• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 2009 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
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle	LC	breeding	1999	155 individuals	B2
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	LC	breeding	2003	49 breeding pairs	B1iii, B2, C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2009) may differ.

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1995	Slieve League SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	7
1995	West of Ardara/Maas Road SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	4
1996	Sheskinmore Lough SPA	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	2
1997	Aran Island (Donegal) Cliffs SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	1
1999	Slieve Tooey/Tormore Island/Loughros Beg Bay SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	11
1999	Termon Strand SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	<1
2001	Gweedore Bay and Islands SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	3
2001	Rutland Island and Sound SAC	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	1
2002	West Donegal Coast SPA	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	33
2011	West Donegal Islands SPA	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Mesophile grasslands	50
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		35
Shrubland	Heathland	15

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	65
not utilised	35

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: West Donegal coast (Ireland). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/west-donegal-coast-iba-ireland on 23/11/2024.