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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2003 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
Chestnut-headed Partridge Arborophila cambodiana	LC	resident (2002)	common	A1, A2, A3
Green-legged Partridge Tropicoperdix chloropus	LC	resident (2002)	present	A3
Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera	LC	resident (2002)	rare	A3
Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo Carpococcyx renauldi	EN	resident (2002)	rare	A3
Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis	VU	resident (2002)	abundant	A1
Moustached Barbet Psilopogon incognitus	LC	resident (2002)	rare	A3
Black-and-buff Woodpecker Meiglyptes jugularis	LC	resident (2002)	rare	A3
Brown-rumped Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis	LC	resident (2002)	rare	A3
Indochinese Green Magpie Cissa hypoleuca	LC	resident (2002)	present	A3
Grey-eyed Bulbul Iole propinqua	LC	resident (2002)	rare	A3
Mountain Bulbul Ixos mcclellandii	LC	resident (2002)	present	A3
Stripe-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus finlaysoni	LC	resident (2002)	abundant	A3
Phylloscopus davisoni	NR	resident (2002)	present	A3
Streaked Wren-babbler Gypsophila brevicaudata	LC	resident (2002)	common	A3
Cambodian Laughingthrush Garrulax ferrarius	LC	resident (2002)	present	A2
Blue-winged Minla Siva cyanouroptera	LC	breeding (2002)	uncommon	A3
Golden-crested Myna Ampeliceps coronatus	LC	resident (2002)	common	A3
Myiomela leucurum	NR	resident (2002)	present	A3
Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus	LC	resident (2002)	present	A3
Black-throated Sunbird Aethopyga saturata	LC	resident (2002)	common	A3

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2003. The most recent assessment (2009) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Forest	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	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
Biological resource use	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Natural system modifications	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Transportation and service corridors	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A compre­hensive and appropriate manage­ment plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the popul­ations of qualify­ing bird species	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	high

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1994	Phnom Samkos	Wildlife Sanctuary (IV)	89

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	-	Perennial crops, orchards and groves; Small settlements, rural gardens
Forest	-	Lowland evergreen rain forest (tropical); Semi-evergreen rain forest (tropical); Dry deciduous forest (tropical); Hill evergreen forest (subtropical)
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	-
Shrubland	-	Secondary scrub
Wetlands (inland)	-	Freshwater lakes and pools; Rivers and streams

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
forestry	-
urban/industrial/transport	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Phnom Samkos (Cambodia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/phnom-samkos-iba-cambodia on 24/01/2025.