Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
An island lying 5 km off the coast of south-west Saudi Arabia, midway between Shuqaiq and al-Birk. It is dominated by a mound of volcanic clinker rising to 100 m; a few trees (up to 3 m high) grow on its slopes, and there is a good growth of salt-tolerant bushes along its base on the south and south-east side abutting a flat and sandy area. Offshore are rich coral reefs. There is a small 7-m-high rock outcrop 200 m to the south.
See box for key species. An important breeding area for
Platalea leucorodia (of the Red Sea subspecies
P. l. archeri); however the site has only once been surveyed in the breeding season, in 1982. Other breeding species included
Egretta gularis (9 pairs),
Butorides striatus (2 pairs) and
Pandion haliaetus (1 pair). Small numbers of wintering waterfowl include
Pelecanus rufescens (9),
Sula leucogaster (30), gulls
Larus (200) and terns
Sterna (200).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
About 50% of the eggs or young of
Platalea leucorodia were almost certainly taken by visiting people in 1982. Hundreds or even thousands of feral pigeons
Columba livia have been recorded in winter, and may compete with breeding seabirds for nest-sites in summer.
Data-sheet compiled by A. Stagg.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kutambil island (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kutambil-island-iba-saudi-arabia on 23/11/2024.
