Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
These marshes lie along the c.165 km of the Shatt Al Arab waterway from 31°00'N 47°25'E to 29°55'N 48°30'E, mainly between Qurnah and Basrah (c.65 km), and include Haur Al Shaibah (15 km north of Basrah), Qarmat Ali, Khamisiyah and Shafi. Shafi wetland (30°53'N 47°31'E) is a small reed-marsh near the town of Shafi on the Basrah to Amara road, 30 km from Basrah.
According to Savage (1968), the marshes are important for wintering
Anser anser and dabbling ducks, mainly
Anas platyrhynchos and
A. crecca, and breeding
Marmaronetta angustirostris. The muddy shores of the Shatt Al Arab are an important feeding area for passage and wintering shorebirds. The area was most recently surveyed in 1968, 1975 and 1979; all visits were in January, and were brief and incomplete; notable winter visitors included
Ciconia ciconia (105),
Milvus migrans (305) and
Vanellus leucurus (50).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
In 1975 the Museum of Natural History of the University of Basrah established a research station at Shafi wetland. Otherwise no conservation measures are known to have been taken. The lower marshes below Basrah are presumably changing their character as less fresh water is reaching the sea and there is increasing encroachment of sea water. However, the current status of these marshes is completely unknown. No conservation measures are known to have been proposed.
Information compiled by Dr D. A. Scott and D. J. Brooks, reviewed by Dr Khalid Y. Al-Dabbagh and Dr Hanna Y. Siman.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shatt Al Arab marshes (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/shatt-al-arab-marshes-iba-iraq on 23/12/2024.
