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The site was identified as important in 1996 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
Erckel's Spurfowl Pternistis erckelii	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Chestnut-naped Spurfowl Pternistis castaneicollis	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-collared Pigeon Columba albitorques	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Dusky Turtle-dove Streptopelia lugens	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Nyanza Swift Apus niansae	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-cheeked Turaco Tauraco leucotis	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Wattled Ibis Bostrychia carunculata	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Spot-breasted Lapwing Vanellus melanocephalus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Mountain Buzzard Buteo oreophilus	NT	resident	1996	present	A3
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus	NT	passage	-	present	A1
Banded Barbet Lybius undatus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Abyssinian Woodpecker Dendropicos abyssinicus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Black-winged Lovebird Agapornis taranta	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole Oriolus monacha	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Thick-billed Raven Corvus crassirostris	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-backed Black Tit Melaniparus leuconotus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Brown Woodland-warbler Phylloscopus umbrovirens	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Abyssinian Catbird Sylvia galinieri	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
African Hill-babbler Sylvia abyssinica	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Ethiopian White-eye Zosterops poliogastrus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Slender-billed Starling Onychognathus tenuirostris	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-billed Starling Onychognathus albirostris	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Abyssinian Slaty-flycatcher Melaenornis chocolatinus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Rüppell's Robin-Chat Cossypha semirufa	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-winged Cliff-chat Monticola semirufus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Moorland Chat Pinarochroa sordida	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Rüppell's Chat Myrmecocichla melaena	LC	resident	1996	present	A2, A3
Tacazze Sunbird Nectarinia tacazze	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Swainson's Sparrow Passer swainsonii	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Abyssinian Longclaw Macronyx flavicollis	NT	resident	1996	present	A1, A3
Abyssinian Citril Crithagra citrinelloides	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Brown-rumped Seedeater Crithagra tristriata	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Ethiopian Siskin Serinus nigriceps	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Streaky Seedeater Crithagra striolata	LC	resident	1996	present	A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1996) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1996. The most recent assessment (1996) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	very poor (< 40%)	poor (40-69%)	very unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low

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	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1959	Simien Mountains	National Park	16
1978	Simien National Park	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	17

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial		93
Grassland		6

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Simien Mountains National Park (Ethiopia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/simien-mountains-national-park-iba-ethiopia on 22/11/2024.