Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site is partly a coastal lagoon, on the eastern coastline, south of Korba lagoons and 25 km south of Hammamet. In most years it dries out entirely in summer, unlike Korba. It is also partly a saline depression, receiving run-off from the Dorsale mountains, and is surrounded by agricultural land. The vegetation is mainly salt-tolerant, with
Arthrocnemum,
Salicornia and
Atriplex species dominant.
See Box for key species. The site is also important, especially in wet winters, for other wintering waterbirds including
Ardea cinerea, and a variety of ducks notably
Anas penelope and
A. clypeata.
Grus grus use the site as a roost, especially in winters when Kelbia is dry. On the beach seaward of the lagoon, some
Sterna species breed, in particular
S. albifrons and perhaps also
S. hirundo.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats include human disturbance and hunting, and extension of hotel and tourist facilities southward from Hammamet.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sebkhet Sidi Khelifa (Tunisia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sebkhet-sidi-khelifa-iba-tunisia on 23/12/2024.
