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

Site description (1994 baseline)
A predominantly freshwater coastal lagoon (c.1.1 km long) in the built-up municipal area of Salalah, fed by seepage from a tributary wadi; the sand barrier is occasionally breached by wadi floods. There are extensive stands of Phragmites, Juncus and sedges. Freshwater inflow has been controlled as part of measures to reduce flood damage in the town.

Key biodiversity
See box for key species. Other notable species in winter and on migration are Philomachus pugnax (400, October) and Tringa stagnatilis (48, November). A wide variety of waterbirds occur, including interesting numbers of unusual species such as Nettapus coromandelianus (14, April), Hydrophasianus chirurgus (20, February) and Pluvialis fulva (106, November). At least 148 species have been recorded.

Non-bird biodiversity: Flora: at least three species on the Salalah coastal plain are endemic or near-endemic to Oman, and some may be present at this site.

Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Simon Albrecht; summary bird data supplied by Oman Bird Records Committee (per Jens Eriksen).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Salalah Bird Sanctuary (Oman). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/salalah-bird-sanctuary-iba-oman on 23/12/2024.