Current view: Text account
Site description (2004 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA comprises a very small, privately owned waterbird colony, comprising a small patch of trees surrounded by irrigated rice cultivation and Eucalyptus plantations. There is an artificial pond in the center of the site, which dries up at the height of the dry season (April).
Ban Khlong Malakaw Tai supports a significant breeding colony of the globally near-threatened Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster. In May 2001, the colony totalled 70 birds, including young. Although this total does not quite meet the threshold for 1% of the Asian biogeographic population, extra weighting was given to the site because of its significance as the largest known breeding colony of Oriental Darter in Thailand, and because of the potential of the colony to increase in size in future years, provided that appropriate conservation action is taken.
The site also supports a number of other breeding waterbirds, including Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax and Purple Heron Ardea purpurea. For the last species, Ban Khlong Malakaw Tai is one of the very few breeding sites known to remain in Thailand.
Non-bird biodiversity: No information is available about other globally threatened species at the site.
The IBA comprises a very small, privately owned waterbird colony, comprising a small patch of trees surrounded by irrigated rice cultivation and Eucalyptus plantations. There is an artificial pond in the center of the site, which dries up at the height of the dry season (April).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
There are currently not thought to be any direct threats to biodiversity operating at the site itself, although shortage of water for breeding birds has been identified as a conservation issue. However, the Oriental Darters may be susceptible to threats operation away from the site itself, including loss and degradation of natural and semi-natural wetland habitats in the surrounding area, and hunting and disturbance of birds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ban Khlong Marakor Tai (Thailand). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ban-khlong-marakor-tai-iba-thailand on 22/12/2024.
