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• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
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• 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
Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata	LC	breeding	1994	58 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus	LC	breeding	2000	469 breeding pairs	B3
Great Skua Catharacta skua	LC	breeding	2000	1,973 breeding pairs	A4ii, B1ii, B3, C3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1999-2000	49,066 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 Black-backed Gull Larus marinus	645	469	breeding pairs	73	near favourable
Great Skua Catharacta skua	2,120	1,973	breeding pairs	94	favourable
A4iii Species group - seabirds	56,020	49,066	breeding pairs	88	near 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%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	very high
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Most of site (50-90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Not assessed	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Hoy	RSPB Reserve	34
1962	Hoy	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	83
1980	Hoy and West Mainland	National Scenic Area	44
1983	Hoy	Nature Reserve	33
1994	Hoy	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	57
1995	Hoy	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	83

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Forest	Mixed woodland	-
Grassland	Alpine, subalpine and boreal grassland	-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Shrubland	Scrub, Heathland	-
Wetlands (inland)	Standing freshwater, Rivers and streams	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	65
nature conservation and research	35

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