To view our statewide Arizona IBA website, get announcements, use our on-line AZ IBA Bird Survey Database, review our IBA list, and get technical bird survey documents, review our IBA list, and get technical bird survey documents, visit the AZ IBA website. 

To learn about how Arizona's IBA program fits into the National Audubon Societies nationwide effort, check out their IBA landing page.

The center piece of the Audubon Arizona science program is the Important Bird Areas program in partnership with the Tucson Audubon Society and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The Important Bird Areas program is a significant undertaking in partnership with our nine Audubon chapters and a diversity of land owners and management agencies. Objectives of the Important Bird Areas program include: 

• the compiling of information to help guide conservation of these important avian habitats,
• recognition given to the land managers whose habitat stewardship has provided for exceptional avian habitats and bird populations,
• the development of local site conservation commitment by people participating in citizen-science and habitat conservation projects,
• the enhancement and/or restoration of species of conservation concern, and
• the facilitation of long-term conservation of these most important avian habitats and their avian communities.

Additionally, we fully expect to benefit human communities as well, as healthy ecosystems are preserved around and within human communities, and economies benefit through eco-tourism dollars.

Please contact Tice Supplee, Director of Bird Conservation at (602) 468-6470 ext 106 or email to nominate new IBAs or with any administrative issues. For science related questions call Jennie MacFarland at 520.209.1804 or email. Audubon State IBA programs are unique in that they are given individual flexibility to tailor their program strategies to accommodate the unique demographic, geographic, and political characteristics present in each state, while meeting the goals of the National IBA Program.

The IBA Programs goals nationwide are to:

• identify, document, and publicly recognize a state's most important areas for birds,
• engage people in citizen-science and avian conservation cooperative projects with land mangers to benefit birds and their habitats at IBAs, and
• to partner with others to bring conservation tools and resources to IBAs in need of conservation.

All nine Audubon chapters in Arizona have contributed to the IBA program and most chapters are stewards of one or more sites. We have devised avian inventory & monitoring protocols, and habitat condition reporting for citizen-science at IBAs. We have promoted citizen-science avian inventory and monitoring and hope to have a site within each region being surveyed. We have or are developing cooperative projects with public land or wildlife management agencies. Additionally, substantial partnerships have been established with Arizona Game & Fish Department, Partners in Flight and The Nature Conservancy in areas of shared interest for habitat conservation. Arizona IBA’s are bird focal areas for Sonoran and Intermountain West Joint Ventures. Finally, we are in the process of facilitating a private landowner's goals to conserve mature cottonwood/willow & mesquite bosque habitat in major migratory pathways.

If you are a photographer of birds, contact the Arizona IBA Program for how you can help. If you are a writer may be you would like to write an article on one particular IBA and its conservation needs, call us for ideas. We also need some research and database help, so if that is your interest we probably can use you. The Arizona IBA Program is bringing together birders, biologists, land mangers, and landowners. Through our cooperative efforts we will strive to make sure our most important bird areas continue to support the birds and habitat that we so much value in Arizona- you can help us soar!

Funding: We receive grant funding and private donations to fund our program. The Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, has provided grant funding for the IBA Program in Arizona since 2003. They have continued their major support of the program to present. We do require additional funds to fully support this program.

Downloadable Resources

arizona_important_bird_areas_accomplishments_and_activities_for_fy18.pdf