UK278
Lough Foyle and River Foyle


Country/territory: United Kingdom

IBA criteria met: A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C2, C3, C4, C6 (2007)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 5,182 ha

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent) State (condition) Pressure (threat) Response (action)
2007 very unfavourable medium low
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here


Site description (2007 baseline)
A large shallow estuary comprising extensive mudflats, shell ridges, mussel-beds, low-lying reclaimed farmland and limited areas of saltwater marsh. This is a cross-border IBA, with a minority of the site falling within the Republic of Ireland (IBA 004). The stated area of 21,803 ha refers to the whole site (on both sides of the border) but other data given here (habitats, land-uses, threats and birds) are specific to the UK side. The IBA is internationally important for wintering wildfowl and waders. Branta bernicla are from the Canadian/Greenland breeding population of the hrota subspecies.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lough Foyle and River Foyle. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lough-foyle-and-river-foyle-iba-united-kingdom on 19/03/2024.