Data Zone
Country/territory: Saudi Arabia
IBA criteria met: B1i, B2, B3 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 400,000 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2013 | not assessed | very high | negligible |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (1994 baseline)
A shallow bay of 15 × 35 km, almost closed by a long narrow island, and containing eight other islets. It is situated at a point where the Asir mountains run close to the Red Sea. Most of the islets are surrounded by mangrove Avicennia trees and clothed with dense Salicornia, and there are seagrass beds in the bay.
Key biodiversity
See box for key species. The site holds the densest population of Falco concolor in Saudi Arabia and probably in the world, and at least 50 pairs of Sterna anaethetus breed. The coastal topography concentrates migrants moving down the coast.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: Dugong dugon (V). Reptiles: the sea-turtles Eretmochelys imbricata (E) and Chelonia mydas (E) breed.
Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by P. Gaucher, with comments by P. Symens.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Qishran Bay (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/qishran-bay-iba-saudi-arabia on 22/11/2024.