C: European Union

C1. Species of global conservation concern

Criterion: The site regularly holds significant numbers of a globally threatened species, or other species of global conservation concern.

C2. Concentrations of a species threatened at the European Union level

Criterion: The site is known to regularly hold at least 1% of a flyway population or of the EU population of a species threatened at the EU level (listed on Annex I and referred to in Article 4.1 of the EC Birds Directive).

C3. Congregations of migratory species not threatened at the EU level

Criterion: The site is known to regularly hold at least 1% of a flyway population of a migratory species not considered threatened at the EU level (as referred to in Article 4.2 of the EC Birds Directive) (not listed on Annex I).

C4. Large congregations- multi-species aggregations

Criterion: The site is known to regularly hold at least 20,000 migratory waterbirds and/or 10,000 pairs of migratory seabirds of one or more species.

C5. Large congregations – bottleneck sites

Criterion: The site is a ‘bottleneck’ site where at least 5,000 storks (Ciconiidae) and/or at least 3,000 raptors (Accipitriformes and Falconiformes) and/or 3,000 cranes (Gruidae) regularly pass on spring or autumn migration.

C6. Species threatened at the European Union level

Criterion: The site is one of the five most important in the European region (NUTS region) in question for a species or subspecies considered threatened in the European Union (i.e. listed in Annex I of the EC Birds Directive).

Note: Former criterion C7 (Other ornithological criteria) is no longer applicable.