Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This area comprises a vast expanse of arid, inhospitable black lava desert, stretching from c.20 km north of Marsabit town for at least 60 km on either side of the main Marsabit–Moyale road. The distributional limits of the special birds, and therefore the limits of the IBA, are unknown. Rainfall is erratic and unpredictable, averaging less than 200 mm/year. The nomadic Gabbra people inhabit the area, but there are no permanent settlements in this harsh, waterless terrain. The desert’s southern fringe is just within the Marsabit National Reserve, but it is otherwise unprotected.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. This appears to be the stronghold of the enigmatic, Near Threatened, restricted-range
Mirafra williamsi, and most recent records have been from this area. The species is locally common but inconspicuous in rocky lava desert with sparse grass and low
Barleria shrubs. Other notable species include
Neotis heuglinii,
Merops revoilii,
Spizocorys personata (probably the largest population in Kenya),
Galerida theklae,
Eremopterix signata and (on the northern fringes)
Spreo albicapillus. Many Somali–Masai biome species occur in the general area of Marsabit, but it is not known how many are present in the desert itself.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Little information is available, but this habitat is unlikely to be under threat. Very little is known about
Mirafra williamsi, and an ecological survey of this species would yield useful information. The lark should also be looked for on the slopes of Mount Marsabit, the type locality; if a viable population is present there, the National Park could be incorporated into the IBA.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dida Galgalu desert (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dida-galgalu-desert-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.
