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

The site was identified as important in 2007 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
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	LC	resident	2003	8 breeding pairs	B2, C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	7	8	breeding pairs	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

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	No management planning has taken place	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1964	Cuillins	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	37
1965	Strath	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	4
1974	Sligachan	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	2
1974	Allt Grillan Gorge	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1980	The Cuillin Hills	National Scenic Area	93
1984	Allt Geodh' a' Ghamhna	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1991	Torrin	Wildland reserve	7
1994	Strathaird	Wildland reserve	16
1995	Strath	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	2
1997	Sconser	Wildland reserve	11
1998	Sligachan Peatlands	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	5
2000	Cuillins	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2002	Cuillins	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	Scree & boulders, Inland cliffs	major (>10)
Shrubland	Scrub, Heathland	major (>10)
Forest	Mixed woodland	minor (<10)
Grassland	Steppes and dry calcareous grassland, Humid grasslands	minor (<10)
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers and streams, Blanket bogs	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
forestry	-
tourism/recreation	-

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cuillins (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cuillins-iba-united-kingdom on 24/11/2024.