Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A large, low-lying island (20 km by 30 km, up to 10 m elevation) of calcareous sands and sabkhah, with very little natural vegetation; there are small areas of salt-tolerant scrub and irrigated cultivation. The coast is fringed with extensive intertidal sandflats and mature mangrove
Avicennia woodland.
See box for key species. The main interest lies in a breeding colony of
Dromas ardeola (200-300 pairs, probably c.280); this population seems to winter at Khor al Beidah (site 005). Peak counts of passage waders exceed 6,000 at any one time, and other species include
Pluvialis squatarola (200, March) and
Arenaria interpres (370+, September).
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: dolphins Tursiops truncatus and Sousa chinensis (K) are numerous, and Dugong dugon (V) probably occurs; there are large numbers of introduced ungulates (including Gazella gazella (V), G. dorcas (V) and G. thompsoni). Reptiles: Chelonia mydas (E) is numerous inshore, with occasional Eretmochelys imbricata (E), though no sea-turtles have yet been proved to breed.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The breeding site of
Dromas ardeola is protected by the owner of the island as a private nature reserve (c.20 ha) and is fenced off, and there are presently no threats to the unprotected intertidal flats and mangrove. Artificial propagation of mangrove
Avicennia marina is being carried out on unvegetated sabkhah (which has little or no intrinsic value to wildlife), and thus this activity is of net benefit to
D. ardeola and other bird species of the mangrove community.
Data-sheet compiled by R. P. Morris.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Abu Al Abyad Island (United Arab Emirates). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/abu-al-abyad-island-iba-united-arab-emirates on 26/12/2024.
