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Site description (2004 baseline):
Site location and context
Hilly steppe foothills, flat hills and adjacent cereal fields at the spurs of the western slope of the Karatau ridge, 30 km NE of Chayan town. Typical Tian-Shan foothills steppe. The size of the area is about 11 x 8 km. Wintering place of Great Bustard. Virgin plots are herb-bunchgrass steppe; there are some rock ledges in hollows, small areas of salty soil, and springs.
In summer the site supports a complex of birds typical of steppe foothills: Alauda arvensis, Melanocorhypha bimaculata, Anthus campestris, Perdix perdix, Oenanthe isabellina, Sylvia curruca, Emberiza bruniceps. There is no confirmed breeding data on Otis tarda. The main role of the area is as a wintering place of Great Bustard. Other winter avifauna includes flocks of Corvus frugilegus, Corvus cornix etc.
Non-bird biodiversity: Herb-bunch grass steppe, Artemisia, patches of bushes - Spirea, Rosa etc.
Mammals - rodents (Muridae, Citellus sp.), Vulpes vulpes, Canis lupus. Reptiles - Eremias sp., Lacerta agilis, Agkistrodon halis.
Grassy slopes are used as pasture for sheep (moderate intensity), part of the area is cereal fields (arable).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Moderate threats are disturbance by shepherds and dogs, intensification of agriculture (arable). The main threat is poaching of Great Bustards carried out during the whole wintering period.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Arystandy (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/arystandy-iba-kazakhstan on 28/12/2024.
