Data Zone
Country/territory: Ireland
IBA Criteria met: A1, B3, C1, C6 (2009)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 1,100 ha
| Most recent IBA monitoring assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | Threat score (pressure) | Condition score (state) | Action score (response) |
| 2009 | high | favourable | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring please click here | |||
Site description
A large, inhabited marine island and surrounding waters, situated 11 km north of Bloody Foreland in County Donegal. The island is mainly low-lying but high cliffs occur along the northern side, and at the east end rise to 90 m. Back from the cliffs maritime heath dominates. Farming is largely low intensity with hay meadows and grazing by cattle and sheep. However, there has been some improvement of land for arable crops. There is an unmanned lighthouse at the west end.
Key biodiversity
This is an internationally important site for the globally threatened Crex crex. It is also of national importance for a diversity of breeding seabirds, including Fulmarus glacialis (260 pairs, 1987), Rissa tridactyla (530 pairs, 1987), Uria aalge (650 birds, 1987), Alca torda (630 birds, 1987) and Fratercula arctica (>1,000 birds, 1994).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Tory Island. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/03/2023.
