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The site was identified as important in 2007 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus	LC	resident	1995	13 breeding pairs	C6
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	LC	resident	1995	25 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	LC	resident	1995	3 breeding pairs	C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Energy production and mining	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Most of site (50-90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1987	GLENARIFF	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	<1
1987	CLEGGAN VALLEY	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	<1
1988	ANTRIM COAST & GLENS AONB	Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (NI)	100
1988	Antrim Coast and Glens	Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty	100
1994	GARRON PLATEAU	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	10
1995	Garron Plateau	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	10
1995	Cushleake Mountain	Nature Reserve	4
1997	BREEN WOOD	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	<1
1998	Garron Plateau	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	10
2000	Breen Wood	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	<1
2006	Antrim Hills	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2009	Slieveanorra and Croaghan	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	5
2009	Carey Valley	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	<1
2009	Glenballyemon River	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	<1
2011	Glenariff Glen	Area of Special Scientific Interest (NI)	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Forestry plantations	-
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous woodland	-
Grassland		-
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	Inland cliffs	-
Shrubland	Heathland	-
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers and streams, Blanket bogs	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
forestry	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
urban/industrial/transport	-
other	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Antrim Hills (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/antrim-hills-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.