email a friend
printable version
SO006
Gacan Libaax
Location Somalia, Togdheer
Central coordinates 44o 48.00' East  9o 52.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A2, A3
Area 55,000 ha
Altitude 200 - 1,000m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. This is the only locality known in the country for Cercomela dubia (and Muscicapa gambagae), while several of the other Somali–Masai biome species, including Rhynchostruthus socotranus, are known from few other IBAs nationally.

Site description Gacan Libaax (Ga’an Libah) is situated in the western part of the northern mountains, south of the coastal town of Berbera, extending westwards along the escarpment from near the village of Shiikh. Included also is Mount Wagar, immediately to the north of Shiikh. The vegetation of the site comprises c.30,000 ha of Afromontane vegetation and 20,000 ha of Buxus hildebrandtii-dominated evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Yellow-necked Spurfowl Francolinus leucoscepus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Heuglin's Bustard Neotis heuglinii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Buff-crested Bustard Eupodotis gindiana resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Little Brown Bustard Eupodotis humilis resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A3  Near Threatened 
Somali Pigeon Columba oliviae resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A2, A3  Data Deficient 
Red-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-bellied Go-away-bird Corythaixoides leucogaster resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar Caprimulgus donaldsoni resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Bee-eater Merops revoilii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-billed Woodhoopoe Phoeniculus somaliensis resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Abyssinian Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus minor resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus flavirostris resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Hemprich's Hornbill Tockus hemprichii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-throated Barbet Tricholaema melanocephala resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-and-yellow Barbet Trachyphonus erythrocephalus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Rosy-patched Bush-shrike Rhodophoneus cruentus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Three-streaked Tchagra Tchagra jamesi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-naped Bush-shrike Laniarius ruficeps resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Fiscal Lanius somalicus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Tit Parus thruppi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Gillett's Lark Mirafra gilletti resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Rufous Short-toed Lark Calandrella somalica resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Short-tailed Lark Pseudalaemon fremantlii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Chestnut-headed Sparrow-lark Eremopterix signatus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Pale Prinia Prinia somalica resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Grey Wren-warbler Camaroptera simplex resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Short-billed Crombec Sylvietta philippae resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A3  Data Deficient 
Somali Crombec Sylvietta isabellina resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Banded Warbler Sylvia boehmi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-rumped Babbler Turdoides leucopygia resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-breasted White-eye Zosterops abyssinicus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Shelley's Starling Lamprotornis shelleyi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Golden-breasted Starling Cosmopsarus regius resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-crowned Starling Spreo albicapillus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Starling Onychognathus blythii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Magpie Starling Speculipastor bicolor resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Thrush Turdus ludoviciae resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A2, A3  Vulnerable 
Somali Wheatear Oenanthe phillipsi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Brown-tailed Chat Cercomela scotocerca resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Sombre Chat Cercomela dubia resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A3  Data Deficient 
African Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes orientalis resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Hunter's Sunbird Nectarinia hunteri resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Shining Sunbird Nectarinia habessinica resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Sparrow Passer castanopterus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-headed Buffalo-weaver Dinemellia dinemelli resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Rueppell's Weaver Ploceus galbula resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Speke's Weaver Ploceus spekei resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Purple Grenadier Uraeginthus ianthinogaster resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-rumped Waxbill Estrilda charmosyna resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Steel-blue Whydah Vidua hypocherina resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Straw-tailed Whydah Vidua fischeri resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Golden Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-bellied Canary Serinus dorsostriatus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus louisae resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Near Threatened 
Somali Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza poliopleura resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
unknown -

Other biodiversity Among mammals, Papio hamadryas (LR/nt), Oreotragus oreotragus (LR/cd), Dorcotragus megalotis (VU) and Gazella dorcas pelzelni (VU) have been recorded.

Management considerations Gacan Libaax has been proposed as a National Park.

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: Gacan Libaax. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013

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