• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 2007 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
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis	LC	winter	1994-1997	3,640 individuals	A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C6
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	LC	winter	1994-1997	2,590 individuals	B1i, C2, C3, C6
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	LC	resident	2002	26 breeding pairs	B2, C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

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 trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	21	26	breeding pairs	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Residential and commercial development	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Loch Gruinart/Ardnave	RSPB Reserve	7
1983	Loch Gruinart & Ardnave	Nature Reserve	8
1983	Glac na Criche	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	3
1984	Feur Lochain - Moine nam Faoileann	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	4
1987	Rinns of Islay	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	89
1988	Rinns of Islay	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
1990	Rinns of Islay	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	38
1995	Feur Lochain	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	4
1995	Glac Na Criche	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	3
1996	Smaull Farm	Nature Reserve	4
2001	Rinns Of Islay	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	12

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land	-
Forest	Mixed woodland	-
Grassland	Humid grasslands, Machair	-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Shrubland	Heathland	-
Wetlands (inland)	Standing freshwater, Blanket bogs	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	90
urban/industrial/transport	5
water management	5

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Rinns of Islay (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/rinns-of-islay-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.