• 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	2003	435 individuals	B1i, B2, C2
European Shag Gulosus aristotelis	LC	breeding	1999	506 breeding pairs	B3
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica	VU	breeding	2000	65,170 breeding pairs	A4ii, B1ii, B2, C3
Razorbill Alca torda	LC	breeding	1999	8,046 individuals	A4ii, B1ii, B3, C3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1999-2000	86,010 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4

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
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis	490	435	individuals	89	near favourable
European Shag Gulosus aristotelis	1,780	506	breeding pairs	29	very unfavourable
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica	76,000	65,170	breeding pairs	86	near favourable
Razorbill Alca torda	10,970	8,046	individuals	74	near favourable
A4iii Species group - seabirds	102,614	86,010	breeding pairs	84	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1974	Shiant Islands	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	100
2008	Shiant Isles	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2011	The Shiant Isles	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	26
2017	Inner Hebrides and the Minches	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	3

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Shrubland	Heathland	80
Grassland	Humid grasslands	10
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		10

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	90
not utilised	10

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shiant Isles (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/shiant-isles-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.