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ER011
Southern Plateau: Furrus
Location Eritrea, Southern
Central coordinates 38o 55.00' East  15o 0.00' North
IBA criteria A3
Area 1,000 ha
Altitude 1,800 - 2,000m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Table 2 for key species. There are possible records for the site of Circus macrourus, but these were not definitely distinguished from C. pygargus. There are also records of three Sahel biome species (Table 2), including a possible record of Streptopelia roseogrisea (although this may be a case of confusion with S. capicola: Zinner pers. comm.) and two Sudan–Guinea Savanna species, including one of only two site records for Myrmecocichla albifrons. There are also four species of the Somali–Masai biome recorded; see Table 2. The site is also important for a wide range of Afrotropical and migrant raptors, with records including Milvus migrans, Gyps rueppellii, Torgos tracheliotus, Circaetus gallicus, Melierax metabates, M. gabar, Buteo buteo, Aquila rapax / nipalensis, A. verreauxi, Lophaetus occipitalis, Falco biarmicus and F. tinnunculus.

Site description The site lies in the Central Plateau about 40 km south of Asmara and 12 km west of the town of Dekemhare. It also lies c.40 km north of Mareb escarpment (ER012) and contains similar habitat to that site, but lies at slightly higher altitude (1,800 m and over). It consists of open Acacia spp. woodland with Aloe sp. and Ficus sp. in riverine areas. During the rains, parts of the area become flooded.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Erckel's Francolin Francolinus erckelii resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Dusky Turtle-dove Streptopelia lugens resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
African Collared-dove Streptopelia roseogrisea resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
White-cheeked Turaco Tauraco leucotis resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-billed Woodhoopoe Phoeniculus somaliensis resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Hemprich's Hornbill Tockus hemprichii resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Yellow-breasted Barbet Trachyphonus margaritatus resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Abyssinian Woodpecker Dendropicos abyssinicus resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-rumped Babbler Turdoides leucopygia resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Montane White-eye Zosterops poliogastrus resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Chestnut-bellied Starling Lamprotornis pulcher resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Somali Starling Onychognathus blythii resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Rueppell's Robin-chat Cossypha semirufa resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-fronted Black-chat Myrmecocichla albifrons resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Little Rock-thrush Monticola rufocinereus resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver Plocepasser superciliosus resident  2000  -  -    Least Concern 
Swainson's Sparrow Passer swainsonii resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial)   83%
Grassland   16%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
unknown -

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations No information.

References Zinner (in press).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Southern Plateau: Furrus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013

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