Orange Coast Wetlands


IBA Justification

The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2012 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 List Season (year/s of estimate) Size IBA criteria
Least Tern Sternula antillarum LC breeding (2004) max 500 pairs A4i
Elegant Tern Thalasseus elegans NT breeding (1997) max 4,000 pairs A4i

IBA Protection

Year Protected Area Designation (management category) % coverage of IBA
- San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve (V) 2
1974 Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (Ia) 12
2012 Bolsa Chica Basin State Marine Conservation Area (Ia) 15
2012 Upper Newport Bay State Marine Conservation Area (V) 10
2012 Bolsa Bay State Marine Conservation Area (V) 1


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Orange Coast Wetlands (USA). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/orange-coast-wetlands-iba-usa on 27/12/2024.