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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
Leach's Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous	VU	breeding	2001	1,425 breeding pairs	B1ii, B2, C2, C6
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica	VU	breeding	1998-2001	15,761 breeding pairs	B1ii, B2, C3
Razorbill Alca torda	LC	breeding	1998	1,569 individuals	B3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1998-2001	37,031 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4

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
European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus	100	7	breeding pairs	8	very unfavourable
Hydrobates leucorhous	100	1,425	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica	6,279	15,761	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Razorbill Alca torda	3,889	1,569	individuals	41	unfavourable
A4iii Species group - seabirds	30,026	37,031	breeding pairs	100	favourable

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%)	slow but significant deterioration	high

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1972	Flannan Isles	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	100
2006	Flannan Isles	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2011	Flannan Isles	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	39

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Humid grasslands	90
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		10

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
not utilised	98
other	2

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Flannan Isles (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/flannan-isles-iba-united-kingdom on 22/11/2024.