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The site was identified as important in 2000 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
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	winter	1997	184-2,318 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	passage	1997	200-1,500 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	winter	1997	3,153-14,600 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	breeding	1997	30 breeding pairs	C6
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	passage	1997	10,000-15,000 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax	NT	winter	1997	100-260 individuals	A1, C1
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris	LC	breeding	1997	6-7 breeding pairs	C6
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea	LC	breeding	1991	50 breeding pairs	C2
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	winter	1997	445-888 individuals	B1i, C2
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	passage	1997	500-1,000 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo	LC	passage	1997	1,000-2,000 individuals	B1i, C3
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus	NT	breeding	1997	10-12 breeding pairs	B1i, C3
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	winter	1997	350-786 individuals	B1i, B2, C2
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	breeding	1997	100-200 breeding pairs	B3, C6
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding	1997	50-200 breeding pairs	B1i, C2, C6
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus	LC	breeding	1997	100-200 breeding pairs	B2
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis	LC	winter	1997	3,866-13,503 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding	1997	100-200 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida	LC	passage	1997	100-300 individuals	B1i, C2
Common Tern Sterna hirundo	LC	breeding	1997	200-350 breeding pairs	C6
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	breeding	1997	15-20 breeding pairs	C6
Black Kite Milvus migrans	LC	breeding	1997	10-15 breeding pairs	C6
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis	LC	breeding	1997	10-50 breeding pairs	C6
Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon	LC	breeding	1991	20-100 breeding pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	1997	min 20,000 individuals	A4iii, C4

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2000) may differ.

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Les Salims	Hunting Reserve	<1
-	Vagaran	Hunting Reserve	<1
-	Méjean	Hunting Reserve	4
-	Arnel	Hunting Reserve	2
1975	L'Estagnol	Réserve naturelle nationale	1
1979	ETANG DE VIC	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	14
1979	Lido de L'Or	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	2
1980	SALINS DE FRONTIGNAN	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	2
1980	BOIS DES ARESQUIERS	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	1
1981	ETANG DU MEJEAN	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	2
1982	Etang de L'Or	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	4
1984	Marais de la Castillone	Arrêté de protection de biotope	1
1990	Etang du Grec	Arrêté de protection de biotope	1
1992	SALINES DE VILLENEUVE	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	2
1996	Étangs palavasiens	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	47
1996	Étang de Mauguio	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	45
1996	La Petite Camargue	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	45
2001	ETANG DES MOUETTES	Terrain acquis par le Conservatoire du Littoral	<1
2006	Étangs palavasiens et étang de l'Estagnol	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	47
2006	Étang de Mauguio	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	45
2008	Etangs palavasiens	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	49

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine		major (>10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Artificial/Terrestrial	Perennial crops, orchards and groves, Arable land	minor (<10)
Wetlands (inland)	Water fringe vegetation	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
fisheries/aquaculture	-
hunting	-
tourism/recreation	-
urban/industrial/transport	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Etangs Montpellierains (France). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/etangs-montpellierains-iba-france on 22/11/2024.