Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A complex of large haurs with extensive marshes on the plains to the east of the River Tigris, north of Haur Om Am Nyaj. The three main haurs, Haur Jazrah in the west, Haur Chubaisah in the centre and Haur Sanaf in the east, lie close together and merge into one another at high water levels. They are bordered on the south by the Musharra Canal. Haur Sanaf (between Amara and Al Halfaya) is about 20 km long and consists mainly of open water with a few reeds and extensive fringing grasslands. Haur Chubaisah includes the Bani Lam Marshes described by Savage (1968).
According to Savage (1968), these wetlands are particularly important for
Anser anser,
Anser erythropus and
Tadorna ferruginea.
Anhinga rufa is resident, and the reference by Ticehurst
et al. (1921-1922) to a 'colony' of
Marmaronetta angustirostris near Amara, and to
Turdoides altirostris being common in reedbeds there, presumably refers to this site. The most recent surveys were in January 1968 and January 1979. The entire area was listed as a wetland of international importance by Carp (1980).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
No conservation measures are known to have been taken. There has been no information on the site since 1979, but it does not seem likely that it has escaped some of the degradation suffered by other marshes in southern Iraq (see site 039). 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: Sinnaf Seasonal Wetlands (Iraq). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sinnaf-seasonal-wetlands-iba-iraq on 23/12/2024.
