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The site was identified as important in 2001 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
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus	LC	breeding	1999	860-1,540 breeding pairs	A4ii
Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica	LC	breeding	-	9,250-16,900 breeding pairs	A4ii
Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris	LC	breeding	1999	71,900-90,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Gygis alba	NR	breeding	1997	1,860-4,080 breeding pairs	A4i
Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis	NT	resident	1999	present	A1, A2
Seychelles Magpie-robin Copsychus sechellarum	EN	resident	1999	present	A1, A2
Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum	NT	resident	1999	present	A1, A2
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	-	20,000-49,999 individuals	A4iii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding	-	100,000-499,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2001) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2001. The most recent assessment (2020) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris	80,500	25,000	breeding pairs	32	very unfavourable
Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis	300	310	individuals	100	favourable
Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum	1,700	1,015	individuals	60	unfavourable

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	The conservation measures needed for the site are being comprehensively and effectively implemented	high

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1975	Cousin Island	Special Reserve	2

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cousin Island Special Reserve (Seychelles). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cousin-island-special-reserve-iba-seychelles on 22/11/2024.