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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
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus	LC	passage	2001-2006	2,263 individuals	B1i, C3
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus	LC	winter	2001-2006	3,381 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna	LC	passage	2001-2006	5,219 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna	LC	winter	2001-2006	3,804 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris	LC	breeding	2007	9 males	C6
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	passage	2001-2006	306 individuals	C6
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	breeding	2007	195 breeding pairs	C6
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola	VU	passage	2001-2006	1,857 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	LC	passage	2001-2006	29,458 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2, C6
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria	LC	winter	2001-2006	40,991 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2, C6
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula	LC	passage	2001-2006	929 individuals	B1i, C3
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	passage	2001-2006	2,682 individuals	B2
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter	2001-2006	3,523 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	NT	passage	2001-2006	1,177 individuals	A4i, B1i, C2
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	NT	winter	2001-2006	3,169 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C6
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa	NT	winter	2001-2006	1,113 individuals	B1i, C3
Red Knot Calidris canutus	NT	passage	2001-2006	19,302 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Red Knot Calidris canutus	NT	winter	2001-2006	35,181 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C3
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	passage	2001-2006	92 individuals	C6
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	winter	2001-2006	16 individuals	C6
Dunlin Calidris alpina	NT	passage	2001-2006	22,308 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Dunlin Calidris alpina	NT	winter	2001-2006	23,367 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C3
Common Redshank Tringa totanus	LC	passage	2001-2006	6,227 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Common Redshank Tringa totanus	LC	winter	2001-2006	4,272 individuals	A4i, B1i, C3
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding	2000	63 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding	2006	63 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus	LC	breeding	1995	5 breeding pairs	C6
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	breeding	2007	7 females	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	passage	2001-2006	93,705 individuals	A4iii, C4
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	2001-2006	150,177 individuals	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 (2015) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid 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	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
-	Tetney Marshes	RSPB Reserve	5
1968	Saltfleetby Theddlethorpe	National Nature Reserve	3
1973	Blacktoft Sands	Nature Reserve	1
1975	Tetney Marshes	Nature Reserve	5
1985	Humber Estuary	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
1988	Spurn	Heritage Coast	6
1988	Saltfleetby - Theddlethorpe Dunes	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	6
1990	The Lagoons	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	<1
1994	Humber Estuary	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	92
1996	Spurn Head	National Nature Reserve	2
1996	Reads Island	Nature Reserve	1
2000	Cleethorpes	Local Nature Reserve	3
2001	Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes And Gibraltar Point	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	4
2002	Donna Nook	National Nature Reserve	2
2004	Humber Estuary	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	94
2004	Waters Edge	Local Nature Reserve	<1
2005	Far Ings	National Nature Reserve	<1
2007	Humber Estuary	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	94
2008	Humber Estuary	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	76
2011	Humber Estuary	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	78

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land	major (>10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Shrubland	Scrub	minor (<10)
Wetlands (inland)	Standing freshwater, Rivers and streams, Water fringe vegetation, Fens, transition mires and springs	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
fisheries/aquaculture	-
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
urban/industrial/transport	-

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