• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (1994 baseline)
A large stretch of intertidal mudflats on the southern Red Sea coast, c.40 km south of Jizan. The flats are fringed in places with mangrove Avicennia and saltmarsh, and an upwelling of fresh water in the marsh creates the only known coastal wet grassland (c.800 ha) in the region. The area is favoured for grazing by camels.

Key biodiversity
See box for key species. This is the only known regular wintering site for Pluvialis fulva in Saudi Arabia (January max. 36). The site has been visited only for Asian Waterfowl Census counts, and virtually nothing is known of its breeding species or of its importance for waders during migration. Aerial surveys have indicated that the intertidal zone from Jizan southwards is the most important wader area along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast, and this site is a good representative of this almost untouched coastal habitat.

Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by P. Symens.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Khawr Wahlan (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/khawr-wahlan-iba-saudi-arabia on 27/12/2024.