• Summary
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• 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
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea	LC	breeding	2000	2,166 breeding pairs	C2, C6
Common Murre Uria aalge	LC	breeding	2007	50,613 individuals	B1ii, C3
A4iii Species group - seabirds	n/a	breeding	1999-2002	43,019 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding	1999-2002	37,500 breeding pairs	A4iii, C4

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
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla	31,000	12,055	breeding pairs	39	very unfavourable
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea	1,140	2,166	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Razorbill Alca torda	1,761	813	individuals	47	unfavourable
Common Murre Uria aalge	60,597	50,613	individuals	84	near favourable
A4iii Species group - seabirds	44,965	43,019	breeding pairs	96	favourable
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	32,171	37,500	breeding pairs	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high

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90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Not assessed	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1962	Noup Cliffs	Nature Reserve	<1
1973	West Westray	Site of Special Scientific Interest (UK)	100
2000	West Westray	Special Protection Area (Birds Directive)	100
2011	West Westray	Marine Protected Area (OSPAR)	4

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland		-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Shrubland	Heathland	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	100
nature conservation and research	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: West Westray (United Kingdom). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/west-westray-iba-united-kingdom on 23/11/2024.