Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
Three islands up to 36 m high in the south-east Arabian Gulf, 35 km north of Abu Dhabi mainland and 70 km west of Sir Bani Yas island. North Yasat is uninhabited. The islands are fringed by coral reefs.
See box for key species. This is a very important seabird breeding site, judging by the only two surveys in May 1990 and March-April 1993. Other breeding species include
Egretta gularis (7 pairs),
Pandion haliaetus (17-20 pairs),
Charadrius alexandrinus,
Sterna anaethetus ('large colonies' were found forming on all three islands in May 1990, and a group of 250 birds was on North Yasat in April 1993),
Eremopterix nigriceps and
Alaemon alaudipes.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals: dolphins Tursiops truncatus and Sousa chinensis (K) occur, and sea-turtles Chelonia mydas (E) probably nest.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
There is no legal protection and no measures for nature conservation have been taken. There is no sign of feral cats
Felis on the islands, and the distance from the mainland and the proximity to the border with Saudi Arabia probably help to minimize human disturbance.
Data-sheet compiled by Colin Richardson (per Adrian Chapman).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yasat Island (United Arab Emirates). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yasat-island-iba-united-arab-emirates on 23/12/2024.
