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IL009
Hefer valley
Location Israel
Central coordinates 34o 56.00' East  32o 27.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, B1i
Area 35,000 ha
Altitude 18 m
Year of IBA assessment 2001

Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel



Ornithological information See box for key species. Three species of heron and egret breed, and non-breeding summer visitors include Casmerodius albus, Ardea cinerea, A. purpurea, Ardeola ralloides, Ciconia ciconia, Platalea leucorodia, Plegadis falcinellus and Fulica atra. Wintering numbers of Grus grus have fluctuated but have not been less than 100 since 1980. Other notable wintering species include Circus aeruginosus (25). Large flocks of Pelecanus onocrotalus occur on passage.

Site description A largely agricultural area (orchards, wheat, legumes, cotton), stretching from Karkur to Tira, c.10 km inland from Netanya near the Mediterranean coast. There are some fish-ponds and reservoirs scattered within the valley.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia passage  1991  150-300 individuals  unknown  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax passage  1991  300-400 individuals  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax resident  1991  100-120 breeding pairs  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis resident  1991  100-350 breeding pairs  unknown  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea winter  1991  300-1,000 individuals  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Great Egret Casmerodius albus winter  1991  150-1,000 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus passage  1991  15,000-20,000 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo winter  1991  1,000-1,500 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Common Crane Grus grus winter  1991  600-1,500 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial)   major
Artificial landscapes (aquatic)   minor
Grassland   minor

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture major
fisheries/aquaculture minor
water management minor
nature conservation and research 2%

Other biodiversity Flora: Linaria pelisseriana, Verbascum berytheum.

Management considerations Most of the area is not protected. A new National Park (Hasharon, c.600 ha) is being developed, which will include Brehat Ya’ar (Birket Ata), a small wetland and proposed Nature Reserve (c.20 ha) holding the breeding waterbirds and non-breeding summer visitors mentioned above. There are local threats from urbanization, human disturbance, agricultural intensification and pollution.

References Levy and Yom-Tov (1991).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Hefer valley. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

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