Ras Al Khor () or Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

reserve in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, renowned for attracting large numbers of migratory birds. It is also home to a large population of

crustaceans Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of Arthropod, arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquat ...

, small

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

, and

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

. It was the end of Dubai Creek before the construction of Dubai Canal, hence the Arabic name.

Overview

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary represents an enclave of relative wilderness amidst traffic and sprawling urban infrastructure. It is among the few urban protected areas of the world.It covers an area of approximately 10.13 km² and declared as a Protected Area on March 1, 1998.The conservation area has attracted more than 90,000 visitors from over 100 countries. The Dubai Municipality has taken great efforts to protect and preserve the biodiversity of this delicate ecosystem. 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. Opportunities for experiencing a natural environment in this rapidly expanding emirate are so limited that the opening of Ras Al Khor to visitors is a boon to present and potential nature lovers. There are three birding hides located on the perimeter of the sanctuary open to the public. Entrance is free and the sanctuary operates from 7:30am-5:30pm in the Winter and 6:00 am to 6:00 pm in the Summer. Ras Al Khor is also home to about 470 species of fauna and 47 kinds of flora. Greater flamingoes (Phoenicopterus roseus), are one of the main attractions in the preserve.

Species

Some of the regular visitors to the sanctuary are: * Asian pied myna * Black-winged stilt * Blue-cheeked bee-eater * Bar-headed Goose * Caspian tern * Citrine wagtail * Common greenshank * Common hoopoe *

Common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

* Common sandpiper * Common snipe * Cormorant * Curlew * Dunlin * Eurasian marsh harrier * Great black backed gull *

Great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. R ...

* Greater flamingo *

Grey francolin The grey francolin (''Ortygornis pondicerianus'') is a species of francolin found in the plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent and Iran. This species was formerly also called the grey partridge, not to be confused with the European gr ...

* Grey heron * Grey plover * Indian peafowl *

Indian roller The Indian roller (''Coracias benghalensis'') is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is long with a wingspan of and weighs . The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light and dark bl ...

* Indian silverbill * Isabelline shrike * Little bittern * Little green bee-eater * Malabar lark *

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

Osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

* Pied avocet * Purple sunbird * Red-vented bulbul * Red-wattled lapwing * Ringed plover * Ruddy turnstone * Sanderling *

Snowy plover The snowy plover (''Anarhynchus nivosus'') is a small shorebird found in the Americas. It is a member of the bird family Charadriidae, which includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. The snowy plover was originally described by John Cassin ...

* Spotted eagle * Terek sandpiper * Western heron * White wagtail * White-eared bulbul * Yellow billed stork File:Greater Flamingo 31-01-2006 15-14-04.JPG, Greater flamingoes File:A view from Rasal khore wildlife sanctuary.JPG, File:Flemingos from Rasal khore wildlife sanctuary.JPG, File:Ras-al khore wildlife sanctuary-4.JPG, File:Ras Al Khor Flamingo Hide Viewing Area from afar.jpg,

References

External links

Official website

Government information
{{Neighborhoods in Dubai Year of establishment missing Communities in Dubai Ramsar sites in the United Arab Emirates Wildlife sanctuaries of the United Arab Emirates

Overview

Species

See also

References

External links