Ras Al Khor
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| Ras Al Khor | |
|---|---|
| رَأْس ٱلْخَوْر | |
 One of the three hides at the Ras Al Khor Bird Sanctuary | |
  | |
| Location | Dubai |
| Nearest city | Ras Al Khor Industrial Area, Nad Al Hammar, Umm Ramool, Al Garhoud |
| Coordinates | 25°11′35″N 55°19′23″E / 25.193°N 55.323°ECoordinates: 25°11′35″N 55°19′23″E / 25.193°N 55.323°E |
| Area | 1,300 ha (5.0 sq mi) |
| Website | dm |
| Official name | Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary |
| Designated | 29 August 2007 |
| Reference no. | 1715[1] |
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary(Arabic: رَأْس ٱلْخَوْر, romanized: Raʾs Al-Khawr) is a wetland reserve in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, renowned for attracting migratory birds in large numbers. The wetlands have large numbers of birds, crustaceans, small mammals and fish.[2]
Overview[]
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary represents an enclave of relative wilderness amidst traffic and sprawling urban infrastructure. Located just as the name in Arabic suggests – at the Cape of the Creek, it is among the few urban protected areas of the world.[citation needed]
The Dubai Municipality has taken great efforts to protect and preserve the biodiversity of this delicate ecosystem.[citation needed] The wetland has been fenced off from the public and three birding hides have been built. The bird hides are a first step towards the development of more elaborate visitor education facilities in the protected area. The WWF UAE Project Office collaborated with Dubai Municipality's Environment Department, in setting up the facilities that were sponsored by the National Bank of Dubai.[citation needed]
Opportunities for experiencing a natural environment in this rapidly building-up emirate are so limited that the opening of Ras Al Khor to visitors is a boon to present and potential nature lovers.[citation needed]
Presently[when?] there are three birding hides located on the perimeter of the sanctuary open to the public. Entrance is free and operate from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Saturday to Thursday.[citation needed]
Ras Al Khor is also home to about 500 greater flamingoes (Phoenicopterus roseus), which has become something of a mascot for Dubai's Wild Life protection program.[citation needed]
Species[]
Some of the regular visitors to the sanctuary are:
- Asian pied myna
- Black-winged stilt[2]
- Blue-cheeked bee-eater
- Caspian tern
- Citrine wagtail
- Common greenshank
- Common hoopoe
- Common kingfisher
- Common sandpiper[2]
- Common snipe
- Cormorant[2]
- Curlew
- Dunlin
- Eurasian marsh harrier
- Great black backed gull
- Great egret[2]
- Greater flamingo[2]
- Grey francolin
- Grey heron[2]
- Grey plover
- Indian peafowl
- Indian roller
- Indian silverbill
- Isabelline shrike
- Little bittern
- Little green bee-eater
- Malabar lark
- Mallard
- Osprey[2]
- Pied avocet
- Purple sunbird
- Red-vented bulbul
- Red-wattled lapwing
- Ringed plover
- Ruddy turnstone
- Sanderling
- Snowy plover
- Spotted eagle
- Terek sandpiper
- Western heron[2]
- White wagtail
- White-eared bulbul
- Yellow billed stork
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Dubai
- Al-Wathba Wetland Reserve, Abu Dhabi
- Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
- Jebel Hafeet National Park, Abu Dhabi
- Mangrove National Park, Abu Dhabi
- Sir Abu Nu'ayr, Sharjah
- Sir Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi
- Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah
- Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates
References[]
- ^ "Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "View thousands of birds at Ras Al Khor". Visit Dubai. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
External links[]
- Communities in Dubai
- Ramsar sites in the United Arab Emirates
- Wildlife sanctuaries of the United Arab Emirates