occupied by large young. It was sited in a three pronged fork in an 
Anogeissus dhofarica tree on a hillside of mixed vegetation quite close to 
a permanent water supply. 
The nest was taken to the Natural History Museum in Muscat by MDG 
for display. 
IJABrown, Airwork Ltd, PO Box 18929, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman 
Iraqi Marshes doomed 
Mike Evans 
The marshes of southern Iraq are one of the most outstandingly important 
wetlands for birds in western Eurasia. Several million waterfowl from 
the Russian taiga are thought to winter in the 15,000-20,000 km 2 of 
shallow, permanent lakes, reedbeds and seasonally inundated floodplains 
which are fed by the River Euphrates and River Tigris. The marshes 
support large proportions of the world populations of six globally 
threatened species (Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus, Pygmy 
Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmaeus, Marbled Duck Marmaronetta 
angustirostris, White- tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Imperial Eagle Aquila 
heliaca and Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris), as well as 
internationally important numbers of at least 71 other waterfowl and 
raptor species. 
In addition the marshes are a globally important centre of wetland 
biodiversity: bird-wise, they contain two endemic species (Basra Reed 
Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis and Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris), two 
endemic subspecies (Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis and African Darter 
Anhinga rufa) and two relict Afrotropical species (Goliath Heron Ardea 
goliath and Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus), enough for the marshes to 
qualify as one of the 221 most important bird biodiversity 'hotspots' 
globally (Endemic Bird Areas, or EBAs). The southern Iraq marshes are 
one of only 12 wetland EBAs identified worldwide; their importance for 
bird biodiversity is mirrored by their importance for other groups, for 
instance, the marshes are the only home to a subspecies of the globally 
threatened Smooth-coated Otter Lutra persvicillata. The marshes are also 
economically important, supplying up to one million wildfowl and 
36,000 tonnes of fish per year for markets in southern Iraq. 
The vast and apparently untamable wilderness of the marshes is now 
suddenly proving to be a dangerous illusion. A range of Iraqi government 
hydrological projects, whose development slowed down during two 
28 
