Data Zone
Country/territory: Ireland
IBA criteria met: A4iii, B1i, B2, C3, C4, C6 (2009)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,290 ha
Site description (2000 baseline)
A large, shallow sea bay on the north coast of County Kerry, including intertidal areas at the mouth of the River Lee (where the town of Tralee is located) and at Barrow Harbour. Some protection is given to the River Lee estuary by Derrymore Island, a spit formed of shingle ridges, while Barrow Harbour is protected by land with only a small inlet open to the sea. North of Barrow Harbour the site encompasses a large, sandy intertidal inlet, sand-dunes and beach which extend as far as Akeragh Lough. The site has been extended since the previous pan-European inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989) to include Akeragh Lough and intervening coastal habitats (former site IE059).
Key biodiversity
This is an important wetland, with internationally important numbers of wintering waterfowl. Several other species occur in numbers of national importance including Anas crecca (860 birds, 1995), Melanitta nigra (620 birds, 1995), Pluvialis apricaria (3,053 birds, 1995) and Vanellus vanellus (5,700 birds, 1995).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tralee Bay and Barrow Harbour (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tralee-bay-and-barrow-harbour-iba-ireland on 22/11/2024.