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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2002 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
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis	LC	breeding (2002)	20–120 birds	C6
Common Crane Grus grus	LC	winter (2000)	80–140 unknown	B2, C6
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax	NT	resident (1999)	360–2,400 pairs	A1, B2, C1, C2, C6
Great Bustard Otis tarda	EN	resident (2000)	900 pairs	A1, C1, C2, C6
White Stork Ciconia ciconia	LC	breeding (1996)	120–180 pairs	B2, C6
Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus	LC	breeding (1996)	100–150 pairs	B2, C6
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	breeding (2001)	frequent	C6
Little Owl Athene noctua	LC	resident (2002)	2,000–4,000 pairs	B2
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus	LC	resident (2002)	8–10 pairs	B2, C6
Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti	VU	non-breeding (2002)	2–3 birds	C6
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	LC	non-breeding (2002)	10 birds	C6
Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata	LC	breeding (2002)	1 pairs	C6
Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata	LC	non-breeding (2002)	15 birds	C6
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus	LC	breeding (1996)	50–80 pairs	B3, C6
Red Kite Milvus milvus	LC	winter (2002)	190 birds	C6
Black Kite Milvus migrans	LC	breeding (1996)	7–15 pairs	C6
European Roller Coracias garrulus	LC	breeding (1996)	40–60 pairs	C6
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	breeding (2001)	186–187 pairs	A1, C1, C2, C6
Merlin Falco columbarius	LC	winter (2002)	uncommon	C6
Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra	LC	breeding (1999)	400–8,500 pairs	C6
Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla	LC	resident (2001)	common	C6
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica	LC	breeding (2002)	common	B2

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2002. The most recent assessment (2005) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Artificial/Terrestrial	very poor (<40%)	very poor (<40%)	very poor
Forest	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	78	Arable land
Forest	22	Broadleaved evergreen woodland

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	78
forestry	22
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Castro Verde plains (Portugal). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/castro-verde-plains-iba-portugal on 22/12/2024.