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close| Location | Portugal, Azores |
| Central coordinates | 25o 13.00' West 37o 48.00' North |
| IBA criteria | A1, A2, B3, C1, C2, C6 |
| Area | 6,083 ha |
| Altitude | 250 - 1,108m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2002 |
Ornithological information The only population of the world for the Azorean Bullfinch. Also one of the important sites for the Azorean Wood Pigeon in all the archipelago. Also interesting for several endemic subspecies of passerines, e.g. the Chaffinch, the Goldcrest and the Blackcap.
Site description This site refers to an extensive inland area of the São Miguel island, including its highest points - Pico da Vara (1.103m), Pico Verde (931m), some valleys and other mountains in the norteast sector of the island. It comprises the only remnant areas of the native laurisilva forest of the island of São Miguel.
Populations of IBA trigger species
| Species | Season | Period | Population estimate | Quality of estimate | IBA Criteria | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Wood-pigeon Columba palumbus | resident | 2002 | common [units unknown] | - | C2, C6 | Least Concern |
| Island Canary Serinus canaria | resident | 2002 | common [units unknown] | - | B3 | Least Concern |
| Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina | resident | 2002 | 238 individuals | good | A1, A2, C1, C2, C6 | Endangered |
Protected areas
| Protected area | Designation | Area (ha) | Relationship with IBA | Overlap with IBA (ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graminhais | Nature Reserve | 7 | unknown | 0 | |
| Pico da Vara | Nature Reserve | 875 | unknown | 0 | |
| Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme - Ilha de S. Miguel - PTZPE0033 | Birds Directive | 1,982 | protected area overlaps with site | 1,758 |
Habitats
| IUCN habitat | Habitat detail | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Broadleaved evergreen woodland | - |
| Shrubland | - | |
| Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) | Forestry plantations | - |
| Introduced/exotic vegetation | - |
Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| forestry | - |
| nature conservation and research | - |
| tourism/recreation | - |
Management considerations This IBA is severely affected by invasive plant species and is surrounded by large areas of intensively explored forests. Two LIFE projects were runned until recently with some management measures for restoring the habitat of laurisilva. The species has been monitored since 1991 in an irregular basis, currently carried out by SPEA. There is a Specific Action Plan for the Azorean Bullfinch, developed by the Council of Europe and BirdLife International. The absence of the establishment of the SPA by the regional law constitutes a weakness in its surveillance and legal protection.
Protection status National:Forestal Nature Reserve Graminhais;Forestal Nature Reserve Pico da Vara,International:Special Protection Area Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme
Further web sources of information
Click here for more information about the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE)
Related state of the world's birds case studies
References Ramos(1995,1996b,1996c)Rodrigues & Nunes (2002)
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Pico da Vara. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
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