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ET010
Yangudi-Rassa National Park
Location Ethiopia, Afar
Central coordinates 41o 15.00' East  10o 52.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A3
Area 473,100 ha
Altitude 400 - 1,459m
Year of IBA assessment 2001

Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society



Ornithological information See Box and Table 3 for key species. More than 230 species have been recorded in this area. Being situated on an important migration flyway, many migratory species have been found including Falco naumanni and Circus macrourus, both of which are recorded regularly on migration and during the winter. Other species of interest include Phoenicopterus minor, Petronia brachydactyla and Ardeotis arabs (more common here than A. kori).

Site description Yangudi-Rassa National Park is in the centre of the Afar Region (in the northern section of the Rift Valley) between the towns of Gewani and Mille, and 500 km from Addis Ababa. Yangudi mountain lies on its south-eastern boundary, and is surrounded by the Rassa plains. Habitats include riverine forests along the Awash river, marshes and small lakes, dry riverbeds, rocky hills, sandy semi-desert and wooded grasslands. The sandy semi-desert and wooded grassland make up the largest portion of the park. The two main ethnic groups inhabiting this area are the Afars and the Issas. Ethnic feuds have been frequent between them, but most of the park happens to be in an area where they avoid each other.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Yellow-necked Spurfowl Francolinus leucoscepus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni winter  1996  unknown [units unknown]  -  A1  Least Concern 
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus winter  1996  unknown [units unknown]  -  A1  Near Threatened 
Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Buff-crested Bustard Eupodotis gindiana resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-bellied Go-away-bird Corythaixoides leucogaster resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-billed Woodhoopoe Phoeniculus somaliensis resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus flavirostris resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-throated Barbet Tricholaema melanocephala resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-and-yellow Barbet Trachyphonus erythrocephalus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
D'Arnaud's Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Rosy-patched Bush-shrike Rhodophoneus cruentus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Fiscal Lanius somalicus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-winged Lark Mirafra hypermetra resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Chestnut-headed Sparrow-lark Eremopterix signatus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Pale Prinia Prinia somalica resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
African Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Shining Sunbird Nectarinia habessinica resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Sparrow Passer castanopterus resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-headed Buffalo-weaver Dinemellia dinemelli resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Rueppell's Weaver Ploceus galbula resident  1996  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Yangudi Rassa National Park 473,100 is identical to site 473,100  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial)   31%
Rocky areas   33%
Grassland   33%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
nature conservation and research -

Other biodiversity The park supports an important population of Equus africanus (CR), and at least 35 other species of mammal.

Management considerations The park was proposed in 1977 specifically to protect Equus africanus. Besides the wildlife, the park is also important for safeguarding a 50-km strip of rich archaeological remains along the eroded hills near the Awash river. Active management of the park’s resources is minimal, with protection arising primarily as a result of the extremely harsh environment and its position as a no-man’s land between rival pastoralists/ethnic groups. The military has previously killed large numbers of herbivores within the park.

References Dellelegn (1989), Hillman (1993), Stephenson (1978).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Yangudi-Rassa National Park. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife