• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2000 baseline)
A former fish-farm, situated on the bank of the River Danube, north of the village of Nova Cherna. The open water of the ponds is partly covered by rich marsh vegetation of Hydrocharis, Nymphaea, Nymphoides and Trapa. The ponds are fringed by dense reedbeds of Phragmites, Typha and Schoenoplectus, with some groups of Salix trees, and are separated from the river by a seasonally flooded forest of Salix and Populus, which also covers a nearby island in the Danube (part of this complex). Plantations of Robinia and Elaeagnus cover the surrounding hills. Fish-farming ceased in 1993 because of financial problems. `Other' land-use (below) is reed-cutting.

Key biodiversity
The site is important during the breeding season for nesting, feeding and resting waterbirds, e.g. the globally threatened Pelecanus crispus, Branta ruficollis and Aythya nyroca, and is also an important staging and roosting area for migrating waterbirds, e.g. Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Ciconia ciconia and Plegadis falcinellus. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Phalacrocorax pygmeus (5 pairs before 1989, now only 1 pair left). Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Nycticorax nycticorax (30-50 pairs).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kalimok Complex (Bulgaria). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kalimok-complex-iba-bulgaria on 22/11/2024.