• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 2004 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
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana	LC	breeding	1999	25 males	C6
Little Crake Zapornia parva	LC	breeding	1999	8 males	C6
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris	LC	breeding	1999	12 males	B2, C6
Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus	LC	breeding	1996	10 breeding pairs	B2
Black Tern Chlidonias niger	LC	breeding	1999	80 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus	LC	breeding	1999	4 breeding pairs	C6
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica	LC	breeding	1999	6 breeding pairs	C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2004) may differ.

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1992	Varniu regioninis parkas	Valstybinis parkas	100
1992	Varniai	Regional Park	100
2005	Biržulio ir Stervo pelkių kompleksas	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous woodland, Native coniferous woodland, Mixed woodland, Treeline ecotone	50
Wetlands (inland)	Standing freshwater, Rivers and streams, Raised bogs, Water fringe vegetation, Fens, transition mires and springs	19
Grassland	Humid grasslands	17
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land	15

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	100
rangeland/pastureland	17
agriculture	15
tourism/recreation	-
forestry	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Birzulius-Stervas marshes complex (Lithuania). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/birzulius-stervas-marshes-complex-iba-lithuania on 23/11/2024.