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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1994 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea	LC	winter (1991)	467–528 birds	B1i
Western Reef-egret Egretta gularis	LC	resident (1991)	186 pairs	B1i
Western Reef-egret Egretta gularis	LC	winter (1991)	334–435 birds	B1i
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo	LC	winter (1991)	4,850–5,340 birds	A4i, B1i
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus	NT	winter (1991)	495 birds	B1i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	winter (1991)	318–390 birds	B1i
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola	VU	passage (1991)	1,469 birds	A4i, B1i
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola	VU	winter (1991)	1,708–1,716 birds	A4i, B1i
Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii	LC	winter (1991)	901–3,496 birds	A4i, B1i
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus	LC	winter (1991)	1,844–2,755 birds	A4i, B1i
Charadrius mongolus	NR	passage (1991)	2,580 birds	A4i, B1i
Charadrius mongolus	NR	winter (1991)	243–2,160 birds	A4i, B1i
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	LC	winter (1991)	183–206 birds	A4i, B1i
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata	NT	winter (1991)	1,820–2,336 birds	A4i, B1i
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	NT	passage (1991)	5,136 birds	A4i, B1i
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica	NT	winter (1991)	1,795–3,277 birds	A4i, B1i
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	NT	passage (1991)	1,505 birds	A4i, B1i
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres	NT	winter (1991)	948–1,104 birds	A4i, B1i
Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris	EN	passage (1991)	108 birds	A4i, B1i
Broad-billed Sandpiper Calidris falcinellus	VU	winter (1991)	331–645 birds	A4i, B1i
Dunlin Calidris alpina	NT	winter (1991)	6,527–7,800 birds	A4i, B1i
Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus	LC	passage (1991)	2,895 birds	B1i
Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus	LC	winter (1991)	1,415–1,670 birds	B1i
Common Redshank Tringa totanus	LC	winter (1991)	4,900–4,955 birds	B1i
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei	LC	winter (1991)	3,641–4,480 birds	A4i, B1i
Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans	LC	winter (1991)	1,632–2,840 birds	B1i
Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus	LC	breeding (1991)	10,000 nests	A4i, B1i
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia	LC	winter (1991)	236–424 birds	A4i, B1i
White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa	LC	breeding (1991)	1,250 nests	B3
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	winter (1991)	315–419 birds	A4i, B1i
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter (1991)	20,000-49,999 birds	A4iii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding (1991)	11,436 pairs	A4iii

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1994. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Residential and commercial development	past (and unlikely to return) and no longer limiting	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Little/none of area covered (<10%)	A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Not assessed	low

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	major (>10)
Marine Intertidal	major (>10)
Marine Neritic	major (>10)
Forest	minor (<10)

Land use	% of IBA
urban/industrial/transport	major (>10)
fisheries/aquaculture	major (>10)
agriculture	major (>10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tarut Bay (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tarut-bay-iba-saudi-arabia on 23/12/2024.