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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1999 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
Fischer's Turaco Tauraco fischeri	NT	resident (1999)	present	A1, A2, A3
Southern Banded Snake-eagle Circaetus fasciolatus	NT	resident (1999)	present	A1, A3
Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Eastern Green Tinkerbird Pogoniulus simplex	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Brown-breasted Barbet Pogonornis melanopterus	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Mombasa Woodpecker Campethera mombassica	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Brown-headed Parrot Poicephalus cryptoxanthus	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Green-headed Oriole Oriolus chlorocephalus	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike Prionops scopifrons	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Fischer's Greenbul Phyllastrephus fischeri	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Lowland Tiny Greenbul Phyllastrephus debilis	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Little Yellow Flycatcher Erythrocercus holochlorus	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Black-bellied Starling Notopholia corusca	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Spotted Ground-thrush Geokichla guttata	VU	non-breeding (1999)	present	A1
East Coast Akalat Sheppardia gunningi	NT	resident (1999)	present	A1, A3
Plain-backed Sunbird Anthreptes reichenowi	NT	resident (1999)	present	A1, A3
Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes neglectus	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Sokoke Pipit Anthus sokokensis	EN	resident (1999)	present	A1, A2, A3

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1999. The most recent assessment (2023) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor
Forest	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	good
Shrubland	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	good

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management plan exists, but the management planning process has begun	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not compre­hensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1968	Shimba Hills	National Reserve (II)	89

The Local Conservation Group(s) listed below are working to conserve this IBA.

Name	Year formed
Shimba Hills Forest Guides Association (SHIFOGA) and Shimba Suppport Group	0

For more information on BirdLife's work with Local Conservation Groups, please visit Spotlight on local empowerment.

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	45	Lowland forest - undifferentiated
Shrubland	35	Scrub - forest
Grassland	16

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	90
agriculture	50
tourism/recreation	20
urban/industrial/transport	10
other	5

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shimba Hills (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/shimba-hills-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.