Big Marco Pass Shoal


IBA Justification

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2012 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
Piping Plover Charadrius melodus NT winter (-) present A1
Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis LC non-breeding (1999) min 3,816 birds A4i
Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus LC non-breeding (1999) min 803 birds A4i

IBA Protection

Year Protected Area Designation (management category) % coverage of IBA
1975 Rookery Bay Aquatic Preserve (IV) 76
1978 Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (IV) 79
1991 Maximum 30 MPH in Channel/Slow Speed or 20 MPH Outside Channel Manatee Protection Zones (V) 29
1991 Idle Speed Manatee Protection Zones (V) 15


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Big Marco Pass Shoal (USA). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/big-marco-pass-shoal-iba-usa on 25/12/2024.