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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2009 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
King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus	LC	resident (2003–2004)	80,000 pairs	A4ii
Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua	LC	resident (2003–2004)	16,000 pairs	A1, A4ii
Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus	VU	resident (2003–2004)	1,000,000 pairs	A1, A4ii
Southern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes chrysocome	VU	resident (2003–2004)	10,000 pairs	A1, A4ii
Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata	NT	resident (2003–2004)	500 pairs	A1, A4ii
Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris	LC	resident (2003–2004)	600 pairs	A1
Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus	LC	resident (2003–2004)	2,500 pairs	A4ii
South Georgia Diving-petrel Pelecanoides georgicus	LC	resident (2003–2004)	10,000–100,000 pairs	A4ii
Black-faced Sheathbill Chionis minor	LC	resident (2003–2004)	1,000 pairs	A4ii
Brown Skua Catharacta antarctica	LC	resident (2003–2004)	500 pairs	A4ii
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	resident (2003–2004)	1,000,000 pairs	A4iii

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2018) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A compre­hensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Unknown	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1988	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Protected Area (Ia)	100
1997	Heard and McDonald Islands	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA)	100
2002	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Ia)	100
2002	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Ia)	100

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	major (>10)
Grassland	minor (<10)	Subantarctic; Tundra
Introduced vegetation	minor (<10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	minor (<10)
Marine Intertidal	minor (<10)

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	100

Australian Federal Government with management the responsibility of the Australian Antarctic Division.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Heard and McDonald Islands (Heard Island and McDonald Islands (to Australia)). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/heard-and-mcdonald-islands-iba-heard-island-and-mcdonald-islands-(to-australia) on 07/12/2024.