Geography, Birdlife & Marine Life

 Birdlife

Spur-winged Plovers in Safi. © Jad Al Younis, Discovery Eco-Tourism

Jordan also possesses a large and varied assortment of birdlife. This can be traced, once again, to the variety of habitats found within the country–from mountains forests to desert oases, from high cliffs to sweeping deserts, and from deep gorges to broadwadis. Two distinct types of avifauna can be found in Jordan: those species which stay year-round, and migratory visitors.

At the junction of the Mediterranean and Arabian faunal regions, Jordan lies on one of the world’s major bird migration routes, between Africa and Eurasia. Before the water levels of the Azraq Reserve were depleted over the past ten years, up to 200,000 birds–including spoonbills, white pelicans, egrets, terns and gulls, to name a few–would congregate there at one time during the migratory season. The numbers of migrants have decreased as Azraq has grown drier, yet even today up to 220 migratory species continue to transit through Jordan on their journey north or south. The approximately 150 species which are indigenous to Jordan seem not to have been affected greatly by the great drought of the 1980s.

 Marine Life

The Gulf of Aqaba is home to some of the finest marine life in the Middle East, while its coral reefs are unmatched in the world. The gulf is very narrow–at its northern end it is only five kilometers wide–and quite deep, ranging in depth from between 1000 to 1800 meters. The depth of the gulf, combined with its isolation from sea currents, minimize turbulence and improve visibility. On the sandy shores, one can find creatures such as the ghost crab, sandhoppers and the mole crab.

Gulf of Aqaba

The sea waters, meanwhile, host a plethora of marine life including starfish, sea cucumbers, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins, many species of fish and several worms which burrow into the sandy sea bottom. A variety of sea grasses can be found in the shallow waters, providing both food and shelter to the fishes which inhabit the area. Several species of eel make their home in the gulf’s grass beds, where one can also find sea horses and pipe fishes.

Marine meadow beneath the surface of the Gulf of Aqaba. © Camerapix 1994

Perhaps the greatest attraction for divers in the Gulf of Aqaba is the colorful coral reefs, found especially near the southern part of Jordan’s coastline. There are around 100 varieties of stony coral, and they are found mainly in shallow waters, as the algae that live within them require light for photosynthesis. Many hundreds of fish species make their homes among the reefs, and some live by eating the algae that grows on the coral.