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

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2002 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Eurasian Eagle-owl Bubo bubo	LC	breeding (1996)	10 pairs	C6
European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus	LC	breeding (1996)	6–8 pairs	C6
Short-toed Snake-eagle Circaetus gallicus	LC	breeding (1996)	10–12 pairs	B2, C6
Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus	LC	breeding (1996)	20–25 pairs	C6
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus	LC	breeding (1996)	3–4 pairs	C6
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus	LC	breeding (1997)	13–15 pairs	C6
Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio	LC	breeding (1996)	600–800 pairs	C6
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	LC	resident (1996)	25–30 pairs	C6
Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana	LC	breeding (1996)	frequent	C6

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2002. The most recent assessment (2005) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1971	Peneda-Gerês	Parque Nacional (II)	34
1971	Peneda-Gerês	National Park - Buffer Zone (V)	50

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	-	Arable land; Forestry plantations
Forest	-	Broadleaved deciduous woodland; Mixed woodland; Broadleaved evergreen woodland; Treeline ecotone; Alluvial and very wet forest
Grassland	-	Alpine, subalpine and boreal grassland; Humid grasslands
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	-	Scree & boulders; Inland cliffs
Shrubland	-	Scrub; Heathland
Wetlands (inland)	-	Standing freshwater; Rivers and streams; Raised bogs

Land use	% of IBA
forestry	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
fisheries/aquaculture	-
agriculture	-

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Gerês mountains (Portugal). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/gerês-mountains-iba-portugal on 23/12/2024.