Data Zone
Country/territory: Estonia
IBA criteria met: A4i, B1i, B2, C2, C3, C6 (2003)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,902 hectares (39.02 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A complex of shallow (<2 m) bays and relict lakes on the southern coast of Saaremaa island, with small islets, vast reedbeds, coastal meadows and saltmarshes. The main economic activities are fishing, sheep-grazing and forestry.
Key biodiversity
A diverse selection of migratory waterbirds use the site for staging and/or breeding, with important numbers of several species. Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Grus grus (10 pairs), Larus canus (min. 400 pairs), Larus marinus (20 pairs).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Siiksaare-Oessaare bays (Estonia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/siiksaare-oessaare-bays-iba-estonia on 23/12/2024.