• 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
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons	LC	winter	1988-1989	1,490 individuals	B1i, C2, C3, C6
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	LC	resident	2006	7 breeding pairs	C6

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
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	7	7	breeding pairs	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
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
Some of site covered (10-49%)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	The Oa	RSPB Reserve	49
1988	The Oa	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	42
1999	The Oa	Nature Reserve	48
2006	The Oa	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	42

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable land	-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Shrubland	Heathland	-
Wetlands (inland)	Blanket bogs	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	95
forestry	5

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: The Oa (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/the-oa-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.