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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 IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Mute Swan Cygnus olor	LC	winter (2002–2006)	148–212 individuals	B1i
Brent Goose Branta bernicla	LC	winter (2002–2006)	729–1,260 individuals	B1i, B2, C3
Common Loon Gavia immer	LC	winter (2002–2006)	101–191 individuals	B1i, C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (2002–2006)	14,386–27,180 individuals	A4iii, C4

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
2009	Galway Bay Complex	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR) (UA)	98

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Marine Neritic	70
Marine Intertidal	30

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	90
urban/industrial/transport	10

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Inner Galway Bay (Ireland). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/inner-galway-bay-iba-ireland on 08/01/2025.