Data Zone
Country/territory: Qatar
IBA criteria met: A1, B2, B3 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 65 hectares (0.65 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2013 | not assessed | medium | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (1994 baseline)
A small, low, rocky outcrop within 5 km of the northern outskirts of Doha, and 3 km offshore. Surface is loose, weathered limestone rock with uneven cover of salt-tolerant bushes (Zygophyllum, Limonium). A sand-spit extends south for about 2 km at low tide, and there are broad intertidal flats to the south and east, and coral reefs nearby. The island is occasionally visited by fishermen and authorized falcon-trappers.
Key biodiversity
See box for key species. Surveys in 1992 and 1993 found Phalacrocorax nigrogularis (350 pairs), Egretta gularis (17 pairs), and second-hand reports of Sterna bengalensis (75 pairs), S. repressa (see box) and S. anaethetus (50 pairs). None of these populations exceed the 1% population levels, but the figures for terns are probably underestimates.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Bob Nation.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Al-Aliyah island (Qatar). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/al-aliyah-island-iba-qatar on 23/12/2024.