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The site was identified as important in 2006 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
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax	NT	breeding	2003-2006	30-40 breeding pairs	A1, A3
Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus	LC	breeding	2003-2006	20-30 breeding pairs	A3
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis	EN	breeding	2003-2006	26 breeding pairs	A3
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca	VU	breeding	2003-2006	26 breeding pairs	A1, A3
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug	EN	breeding	2003-2006	32 breeding pairs	A1

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2006) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2006. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis	3	6	individuals	100	favourable
Little Owl Athene noctua	1	3	individuals	100	favourable
Eurasian Eagle-owl Bubo bubo	89	1	breeding pairs	2	very unfavourable
Buteo rufinus	1	10	individuals	100	favourable
Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis	1	5	individuals	100	favourable
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca	3	4	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus	1	1	individuals	100	favourable
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus	2	5	individuals	100	favourable
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug	32	1	breeding pairs	4	very unfavourable
Eurasian Magpie Pica pica	4	50	individuals	100	favourable
Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra	3	100	individuals	100	favourable
White-winged Lark Alauda leucoptera	50	50	individuals	100	favourable
Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina	2	7	individuals	100	favourable
Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra	1	1	females	100	favourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Desert	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable
Shrubland	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management planning has taken place	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Desert	Desert & semi-desert - clay, Desert & semi-desert - salty, Desert & semi-desert - stony	75
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	Inland cliffs	25
Artificial/Terrestrial	Other urban & industrial areas, Ruderal land	minor (<10)
Shrubland	Low bushes	minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
not utilised	95
rangeland/pastureland	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Donyz-Tau cliff faces (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/donyz-tau-cliff-faces-iba-kazakhstan on 23/11/2024.