email a friend
printable version
OM015
Ras al Hadd
Location Oman, Ash Sharqiyah
Central coordinates 59o 46.00' East  22o 32.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3
Area 2,000 ha
Altitude 0 - 10m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See box for key species. Other notable wintering species include Ardea cinerea (89) and Calidris alba (800). In autumn, large numbers of migrant Ciconia ciconia (150, September) and Larus argentatus (1,600, September) rest on the intertidal flats. Marine upwelling offshore provides rich feeding grounds (especially in June–August) for non-breeding and passage seabirds, with large numbers of Puffinus persicus (see box), Oceanites oceanicus (400, July) and Phalaropus lobatus (see box). A total of 87 species has been recorded.

Site description Two major tidal inlets with mangrove Avicennia, Khawr al Jaramah and Khawr al Hajar, part of the major headland east of Sur. The intertidal flats at Khawr al Jaramah are particularly extensive.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri non-breeding  1993  1,000 individuals  poor  B1ii, B2  Least Concern 
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus winter  1988-1992  144-471 individuals  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus winter  1988-1992  186-335 individuals  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus passage  1993  10,000 individuals  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii winter  1988-1992  854-2,686 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans winter  1989-1992  3,697-5,359 individuals  poor  B1i  Least Concern 
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus winter  1989-1992  1,849-2,679 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Pallas's Gull Larus ichthyaetus winter  1988-1992  457-1,015 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus winter  1988-1992  792-3,500 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei winter  1989-1992  1,459-4,700 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii winter  1988-1992  468-1,200 individuals  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis winter  1988-1992  939-2,403 individuals  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Saunders's Tern Sterna saundersi passage  1993  400 individuals  good  A4i, B1i, B3  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Sea   major
Coastline   major

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
unknown -

Other biodiversity Reptiles: the most important nesting beach in Oman for the sea-turtle Chelonia mydas (E) lies immediately adjacent to the the south (and is protected by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment).

Management considerations The area lies within a proposed National Scenic Reserve (8,000 ha).

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: Ras al Hadd. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013

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