Data Zone
Country/territory: Iraq
IBA criteria met: B2 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 400 hectares (4.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2013 | not assessed | medium | very low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (1994 baseline)
The site covers the area surrounding the villages of Anah and Rawa, lying in the narrow Euphrates valley c.240 km north-west of Baghdad, and includes the river itself. The region is stony desert on limestones and sandstones with much bare rock, sparsely vegetated with mostly spiny herbs. The river plain is sandy and silty, and there is some cultivation (dense date-palm groves with undergrowth, and cotton fields. There are flat, sandy islands in the river.
Key biodiversity
See box for key species. The breeding avifauna also includes Tadorna ferruginea, Cursorius cursor, Halcyon smyrnensis, Merops superciliosus and Pycnonotus leucotis.
Non-bird biodiversity: Reptiles: the desert has a rich reptile fauna.
Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Pavel Ctyroky.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Anah and Rawa (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/anah-and-rawa-iba-iraq on 22/12/2024.