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close| Location | Oman, Dhofar |
| Central coordinates | 53o 47.00' East 16o 53.00' North |
| IBA criteria | A1, A4i, B1i, B1ii, B2, B3 |
| Area | 100 ha |
| Altitude | 0 - 10m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2001 |
Ornithological information See box for key species. Used extensively by a wide variety of feeding waterbirds, and large roosts of gulls and terns occur on the barrier beach. Another notable species in winter is Ardea cinerea (41, February). Large numbers of seabirds feed offshore during spring/summer: Puffinus persicus (see box), Phaethon aethereus (50, July) and Sula dactylatra (200, May). At least 170 species have been recorded.
Site description A 700-m-long coastal lagoon set between low hills, c.45 km west of Salalah, and blocked from the sea by a pebbly bar which is traversed by a tarmac road. The water is fresh or only slightly brackish, and inflow of fresh water is variable though not substantial. A severe flood in 1989 caused effluent pollution. The water surface is largely open, and the banks are sandy and dominated by grasses, with only small areas of marginal fringing vegetation (Phragmites). Shoals of small fish occur at the seaward end. A culvert has been built under the road to allow passage of strong tides and wadi-floods. The bankside vegetation is heavily grazed by livestock. The site is near a fishing village and housing extends right up to it.
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 | 60 individuals | medium | B2 | Least Concern |
| Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus | non-breeding | 1993 | 50 individuals | medium | B1ii | Least Concern |
| Socotra Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis | non-breeding | 1993 | 2,000 individuals | medium | A1, A4i, B1i | Vulnerable |
| Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii | non-breeding | 1993 | 2,200 individuals | medium | A4i, B1i, B3 | Least Concern |
Habitats
| IUCN habitat | Habitat detail | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|---|
| Sea | major | |
| Coastline | major |
Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| fisheries/aquaculture | major |
| rangeland/pastureland | minor |
Other biodiversity Flora: at least three species on the Salalah coastal plain are endemic or near-endemic to Oman, and some may be present at this site.
Management considerations The area is a proposed National Scenic Reserve.
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Khor Mughsayl. 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
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