The Important Bird Areas of Florida - National Audubon Society

The Important Bird Areas of Florida: 2000–2002 – Pranty – 2-Jul-02 153d: Shorebirds. Sites that support 1000 shorebirds during migration or in winter. (For breedingspecies, Categories 1b, 2a, 2b, or 3f were used).3e: Larids. Sites that support 250 nesting pairs of larids, or 1000 terns or skimmers during migrationor in winter. Concentrations of non-breeding gulls were not included in the Florida IBA Program.3f: Others. Sites that support any species or subspecies not listed in Categories 1 or 2, or any groupnot listed above (e.g., wintering flocks of sparrows, or migrating flocks of Bobolinks). Because nothresholds could be established for these species, nominated sites had to be clearly more importantthan surrounding areas, and had to support large numbers of individuals for any species or groupclaimed.3g: Diversity. Sites that support an exceptional diversity of birds, whether in overall species orwithin a particular group (e.g., wading birds, shorebirds, or wood-warblers). Again, because nothresholds could be established for diversity [we may yet determine diversity thresholds], nominatedsites had to be clearly more important than surrounding areas.CATEGORY 4: Sites that support species characteristic of natural habitats.Originally, this category was to be used only for IBAs that were exceptional in size and/or quality, orrepresented the best regional example of a natural community. But because nearly all natural habitats inFlorida are severely threatened by human use, it was later decided that this category should apply to anyIBA that contained large (and presumably significant) amounts of natural habitats. We required that thesite be documented to contain significant populations of native birds––sites nominated solely on the basisof habitat, or the “presumed” presence of significant bird populations, were not accepted as IBAs. A fewof these non-accepted sites seem worthy of future IBA designation if sufficient avian data can begathered; see Appendix 1 (pages 262–263).CATEGORY 5: Sites that support, or have supported, long-term avian research.“Long-term” research was defined as being 10 or more years in duration, and ideally has resulted in thepublication of one or more peer-reviewed papers. This was a secondary category, and no site could benominated solely on the basis of long-term avian research.