Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in NY

Audubon's Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global effort to identify and protect habitats that will sustain populations of birds. Each recognized IBA meets one of three criteria: a place where birds congregate in large numbers at one time; a place for species that are at-risk; or a place that supports groups of birds representing certain habitats such as forests, wetlands, grasslands and shrublands.

The IBA Program allows Audubon and other conservation partners to make sound conservation decisions in the face of considerable uncertainty from the changing climate, the economy, and gaps in our knowledge of the abundance and distribution of our highest priority species.

As the U.S. partner for BirdLife International, Audubon spearheads an ambitious effort to identify, monitor, and protect the most important places for birds. We also collaborate with 19 international partners to extend a web of protection throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

To date Audubon has identified 2,758 IBAs covering 417 million acres of public and private lands in the United States. Across New York, more than 130 IBAs have been recognized as significant places for birds to survive and thrive. Among them are high-priority Global IBAs—places like New York City’s Jamaica Bay, areas within Alaska’s Arctic Slope, and coastal bird sanctuaries in Texas.