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Site description (2023 baseline):
Site location and context
The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (KSRNR) contains a tremendous diversity of physical geography, consisting of 14 geographic formations of mountains, plains, and plateaus, among others. The IBA is located within Al Jowf and the Northern Borders Region close to the Jordanian borders and composed of vast Hamada/Harra desert wilderness in the north of the country.
The IBA is considered an important area for raptor migration with significant migration of Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus and Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: variety of many species including Canis lupus arabs, Vulpes rueppellii, Felis margarita, Felis lybica, Paraechinus aethiopicus and Lepus capensis. Reptiles: characteristic species such as Cerastes gasperettii, Rhagerhis moilensis, Varanus griseus, Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis and Acanthodactylus schmidti.
Vegetation: The Turaif-Qurayyat area in the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve (KSRNR) is remarkable for its rich plant diversity, encompassing more than 120 plant species that include shrubs, perennial and annual herbaceous, and grass species, without tree species.
The characteristic shrub species such as Achillea fragrantissima, Atriplex leucoclada, Pulicaria nudulata, Anabasis setifera, Zilla spinose, Astragalus spinosus, Cornulaca setifera, Salsola cyclophylla, Salsola tetrandra, Salsola villosa, Artemisia sieberi, Asteriscus graveolens, and Capparis spinose. The perennial and annual herbaceous plants such as Polygonum palaestinum, Citrullus colocynthis, Centaurea pseudosinaica, Medicago laciniata, Trigonella stellate, Farsetia aegyptia, Launaea capitate, Diplotaxis acris, Bassia eriophora, Plantago ciliate, Ifloga spicata, Fagonia glutinosa, Anthemis deserti, Morettia parviflora, Schimpera arabica, Picris cyanocarpa, Malva parviflora, and Cleome amblyocarpa. The grass species such as Schismus arabicus, Tetrapogon cenchriformis, Eremopyrum distance, Centropodia forskaolii, Poa sinaica, Pennisetum divisum, Stipa capensis, and Stipagrostis plumose.
The IBA is predominated by Arabian Desert Ecoregion, which is a vast desert wilderness in the north of the country with predominated Harra (Lava) scrub vegetation in the central areas as a natural extension of the lava desert of Syria and Jordan, Chert Hamada vegetation in the western areas, and to a lesser extent Sandy Hammada vegetation in the western part. Main characteristic indicator plant species include Tmarix, Artemisia, and several annual herbs.
The area is part of the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve managed by the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Turaif-Qurayyat (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/turaif-qurayyat-iba-saudi-arabia on 24/11/2024.
