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The site was identified as important in 2014 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
See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis	LC	resident	2010	25 breeding pairs	A3
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus	EN	breeding	2009	1 breeding pairs	A1
Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus	LC	breeding	2008-2010	20 breeding pairs	A3
Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris	LC	resident	2008-2010	20 breeding pairs	A3
Upcher's Warbler Hippolais languida	LC	breeding	2011	1 breeding pairs	A3
Menetries's Warbler Curruca mystacea	LC	breeding	2008-2010	3 breeding pairs	A3
Western Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer	LC	resident	2011	50 breeding pairs	A3
Eastern Rock Nuthatch Sitta tephronota	LC	resident	2007-2011	100 breeding pairs	A3
White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis	LC	breeding	2010	3 breeding pairs	A3
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica	LC	breeding	2007-2010	40 breeding pairs	A3
Finsch's Wheatear Oenanthe finschii	LC	resident	2007-2008	5 breeding pairs	A3
Kurdish Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoprymna	LC	breeding	2011	9 breeding pairs	A3
Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala	LC	breeding	2008-2010	500 breeding pairs	A3
Cinereous Bunting Emberiza cineracea	NT	breeding	2010-2011	11 breeding pairs	A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2014) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2014. The most recent assessment (2014) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Energy production and mining	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
2003	Barzan Area and Gali Balnda	Nature Reserve	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Forest		100

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
energy production and mining	major (>10)
rangeland/pastureland	major (>10)
water management	major (>10)
urban/industrial/transport	major (>10)
tourism/recreation	major (>10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barzan Area and Gali Balnda (Iraq). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/barzan-area-and-gali-balnda-iba-iraq on 22/11/2024.