Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2002 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow-necked Spurfowl Pternistis leucoscepus | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus | LC | non-breeding (2000–2001) | 5,116–6,743 individuals | A4i |
| Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor | NT | non-breeding (1995–2001) | 4,575–5,700 individuals | A1 |
| White-bellied Go-away-bird Criniferoides leucogaster | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica | LC | non-breeding (2000) | 680 individuals | A4i |
| Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Abyssinian Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus minor | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| D'Arnaud's Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Fischer's Lovebird Agapornis fischeri | NT | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Red-throated Tit Melaniparus fringillinus | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Banded Warbler Curruca boehmi | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Kenya White-eye Zosterops flavilateralis | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Hildebrandt's Starling Lamprotornis hildebrandti | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Ashy Starling Lamprotornis unicolor | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| African Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes orientalis | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Rufous-tailed Weaver Histurgops ruficauda | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Purple Grenadier Granatina ianthinogaster | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Steel-blue Whydah Vidua hypocherina | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Straw-tailed Whydah Vidua fischeri | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| Swahili Sparrow Passer suahelicus | LC | resident (1995–2001) | present | A3 |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | non-breeding (1995) | 21,848 individuals | A4iii |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Balangida Lelu (Tanzania). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-balangida-lelu-iba-tanzania on 19/01/2025.