Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site lies in the Central Plateau about 40 km south of Asmara and 12 km west of the town of Dekemhare. It also lies c.40 km north of Mareb escarpment (ER012) and contains similar habitat to that site, but lies at slightly higher altitude (1,800 m and over). It consists of open
Acacia spp. woodland with
Aloe sp. and
Ficus sp. in riverine areas. During the rains, parts of the area become flooded.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. There are possible records for the site of
Circus macrourus, but these were not definitely distinguished from
C. pygargus. There are also records of three Sahel biome species (Table 2), including a possible record of
Streptopelia roseogrisea (although this may be a case of confusion with
S. capicola: Zinner pers. comm.) and two Sudan–Guinea Savanna species, including one of only two site records for
Myrmecocichla albifrons. There are also four species of the Somali–Masai biome recorded; see Table 2. The site is also important for a wide range of Afrotropical and migrant raptors, with records including
Milvus migrans,
Gyps rueppellii,
Torgos tracheliotus,
Circaetus gallicus,
Melierax metabates,
M. gabar,
Buteo buteo,
Aquila rapax /
nipalensis,
A. verreauxi,
Lophaetus occipitalis,
Falco biarmicus and
F. tinnunculus.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
No information.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Southern Plateau: Furrus (Eritrea). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/southern-plateau:-furrus-iba-eritrea on 23/12/2024.
