Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
Lake Gori is a fresh to brackish, eutrophic lake lying at 1,950 m on the north side of the main Tabriz--Tehran highway, c.40 km east-south-east of Tabriz. It is fed by local rainfall, springs and small streams, receiving the bulk of its water after the spring snow-melt, and overflows at its north-east corner into a small stream; there is little fluctuation in water level. The bottom is a mud deposit on shale and rocks. The lake is generally frozen by late December and remains so, often under deep snow, all winter. There are extensive areas of
Phragmites,
Juncus,
Carex and
Scirpus around the shore and abundant underwater vegetation. The surrounding area is semi-arid steppe with one small settlement and wheat cultivation on the west and damp grassland on the south-west. Sport fishing, grazing, reed-cutting and wildfowl hunting occur.
See box for key species. An important site for breeding waterfowl, notably
Podiceps nigricollis and
Oxyura leucocephala, and the only known breeding locality in Iran for
Podiceps grisegena;
Pelecanus onocrotalus occurs in some years, presumably feeding birds from Lake Uromiyeh. Other breeding species include
Fulica atra (1,500-2,000 birds) and
Himantopus himantopus (50-100 birds). A wide variety of waterfowl occurs on passage, especially
Anas querquedula and
Fulica atra, and including
Tadorna tadorna and
T. ferruginea, but the lake has no value for wintering waterfowl as it is completely frozen for most of the winter.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The lake was designated a Ramsar Site in 1975, but no conservation measures are known to have been proposed. Although unprotected, the area is under the supervision of the Department of the Environment. Lying by a main road and so close to Tabriz, it is used intensively for recreation, including shooting, which causes considerable disturbance to breeding waterbirds.
Data-sheet compiled by Dr D. A. Scott, reviewed by Dept of Environment.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Gori Gol (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/gori-gol-iba-iran-islamic-republic-of on 23/12/2024.
