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

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
Great Skua Catharacta skua	LC	breeding	2000	195 breeding pairs	A4ii, B1ii, B3, C3
Razorbill Alca torda	LC	breeding	2001	16,991 individuals	A4ii, B1ii, B3, C3
Common Murre Uria aalge	LC	breeding	1998	112,676 individuals	A4ii, B1ii, C3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1998-2001	91,358 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
Great Skua Catharacta skua	115	195	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Razorbill Alca torda	16,418	16,991	individuals	100	favourable
Common Murre Uria aalge	113,433	112,676	individuals	100	favourable
A4iii Species group - seabirds	91,064	91,358	breeding pairs	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Handa	National Nature Reserve	100
-	Handa (SWT)	Reserve	87
1963	Handa Island	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	99
1980	North-West Sutherland	National Scenic Area	100
1991	Handa Island	Nature Reserve	85
1996	Handa	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2011	Handa	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	15

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland		-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Shrubland	Heathland	-
Wetlands (inland)	Standing freshwater	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Handa (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/handa-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.