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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1994 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Sand Partridge Ammoperdix heyi	LC	resident (1991)	present	A3, B3
Common Crane Grus grus	LC	passage (1991)	350 birds	A4i, B1i
Desert Tawny Owl Strix hadorami	LC	resident (1991)	8 pairs	A3, B3
Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus	NT	non-breeding (1991)	1 birds	B2
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus	EN	breeding (1991)	7–14 pairs	B2
Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus	LC	resident (1991)	8–18 pairs	B2
Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos	EN	non-breeding (1991)	1–2 birds	B2
Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina	LC	passage (1991)	5,000–10,000 birds	B2
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	passage (1991)	29 birds	A1, B2
Sooty Falcon Falco concolor	VU	breeding (1991)	3–5 pairs	A3, B3
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus	LC	breeding (1991)	4 pairs	B2
Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis	LC	resident (1993)	present	A3
Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti	LC	resident (1993)	present	A3
Pale Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta	LC	resident (1993)	present	A3
Arabian Babbler Argya squamiceps	LC	resident (1991)	present	A3, B3
Tristram's Starling Onychognathus tristramii	LC	resident (1991)	200 pairs	B3
Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha	LC	resident (1991)	10 pairs	A3, B3
Blackstart Oenanthe melanura	LC	resident (1993)	present	A3
White-crowned Wheatear Oenanthe leucopyga	LC	resident (1993)	present	A3
A4iv Species group - soaring birds/cranes	n/a	passage (1991)	14,000–19,000 birds	A4iv, B1iv

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1980	Kanee springs	Nature Reserve (IV)	<1
1981	Tel Qeriyyot	Nature Reserve (IV)	2
1988	En Gedi	Nature Reserve (IV)	2

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Desert	major (>10)
Artificial/Terrestrial	minor (<10)
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	minor (<10)
Wetlands (inland)	minor (<10)

Land use	% of IBA
rangeland/pastureland	major (>10)
nature conservation and research	major (>10)
agriculture	minor (<10)
tourism/recreation	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Judean desert (Israel). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/judean-desert-iba-israel on 24/12/2024.