Data Zone
Country/territory: Saudi Arabia
Subnational region(s): Makkah
IBA Justification: A4i, B1i, B3 (1994)
Area: 15 hectares (0.15 km2)
| Conservation status of the Important Bird Area (IBA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2013 | not assessed | medium | medium |
Site description (1994 baseline)
Two small, flat, fossil-coral islands in the Red Sea (12 ha and 2.7 ha), south-west of Qunfudah town. Rainfall is light and erratic, but there is often a heavy dew and the islands are exceedingly well vegetated, with thickets up to 3 m tall of Salvadora and Suaeda; on more open ground there is Cyperus, Atriplex and Zygophyllum.
Key biodiversity
See box for key species. Other breeding birds include Butorides striatus (2 pairs), Egretta gularis (7 pairs), Pandion haliaetus (2 pairs) and Streptopelia roseogrisea (c.500 pairs). Small numbers of Pelecanus rufescens roost on the beaches in winter.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Dr Stephen F. Newton.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Umm al-Qamari (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/umm-al-qamari-iba-saudi-arabia on 13/01/2025.