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The site was identified as important in 1999 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
Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Yellow-necked Spurfowl Pternistis leucoscepus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Sombre Nightjar Caprimulgus fraenatus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Donaldson Smith's Nightjar Caprimulgus donaldsoni	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Star-spotted Nightjar Caprimulgus stellatus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Heuglin's Bustard Neotis heuglinii	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus flavirostris	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Somali Bee-eater Merops revoilii	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
D'Arnaud's Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Red-and-yellow Barbet Trachyphonus erythrocephalus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Black-throated Barbet Tricholaema melanocephala	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Three-streaked Tchagra Tchagra jamesi	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Rosy-patched Bushshrike Rhodophoneus cruentus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Taita Fiscal Lanius dorsalis	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Somali Fiscal Lanius somalicus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Somali Tit Melaniparus thruppi	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Mouse-coloured Penduline-tit Anthoscopus musculus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Chestnut-headed Sparrow-lark Eremopterix signatus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Pink-breasted Lark Calendulauda poecilosterna	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Red-winged Lark Mirafra hypermetra	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Williams's Lark Mirafra williamsi	LC	resident	1999	present	A1, A2, A3
Short-tailed Lark Spizocorys fremantlii	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Masked Lark Spizocorys personata	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Yellow-vented Eremomela Eremomela flavicrissalis	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Grey Wren-warbler Calamonastes simplex	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Ashy Cisticola Cisticola cinereolus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Rufous Chatterer Argya rubiginosa	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Bristle-crowned Starling Onychognathus salvadorii	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Golden-breasted Starling Lamprotornis regius	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
White-crowned Starling Lamprotornis albicapillus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
African Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes orientalis	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Hunter's Sunbird Chalcomitra hunteri	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver Dinemellia dinemelli	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Donaldson Smith's Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser donaldsoni	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Purple Grenadier Granatina ianthinogaster	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Blue-capped Cordon-bleu Uraeginthus cyanocephalus	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Steel-blue Whydah Vidua hypocherina	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Straw-tailed Whydah Vidua fischeri	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Northern Grosbeak-canary Crithagra donaldsoni	LC	resident	1999	present	A3
Somali Bunting Emberiza poliopleura	LC	resident	1999	present	A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1999) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1999. The most recent assessment (2021) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Desert	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Transportation and service corridors	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	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
Most of site (50-90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Desert	Absolute desert	100

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
not utilised	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dida Galgalu desert (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dida-galgalu-desert-iba-kenya on 26/11/2024.