email a friend
printable version
FR023
Estuaire de la Loire
Location France, Pays de la Loire
Central coordinates 1o 49.00' West  47o 16.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3, C4, C6
Area 21,400 ha
Altitude 0 - 6m
Year of IBA assessment 2000

Ligue Pour La Protection des Oiseaux



Ornithological information The site holds 20,000 or more waterbirds in winter, on a regular basis. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Gallinago media (passage).

Site description An estuary with mudflats, beaches and alluvial islands, marshes, wet meadows and woodland.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata winter  1997  233-2,940 individuals  -  B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Northern Pintail Anas acuta winter  1997  65-706 individuals  -  B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Common Teal Anas crecca winter  1997  4,300-13,049 individuals  -  B1i, C3  Least Concern 
Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris breeding  1991  5-10 breeding pairs  -  C6  Least Concern 
Corncrake Crex crex breeding  1994  52-53 breeding pairs  -  A1, B2, C1, C2, C6  Least Concern 
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana breeding  1991  10-15 breeding pairs  -  B3, C6  Least Concern 
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus breeding  1996  18-19 breeding pairs  -  C6  Least Concern 
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta winter  1997  850-2,590 individuals  -  A4i, B1i, B2, C2  Least Concern 
Black Tern Chlidonias niger breeding  1991  10-20 breeding pairs  -  C6  Least Concern 
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica breeding  1991  50 breeding pairs  -  C6  Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds winter  1997  20,000 individuals  unknown  A4iii, C4   

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Estuaire de la Loire Hunting Reserve 3,400 protected area contained by site 3,400  
Estuaire de la Loire - Baie de Bourgneuf - FR5212014 Birds Directive 80,202 protected area is adjacent to site 0  
Estuaire de la Loire - FR5200621 Habitats Directive 21,760 protected area overlaps with site 18,907  
Estuaire de la Loire - FR5210103 Birds Directive 20,193 protected area overlaps with site 17,436  
Ile de la Pierre rouge Hunting Reserve 120 protected area contained by site 120  
Massereau Hunting Reserve 393 protected area contained by site 393  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Forest Alluvial and very wet forest; Broadleaved deciduous woodland  -
Grassland Humid grasslands  -
Wetlands (inland) Rivers and streams; Standing brackish and salt water; Tidal rivers and enclosed tidal waters; Water fringe vegetation  -
Coastline Mud flats & sand flats; Rock stacks and islets; Salt marshes; Sand dunes & beaches  -
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) Arable land  -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
fisheries/aquaculture -
hunting -
tourism/recreation -
urban/industrial/transport -

Management considerations The site is seriously threatened by water-level modifications (which have altered the freshwater-saltwater ratios), infilling of saltmarshes, meadows and mudflats, and embankment of the River Loire.

Protection status National Low International Partial3,913 ha of IBA covered by 3 Hunting Reserves (Massereau, 393 ha; Estuaire de la Loire, 3,400 ha; Ile de la Pierre rouge, 120 ha). 17,700 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Estuaire de la Loire, 17,700 ha).

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Estuaire de la Loire. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife