Data Zone
Country/territory: Bulgaria
IBA criteria met: A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B2, C1, C2, C3, C4, C6 (2005)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,092 hectares (30.92 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A shallow, brackish, coastal lake just to the west of, and bordering, the town of Burgas, and connected to the Black Sea by a canal with a sluice. Reedbeds of Phragmites and Typha fringe most of the shoreline, where salt-tolerant vegetation is dominated by Puccinellia.
Key biodiversity
The complex is important for wintering and migrating waterbirds, especially for wildfowl such as geese (Anser albifrons and the globally threatened Branta ruficollis) and ducks (e.g. Aythya spp. and the globally threatened Oxyura leucocephala). Pelicans Pelecanus also rest here in notable numbers. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Pelecanus crispus (max. 10 in winter and on passage), Aythya nyroca (breeding).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Burgasko Lake (Bulgaria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/burgasko-lake-iba-bulgaria on 23/12/2024.