KZ063
Ayak-Bestau Hills


IBA Justification

The site was identified as important in 2007 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:
Species Red List1 Season Year(s) Size IBA criteria
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo LC breeding 2007 40-45 breeding pairs A3
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis EN breeding 2007 40-50 breeding pairs A3
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus NT breeding 2007 20-40 breeding pairs A1, A3
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni LC breeding 2007 100-200 breeding pairs A1
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug EN breeding 2007 2-4 breeding pairs A1
Black Lark Melanocorypha yeltoniensis LC breeding 2007 200-400 breeding pairs A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.


IBA Conservation

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2011) is shown below.

IBA conservation assessment
Year of assessment State Pressure Response
2011 very unfavourable not assessed negligible
Whole site assessed? State assessed by Accuracy of information
yes population poor

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species Reference Actual Units % remaining Result
Common Quail Coturnix coturnix 1 1 individuals 100 favourable
Rock Dove Columba livia 1 3 individuals 100 favourable
Oriental Turtle-dove Streptopelia orientalis 2 2 individuals 100 favourable
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 1 1 individuals 100 favourable
Mew Gull Larus canus 1 1 individuals 100 favourable
Eurasian Eagle-owl Bubo bubo 60 1 breeding pairs 2 very unfavourable
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis 50 16 breeding pairs 32 very unfavourable
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos 1 1 individuals 100 favourable
Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis 1 1 individuals 100 favourable
Milvus migrans 1 2 individuals 100 favourable
Eurasian Buzzard Buteo buteo 2 5 individuals 100 favourable
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus 30 16 breeding pairs 54 unfavourable
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni 200 1 breeding pairs 1 very unfavourable
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 3 23 individuals 100 favourable
Eurasian Magpie Pica pica 3 7 individuals 100 favourable
Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula 7 22 individuals 100 favourable
Rook Corvus frugilegus 16 30 individuals 100 favourable
White-winged Lark Alauda leucoptera 2 2 individuals 100 favourable
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis 1 1 individuals 100 favourable
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 1 1 individuals 100 favourable

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas Management plan Other action Result
Unknown Unknown Unknown negligible

Habitats

Habitat1 Habitat detail % of IBA
Grassland Steppes & dry calcareous 55
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) Inland cliffs 30
Shrubland Low bushes 10
Desert Desert & semi-desert - clay, Desert & semi-desert - salty 5
1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use

Land use % of IBA
rangeland/pastureland minor (<10)


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ayak-Bestau Hills (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ayak-bestau-hills-iba-kazakhstan on 23/11/2024.