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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2021 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis	LC	breeding (2011)	7,500 birds	A4, B3a
Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus	NT	winter (2018)	71 birds	B1a, B3a
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa	VU	winter (2017)	3,369 birds	A4, B3a
Red Knot Calidris canutus	NT	winter (2017)	230 birds	B1a, B3a
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla	NT	winter (2017)	7,235 birds	A4, B3a
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri	LC	winter (2017)	143,473 birds	A4, B3a
Willet Tringa semipalmata	LC	winter (2018)	2,870 birds	A4, B3a
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger	LC	winter (2018)	160 birds	B3a
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	breeding (2011)	69 birds	B3a
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri	LC	winter (2011)	10,000 birds	A4, B3a
Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus	LC	breeding (2011)	3,750 birds	A4, B3a
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (2017)	150,708 birds	B3b

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1995	Islas del Golfo de California	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve (UA)	14
2000	Islas del Golfo de California	Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna (VI)	100
2005	Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA)	15
2014	Reserva Ecológica Bahía Santa María II	Área Destinada Voluntariamente a la Conservación (VI)	<1
2014	Reserva Ecológica Bahía Santa María I	Área Destinada Voluntariamente a la Conservación (VI)	<1
2017	Reserva Ecológica Bahía Santa María III	Área Destinada Voluntariamente a la Conservación (VI)	<1

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	18	Mangrove; Tropical deciduous
Shrubland	8	Scrub
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	major (>10)
Marine Intertidal	major (>10)
Marine Neritic	major (>10)

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	19
not utilised	4
rangeland/pastureland	minor (<10)

Tenencia de la tierra: No determinada.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bahía Santa María (Mexico). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bahía-santa-maría-iba-mexico on 23/12/2024.