• Summary
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• Reference and further resources

Site description (2000 baseline)
Lough Corrib is situated north of Galway city, and is the second-largest lake in Ireland. It consists of two parts: a smaller, shallower basin to the south and a large, deeper basin to the north, connected by a relatively narrow channel. It supports one of the largest areas of wetland vegetation in the country, with extensive submerged beds of stonewort Chara, as well as reed-swamp, marsh, fen and wet grassland. The lakeshore includes woodland, raised bog, callow, and limestone pavement. Apart from raised bog these habitats are also present on the many lake islands. The lake is used for trout fishing.

Key biodiversity
This is an important site for wintering waterfowl. Several additional species occur in numbers of national importance, including Anser albifrons flavirostris (140 birds, 1996), Anas penelope (1,000 birds, 1995), Anas strepera (35 birds, 1996), Anas clypeata (84 birds, 1996), Aythya fuligula (2,676 birds, 1996), Bucephala clangula (145 birds, 1996), Vanellus vanellus (4,050 birds, 1995) and Pluvialis apricaria (7,000 birds, 1995). Lough Corrib is one of only three regular breeding sites known for Melanitta nigra in Ireland, and numbers are of national importance (30 pairs, 1995).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lough Corrib (Ireland). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lough-corrib-iba-ireland on 23/11/2024.