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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2002 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
White Stork Ciconia ciconia	LC	resident (1996)	50–70 pairs	C6
Common Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus	LC	breeding (1996)	common	C6
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea	LC	breeding (2002)	15 pairs	B2, C6
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	non-breeding (1996)	common	C6
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo	LC	winter (1996)	1,000–2,200 birds	B1i, C3
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	winter (1996)	2,000–4,000 birds	A4i, B1i, B2, C2
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding (1996)	200–800 pairs	A4i, B1i, C2, C6
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa	NT	winter (1996)	2,000–11,000 birds	B1i, C3
Dunlin Calidris alpina	NT	winter (1996)	12,000–16,000 birds	B1i, B2, C3
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	breeding (1996)	5–20 pairs	C6
Little Tern Sternula albifrons	LC	breeding (1996)	50–100 pairs	B2, C6
Western Marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus	LC	resident (1996)	5–6 pairs	C6
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (1996)	min 20,000 birds	A4iii, C4

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1980	Estuário do Sado	Reserva Natural (IV)	81

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	-	Arable land; Forestry plantations; Other urban and industrial areas
Forest	-	Mixed woodland; Broadleaved evergreen woodland
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	-
Marine Intertidal	-
Marine Neritic	-
Shrubland	-	Sclerophyllous scrub, garrigue and maquis

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
fisheries/aquaculture	-
forestry	-
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
urban/industrial/transport	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sado estuary (Portugal). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sado-estuary-iba-portugal on 23/12/2024.