Current view: Text account
Site description (2004 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA comprises Thung Tha Laad, a public park located on the outskirts of Muang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The site is a wetland, which was formerly used for grazing and local boat transport but is now used mainly for recreation. The remaining wetland area comprises a swamp in good condition, with extensive sedge beds and other aquatic vegetation.
The site is important for the conservation of a number of waterbird species. In particular, it supports one of the few remaining Thai breeding colonies of Purple Heron Ardea purpurea, a species that is nationally threatened as a breeding bird. The site supports in excess of 1% of the Asian biogeographic population of the species. In addition, the site is thought to regularly support at least 20,000 congregatory waterbirds. Some of the commoner species occurring at the site include Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus, Lesser Whistling-duck Dendrocygna javanica, Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus, Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus, Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger.
Non-bird biodiversity:
No data was sourced on other globally threatened species occurring at the site.
The IBA comprises Thung Tha Laad, a public park located on the outskirts of Muang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The site is a wetland, which was formerly used for grazing and local boat transport but is now used mainly for recreation. The remaining wetland area comprises a swamp in good condition, with extensive sedge beds and other aquatic vegetation.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Little information is available about threats to biodiversity at the site. However, it was formerly a landfill site.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Thung Tha Laad (Thailand). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/thung-tha-laad-iba-thailand on 23/11/2024.
