Data Zone
Country/territory: Iran, Islamic Republic of
IBA criteria met: A3 (1994)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 2,500 hectares (25.00 km2)
Site description (1994 baseline)
A small area of sandy plains on the southern edge of the Kara Kum desert, around the small town of Lotfatabad and village of Shilagan on the Turkmenistan border. This is one of only two places in north-east Iran where the international border extends down from the hills to incorporate a section of the sparsely vegetated sandy plains of the Kara Kum desert. Much of the area is under irrigated cultivation (vegetable gardens, vineyards and wheat fields), and ponds and ditches support dense herbaceous vegetation with some Salix.
Key biodiversity
See box for key species. One of only two localities in Iran where Parus bokharensis has been recorded. Other breeding species include Accipiter badius, Sturnus roseus and Emberiza bruniceps.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Acknowledgements
Data-sheet compiled by Dr D. A. Scott, reviewed by Dept of Environment.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lotfatabad and Darregaz area (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lotfatabad-and-darregaz-area-iba-iran-islamic-republic-of on 23/12/2024.