Birds

Bird Conservation and Monitoring in Ireland

The latest version of the Irish Bird List sets out that 475 wild bird species have been recorded at least once in Ireland or its marine waters since January 1st 1950.

This list is maintained by the Irish Rare Birds Committee. A large proportion of this list consists of irregular sightings of rare and/or vagrant birds. Under Article 12 of the Birds Directive, NPWS reports on the conservation status of those species in Ireland that occur on a more regular basis.

The last report covers the period 2008 – 2012 and can be found here.

Under Article 4 of the Birds Directive Ireland has classified a number of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for regularly occurring migratory birds and those birds listed on Annex I of the directive. Further information on Ireland’s SPA Network can be found here.