Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A large area of open, man-made pools in a broad depression close to Wadi Dhulayl (a tributary of the Zarqa river), surrounded by rather bare limestone desert. Amman's main sewage works; pools range from sludge to 'fresh' water, with rocky shores. There is very little natural vegetation. The water is used to irrigate olive groves.
See box for key species. A man-made wetland, but extremely attractive to migrant birds in autumn as the only permanent waterbody in a vast surrounding area, now that Azraq oasis is all but dry. The site’s main importance is in the large number of
Ciconia ciconia which regularly rest and roost during autumn passage (see box). Breeding species include
Himantopus himantopus (possibly),
Vanellus spinosus (min. 14 pairs),
Sylvia conspicillata, and possibly
Charadrius dubius,
Charadrius alexandrinus,
Motacilla citreola and
Rhodopechys obsoleta. Other passage migrants include
Anas querquedula (230, September),
Calidris minuta (500, August),
Tringa ochropus (110, July),
Chlidonias leucopterus (150, August) and
Emberiza caesia.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats are few-shooting is insignificant at present, but could rapidly become a problem if the high number of birds present becomes well known. The area is very busy, and numbers of birds are probably much lower than the maximum possible if parts of the site were managed specifically to attract birds. Wildlife-friendly management regimes have been planned and proposed to the operators by a consultant in the late 1980s.
Data-sheet compiled by Ian J. Andrews.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Khirbat al Samra (sewage works) (Jordan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/khirbat-al-samra-(sewage-works)-iba-jordan on 25/12/2024.
