Site description (2000 baseline)
A lake surrounded by wet meadows, woodland, hedges, grassland and arable land. Human activities include agriculture, forestry, cattle-raising, hunting and recreation (including sailing).
Key biodiversity
This is an important site for migrating and wintering waterbirds and the most important wintering site for Grus grus in France. The site holds 20,000 or more waterbirds on passage and in winter, on a regular basis (including Podiceps cristatus, 4,000 (passage); Anser fabalis 2,000 (passage); Anas crecca 3,000 (passage), 3,309 (winter); Anas platyrhynchos 10,000 (passage); Aythya ferina 2,500 (passage); Larus ridibundus 21,000 (wintering)). Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Branta ruficollis (passage); Aythya nyroca (passage); Oxyura leucocephala (passage); Haliaeetus albicilla (1-3 passage, 3-5 wintering individuals).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lacs de la Forêt d'Orient (France). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lacs-de-la-forêt-dorient-iba-france on 22/11/2024.