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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2007 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
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	LC	resident (2003)	7 breeding pairs	B2, C6

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2007) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' populations)
Species	Actual vs Reference (units)	% remaining	Result
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos	7 / 6 (breeding pairs)	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Transportation and service corridors	likely in short term (within 4 years)	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Most of site (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A manage­ment plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1974	North Harris	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK) (IV)	72

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Grassland	major (>10)	Steppes and dry calcareous grassland; Alpine, subalpine and boreal grassland
Shrubland	major (>10)	Heathland; Scrub
Wetlands (inland)	major (>10)	Standing brackish and salt water; Rivers and streams; Blanket bogs

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	major (>10)
fisheries/aquaculture	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: North Harris Mountains (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/north-harris-mountains-iba-united-kingdom on 23/01/2025.