• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 1999 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
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis	LC	non-breeding	1991	7,860 individuals	A4i
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	non-breeding	1993	600 individuals	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding	1991	9,940 individuals	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding	1993	1,448,000 individuals	A1, A4i
Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis	LC	non-breeding	1991	1,620 individuals	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding	1992	580 individuals	A4i
Malagasy Pond Heron Ardeola idae	EN	non-breeding	-	present	A1
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding	1992	44,430 individuals	A4i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	non-breeding	1991	3,120 individuals	A4i
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus	LC	non-breeding	1991	9,040 individuals	A4i
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	winter	1992	1,390 individuals	A4i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	passage	-	present	A1
Grey-crested Helmetshrike Prionops poliolophus	NT	resident	1999	present	A1, A2
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	1993	1,000,000-2,499,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1999) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1999. The most recent assessment (2023) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	poor (40-69%)	poor (40-69%)	very unfavourable
Wetlands (inland)	poor (40-69%)	poor (40-69%)	very unfavourable
Forest	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	likely in short term (within 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	Unknown	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1968	Lake Nakuru	National Park	100
1990	Lake Nakuru	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	100
2011	Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Wetlands (inland)	Saline lakes	20
Forest	Woodland - monodominant	-
Grassland	Grassland - edaphic, wet	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
agriculture	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-nakuru-national-park-iba-kenya on 23/11/2024.