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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
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca	NT	breeding	1996	10-30 breeding pairs	A1, C1, C6
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca	NT	passage	1996	100-3,000 individuals	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Baillon's Crake Zapornia pusilla	LC	breeding	1996	1 breeding pairs	B2
Common Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus	LC	breeding	1996	15-50 breeding pairs	B2, C6
Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus	NT	winter	1997	12-43 individuals	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus	LC	winter	1996	10-43 individuals	A1, C1
Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus	LC	passage	1996	1,400 individuals	A1, A4i, B1i, C1, C2
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo	LC	passage	1996	40-1,400 individuals	B1i, C3
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida	LC	breeding	1996	110-200 breeding pairs	C6
Black Tern Chlidonias niger	LC	breeding	1996	5 breeding pairs	C6

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

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2005. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca	20	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Ixobrychus minutus	32	3	breeding pairs	10	very unfavourable
Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus	5	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida	155	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable
Black Tern Chlidonias niger	5	0	breeding pairs	0	very unfavourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	very poor (< 40%)	very poor (< 40%)	very unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Biological resource use	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	very high
Climate change and severe weather	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	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
2002	Dunav	State Game Husbandries	20
2004	Batin	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	92
2007	Ribarnitsi Mechka	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2007	Doichov ostrov	Zashtitena Mestnost	1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Wetlands (inland)	Standing freshwater, Rivers and streams, Water fringe vegetation	70
Forest	Broadleaved deciduous woodland, Alluvial and very wet forest	14
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land	10
Grassland	Humid grasslands	6
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine		-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
hunting	70
fisheries/aquaculture	60
other	30
agriculture	16

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mechka Fish-ponds (Bulgaria). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mechka-fish-ponds-iba-bulgaria on 23/11/2024.