Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information See Box and Table 3 for key species. In addition to those listed below there is a February count of 1,000 Ardeola ralloides. There have been no complete counts of the reservoir, but an assessment of only ‘a small percentage’ of the reservoir produced a figure of 10,300 birds, implying that total numbers must have been substantially larger.

Site description The site includes Xawaadley (Hawadley) reservoir, an artificial wetland on the Shabeelle river and the adjacent seasonal swamps, pools, woodland and thicket. It is situated to the south of the town of Jowhar, immediately north-west of Jowhar–Warshiikh (site SO015). The reservoir was completed in 1980 and is used at times of water shortage to increase downstream irrigation. It covers an area of 10,800 ha and has a circumference of just over 44 km. The eastern and western sides of the reservoir are bounded by natural slopes. The water reaches a depth of more than 3 m through which the tops of dead Acacia trees and bushes protrude. The shallows have been colonized by Phragmites and Typha spp. and floating vegetation grows across much of the surface area.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Land use

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations The reservoir supports a productive fishery, the effects of which on the birds are unknown.

References Becker (1988), Schels and Schels (undated).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Xawaadley reservoir. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013

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