Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2012 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda | LC | breeding (2007) | 820–1,100 breeding pairs | A4ii |
| Polynesian Storm-petrel Nesofregetta fuliginosa | EN | breeding (2007) | 200–500 breeding pairs | A1, A4ii |
| Phoenix Petrel Pterodroma alba | VU | breeding (2007) | 2,300–3,800 breeding pairs | A1, A4ii |
| Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis | LC | breeding (2007) | 4,000–7,000 breeding pairs | A4ii |
| Tropical Shearwater Puffinus bailloni | LC | breeding (2007) | 3,100–4,100 breeding pairs | A4ii |
| Brown Noddy Anous stolidus | LC | breeding (2007) | 15,000–31,000 breeding pairs | A4i |
| Black Noddy Anous minutus | LC | breeding (2007) | 100,000 breeding pairs | A4i |
| Kiritimati Reed-warbler Acrocephalus aequinoctialis | EN | resident (2007) | 300–500 individuals | A1, A2 |
| A4iii Species group - seabirds | n/a | breeding (2007) | 63,786 individuals | A4iii |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | breeding (2007) | 1,874,620 individuals | A4iii |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2012. The most recent assessment (2012) is shown below.
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2012 | very unfavourable | high | low |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | population | medium | |
| State (condition of the key species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda | 2,880 / 8,000 (individuals) | 36 | very unfavourable | ||
| Polynesian Storm-petrel Nesofregetta fuliginosa | 350 / 1,000 (breeding pairs) | 35 | very unfavourable | ||
| Phoenix Petrel Pterodroma alba | 9,150 / 22,500 (individuals) | 41 | unfavourable | ||
| Christmas Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis | 16,500 / 10,500 (breeding pairs) | 100 | favourable | ||
| Puffinus lherminieri | 3,600 / 1,000 (breeding pairs) | 100 | favourable | ||
| Brown Noddy Anous stolidus | 23,000 / 23,000 (breeding pairs) | 100 | not assessed | ||
| Black Noddy Anous minutus | 100,000 / 100,000 (breeding pairs) | 100 | not assessed | ||
| Kiritimati Reed-warbler Acrocephalus aequinoctialis | 400 / 400 (individuals) | 100 | not assessed | ||
| A4iii Species group - seabirds | 63,786 / 63,786 (individuals) | 100 | not assessed | ||
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | 187,420 / 1,874,620 (individuals) | 10 | not assessed | ||
| Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Invasive and other problematic species and genes | happening now | whole population/area (>90%) | slow deterioration (1–10% over 3 generations) | high |
| Biological resource use | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | slow deterioration (1–10% over 3 generations) | high |
| Climate change and severe weather | likely in long term (beyond 4 years) | whole population/area (>90%) | slow deterioration (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Pollution | happening now | few individuals/small area (<10%) | no deterioration (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Some of site covered (10–49%) | A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not comprehensive | Some limited conservation initiatives are in place | low |
| Year | Protected Area | Designation (management category) | % coverage of IBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Kiritimati Atoll (Christmas Island) | Multi/Multiple Use Conservation Area (Ia) | 97 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kiritimati (Christmas Island) (Kiribati). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kiritimati-(christmas-island)-iba-kiribati on 26/01/2025.