drained in the 1960s and its adjacent grasslands no longer flood. The lakes are popular for angling.
Key biodiversity
Loughs Conn and Cullin are important for their waterfowl populations, and the Moy valley is notable for breeding Crex crex (5 pairs, 1996). Wintering species of national importance are Anser albifrons flavirostris (146 birds, 1994), Aythya ferina (431 birds, 1995), Fulica atra (1,500 birds, 1996), Cygnus olor (284 birds, 1996), Aythya fuligula (694 birds, 1996) and Bucephala clangula (102 birds, 1996). This is also one of three regular breeding sites for Melanitta nigra in Ireland.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lough Conn and Lough Cullin (including Moy valley). Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/03/2023.
