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The site was identified as important in 2005 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
Rock Partridge Alectoris graeca	NT	resident	1998	30-45 breeding pairs	A3
European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur	VU	breeding	2004	1,200-1,540 breeding pairs	B2
Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes	LC	breeding	1998	4-7 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus	LC	breeding	2005	8-12 breeding pairs	A3, B2
Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris	LC	resident	2003	1,350 breeding pairs	B3
Woodlark Lullula arborea	LC	resident	2004	600-620 breeding pairs	C6
Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum	LC	breeding	2000	45-60 breeding pairs	A3, C6
Subalpine Warbler Curruca cantillans	LC	breeding	1998	170-210 breeding pairs	A3
Sardinian Warbler Curruca melanocephala	LC	resident	1996	4-5 breeding pairs	A3
Western Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer	LC	resident	1998	20-25 breeding pairs	A3
Blue Rock-thrush Monticola solitarius	LC	resident	2003	19 breeding pairs	B2
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica	LC	breeding	1998	80-120 breeding pairs	A3
Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra	LC	breeding	2003	1,050-1,350 breeding pairs	B3
Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus	LC	resident	2000	450-900 breeding pairs	B3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2005) may differ.

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1949	Tisata	Rezervat	2
1949	Tissata	Reserve	2
1974	Nahodishte na chinar-Kuchkarnika	Zashtitena Mestnost	<1
1974	Nahodishte na chinar-Buyna	Zashtitena Mestnost	<1
1974	Nahodishte na chinar	Zashtitena Mestnost	<1
1977	Momina skala	Prirodna Zabelezhitelnost	<1
1985	Moravska	Zashtitena Mestnost	1
1985	Tissata	Buffer Zone	3
1985	Moravska	National Monument	1
2006	Kresna - Ilindentsi	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	81
2007	Kresna	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2008	Kresnensko defile	Zashtitena Mestnost	2

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous woodland, Native coniferous woodland, Alluvial and very wet forest	62
Shrubland	Scrub, Sclerophyllous scrub, garrigue and maquis	20
Artificial/Terrestrial	Perennial crops, orchards and groves	8
Grassland	Steppes and dry calcareous grassland	6
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	Inland cliffs	2
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers and streams	2

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	50
not utilised	40
forestry	30

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kresna Gorge (Bulgaria). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kresna-gorge-iba-bulgaria on 23/11/2024.