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

The site was identified as important in 2004 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
Scopoli's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea	LC	breeding	-	1,000-1,500 breeding pairs	C2, C6
Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan	VU	breeding	-	100-150 breeding pairs	C2, C6

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2004) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2004. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	very high
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Residential and commercial development	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	very rapid to severe 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	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1996	Irdumijiet Ta' Madwar il-Kosta miċ-Ċirkewwa sa Bengħisa	Żona ta' Importanza Ekoloġika	85
1996	Diversi Rdumijiet	Żoni ta' Sbuħija Naturali	83
2003	Rdumijiet ta' Malta	Żoni Speċjali ta' Konservazzjoni - Importanza Internazzjonali	91
2004	Rdumijiet ta' Malta: Ir-Ramla tac-Cirkewwa sal-Ponta ta' Benghisa	Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive)	100
2006	Rdumijiet ta' Malta: Wied Moqbol sal-Ponta ta' Benghisa	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2008	Rdumijiet ta' Malta: Wied Moqbol sal-Ponta ta' Bengħisa	Żoni ta' Ħarsien Speċjali	91

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: West of Wied ix-Xaqqa to Wied Maqbyl Cliffs (Malta). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/west-of-wied-ix-xaqqa-to-wied-maqbyl-cliffs-iba-malta on 22/11/2024.