Data Zone
Country/territory: Bulgaria
IBA criteria met: A1, A4i, B1i, B1iii, B1iv, B2, C1, C2, C5, C6 (2005)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,868 hectares (38.68 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A river mouth on the Black Sea coast with diverse habitats, including riparian forest of Fraxinus, Ulmus and Crataegus, nearby mountain ridges with broadleaved deciduous forests of Quercus, coastal freshwater marshes, rocky seashore, reedbeds of Phragmites, Typha and Schoenoplectus, sand beaches with dunes and inlets, and a small offshore island. Open fresh water is dominated by Hydrocharis, Nymphaea, and Lemna. Sand-dunes have a cover of grasses and dwarf-shrubs. There is some scrub dominated by Paliurus. Land-uses are confined to the buffer zone and unprotected areas.
Key biodiversity
The IBA is important as a breeding site for Ficedula semitorquata, and is also a notable migratory bottleneck site, where a minimum of 10,000 Ciconia ciconia pass overhead each autumn. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Phalacrocorax pygmeus (4 pairs; max. 54 in winter), Aythya nyroca (3 pairs). Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Ixobrychus minutus (10-15 pairs).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ropotamo Complex (Bulgaria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ropotamo-complex-iba-bulgaria on 23/12/2024.