Data Zone
Country/territory: Ireland
IBA criteria met: A4iii, B1i, B2, C2, C3, C4, C6 (2009)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 4,920 hectares (49.20 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 1994 | not assessed | not assessed | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2000 baseline)
A very large, open, shallow sea bay on the east coast, extending east from Dundalk town in County Louth. This site encompasses extensive sand- and mudflats, which at low tide are up to 3 km wide, as well as saltmarshes, shingle-beaches and tidal rivers. The estuaries of the rivers Dee, Glyde, Fane and Castletown are all included in the site. There is intertidal shellfish cultivation. Saltmarshes at Lurgangreen and Marsh South are partially fenced and used for grazing sheep.
Key biodiversity
This wetland is of international importance for its waterfowl, regularly holding over 20,000 wintering birds. Several other species occur in numbers of national importance including Tadorna tadorna (391 birds, 1996), Anas penelope (1,026 birds, 1995), Anas acuta (112 birds, 1996), Haematopus ostralegus (6,605 birds, 1995), Pluvialis apricaria (7,240 birds, 1996) and Limosa limosa (360 birds, 1995).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dundalk Bay (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dundalk-bay-iba-ireland on 23/12/2024.