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SD003
Khor Arba'at
Location Sudan, Red Sea
Central coordinates 37o 3.00' East  19o 48.00' North
IBA criteria A3
Area 20,000 ha
Altitude 100 m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition, the site is an extremely important focus for a wide diversity of migrant Palearctic passerines during August–October, with estimates of up to 10,000 Acrocephalus palustris being seen in a single day. Other species recorded, albeit in much smaller numbers, include Crex crex, Acrocephalus griseldis and Emberiza cineracea.

Site description This site is located c.15 km inland from the Red Sea, immediately east of the Red Sea Hills, c.25 km north-west of Port Sudan. The focus of the site is a 500-m-wide riverbed in which a water-pumping station has been built to provide water to Port Sudan. The pumping station is located on what has become an artificial island, surrounded by the only permanent water in the Red Sea Hills. There is a small garden on the island, with lemon and guava trees and date-palms, which provide the only concentrated green vegetation in a large area during the dry season. The site includes an area of the surrounding desert which, apart from a few scattered bushes along the riverbed, is largely barren.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Sand Partridge Ammoperdix heyi resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Sooty Falcon Falco concolor breeding  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Near Threatened 
Spotted Sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse Pterocles lichtensteinii resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Pale Crag-martin Hirundo obsoleta resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Greater Hoopoe-lark Alaemon alaudipes resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Fulvous Chatterer Turdoides fulva resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe leucopyga resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Blackstart Cercomela melanura resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Rocky areas   97%
Grassland   2%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
water management -
not utilised -

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations A large number of birds of prey, including vultures, have been recorded killed by the overhead powerlines, supported by metal poles, which supply the station’s electric water-pumps.

References Nikolaus (1983, 1984).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Khor Arba'at. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013

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