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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2022 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
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum	EN	resident (2018–2022)	2–30 birds	A1
Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius	EN	resident (2021)	6–36 birds	A1
Scissor-tailed Kite Chelictinia riocourii	VU	resident (2021)	10–52 birds	A1
Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus	EN	resident (1999–2022)	2–32 birds	A1
White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis	CR	resident (2021–2022)	12–30 birds	A1
Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus	CR	resident (2021)	100–200 birds	A1
White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus	CR	resident (2021–2022)	20–100 birds	A1
Rüppell's Vulture Gyps rueppelli	CR	resident (2021)	100–200 birds	A1
Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus	EN	resident (2021)	6–26 birds	A1
Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax	VU	resident (2021)	20–40 birds	A1
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis	EN	winter (2021)	4–32 birds	A1

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2022. The most recent assessment (2023) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Forest	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor
Grassland	moderate (70–90%)	good (>90%)	moderate
Wetlands (inland)	good (>90%)	moderate (70–90%)	moderate
Artificial/Terrestrial	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Pollution	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium

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	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not compre­hensive and are limited by resources and capacity	high

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	66	Montane forest - mixed
Artificial/Terrestrial	22	Arable land; Farmbush, fallow & ruderal land; Perennial crops, orchards and groves
Savanna	11	Bushland & thicket - evergreen
Grassland	1	Grassland - Semi-desert
Wetlands (inland)	minor (<10)	Freshwater lakes and pools; Artificial wetlands

Land use	% of IBA
forestry	100

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kirisia Forest (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kirisia-forest-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.