Country/territory: Iran, Islamic Republic of
IBA Criteria met: A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 2,500 ha
Protection status:
Site description
Seasonally flooded arable land (mainly wheat), with scattered ponds and permanent marshy areas, on the east bank of the Karun river 55 km north-north-east of Ahwaz. Most of the area dries out completely in summer, but a few of the deeper pools and meandering watercourses remain wet and provide some breeding habitat for waterfowl.
Key biodiversity
See boxes for key species. A very important wintering area for geese, Tadorna ferruginea, surface-feeding ducks, Grus grus, several shorebirds and Pterocles alchata. Motacilla citreola is also fairly common in winter.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Karun river marshes. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 17/01/2021.