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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
Brent Goose Branta bernicla	LC	breeding	2010	1 breeding pairs	A3
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis	LC	breeding	2010	50-249 breeding pairs	A3, B1i, B3
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus	LC	breeding	2005-2014	50-249 breeding pairs	A3, B1i, B3
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis	VU	breeding	2014	present	A1, A3
Common Eider Somateria mollissima	NT	breeding	2005-2014	abundant	A3
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	NT	breeding	2009	< 50 breeding pairs	A3
Dunlin Calidris alpina	NT	breeding	2009	10-30 breeding pairs	A3
Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima	LC	breeding	2009	frequent	A3
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus	LC	breeding	2009	5-10 breeding pairs	A3
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius	LC	breeding	2009	30-50 breeding pairs	A3
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla	VU	breeding	2006	130,000 breeding pairs	A4i, B1i
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus	LC	breeding	2006	650 breeding pairs	A3
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea	LC	breeding	2006	50 breeding pairs	A3
Arctic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus	LC	breeding	2005-2014	40-100 breeding pairs	A3
Great Skua Catharacta skua	LC	breeding	2006	300-350 breeding pairs	A4ii, B1ii, B3
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle	LC	breeding	2006	500 individuals	B1ii
Little Auk Alle alle	LC	breeding	1985	10,000-100,000 breeding pairs	A3, A4ii, B1ii
Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia	LC	breeding	2006	185,000 mature individuals	A4ii, B1ii, B2
Common Murre Uria aalge	LC	breeding	2006	125,000 mature individuals	A4ii, B1ii
Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis	LC	breeding	2005-2014	unknown breeding pairs	A3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	2006	325,000-415,000 breeding pairs	A4iii

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

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
2002	Bjørnøya naturreservat	Naturreservater (Svalbard)	100
2009	Bjørnøya	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	95
2010	Bear Island	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	-

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		60
Grassland	Tundra	35
Marine Neritic		5

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
not utilised	100

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bjørnøya (Bear Island) (Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway)). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bjørnøya-(bear-island)-iba-svalbard-and-jan-mayen-islands-(to-norway) on 22/11/2024.