Current view: Text account
Site description (2004 baseline):
Site location and context
A series of lakes in the southern part of the Turgay depression, including the rivers Irgyz, Turgay, Ulkayak which dry up in summer. The surrounding landscapes are northern deserts and semideserts with typical vegetation. The IBA is situated 70 km to the east of Irgyz town. The biggest lakes are Kyzylkol, Ayrkol, Sholakkol, Karmakkol, Maikol, Aidarkol and Aikol.
234 bird species, including more than 100 waterbird species, have been recorded. 30 species are included in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. The area is on the Aral-Ishym section of the Siberian-Middle Asia flyway of waterbirds (2-3 million birds fly over in spring and autumn). The total number of waterbirds counted/estimated to be present in the IBA at one time is up to 250,000 individuals.
Non-bird biodiversity: About 10 species of valuable fishes. Game species of mammals: wild boar, saiga, ondatra.
Turgaiskiy Zakaznik; the area is identical to the IBA.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Irgiz-Turgay Lakes (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/irgiz-turgay-lakes-iba-kazakhstan on 23/12/2024.
