MN011
Uvsiin Khar Lake


Country/territory: Mongolia

IBA criteria met: A1, A4i (2009)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 13,601 ha


Site description (2007 baseline)
Uvsiin Khar Us Lake is a beautiful freshwater lake with abundant reed and tall grass habitat along its shoreline. The tall grasses provide good shelter for breeding birds. The lake is replenished by water from the Namiraa River, which originates from snow-capped Kharkhiraa Mountain. The lake is located close to main roads between Ugii and Umnogobi soums.

Key biodiversity
Thousands of birds over-summer at the lake or pass through on migration. Globally Threatened and near threatened species occurring include White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala (EN), Falcated Duck Anas falcata (NT), Swan Goose Anser cygnoides (EN), Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus (VU) and Pallas’s Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus (VU). Nationally threatened species include Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus and Mongolian Ground Jay Podoces hendersoni. Congregatory waterbirds that probably occur in numbers exceeding 1% of their flyway populations comprise Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Eurasian Wigeon A. penelope, Gadwall Anas strepera and Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus.

Non-bird biodiversity: The site is not known to have special significance for other fauna and flora.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Uvsiin Khar Lake. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/uvsiin-khar-lake-iba-mongolia on 19/03/2024.