email a friend
printable version
SO005
Raas Xaafuun - Raas Gumbax
Location Somalia, Bari
Central coordinates 50o 51.00' East  10o 9.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A2, A3
Area 240,000 ha
Altitude 0 - 400m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. In addition to the species listed below, Phalacrocorax nigrogularis has been recorded at this site and Sterna saundersi breeds. Although, to date, a relatively small number only of Somali–Masai biome species have been recorded, these include several which occur nationally at few other IBAs, while the list is undoubtedly incomplete. The waters around the headland of Ras Xaafuun are believed to be an important migration bottleneck for seabirds on passage, while the littoral is thought to support large numbers of waders on migration. There are, however, no count data.

Site description The site comprises the proposed Wildlife Reserve of Raas Xaafuun (Ras Hajan) and the contiguous proposed Raas Gumbax (Raas Gubah, Raas Gubba) National Park. It is located in the north-east of the country, on the coast between the towns of Bandarbeyla and Bargaal. The site, centred around the large headland of Raas Xaafuun which projects eastwards for over 50 km into the Indian Ocean, includes areas of rocky coastline, sandy beaches and some mangrove, giving way inland to lowland plains supporting an arid Chrysopogon–Dactyloctenium savanna with a few low, woody plants. The Daror valley, through which runs the seasonal watercourse of Dhud Jaceyl and drains a large area of the Horn, reaches the ocean at Raas Xaafuun.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Pigeon Columba oliviae resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A2, A3  Data Deficient 
Forbes-Watson's Swift Apus berliozi breeding  1997  unknown [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Fiscal Lanius somalicus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Lark Mirafra somalica resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Lesser Hoopoe-lark Alaemon hamertoni resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Starling Onychognathus blythii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Wheatear Oenanthe phillipsi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Sparrow Passer castanopterus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
unknown -

Other biodiversity Among mammals, both Gazella soemmerringii (VU) and G. spekei (VU) have been recorded.

Management considerations The southern part has been proposed as a National Park and the remainder as a Wildlife Reserve. The coastline and shallow waters of this site are potentially at risk from marine pollution from tankers heading to or coming from the Gulf of Aden.

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Raas Xaafuun - Raas Gumbax. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

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