Data Zone
The site was identified as important in 2007 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius | LC | breeding | 1996-2007 | 1 individuals | A3 |
| Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus | LC | passage | 1996-2007 | 12-2,500 individuals | A4i |
| Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | LC | passage | 1996-2007 | 55-1,200 individuals | A4i |
| Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama | LC | breeding | 1996-2007 | 4 individuals | A3 |
| Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta | LC | resident | 1996-2007 | 2 individuals | A3 |
| Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta | LC | breeding | 1996-2007 | 5 individuals | A3 |
| Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps | LC | breeding | 1996-2007 | 4 individuals | A3 |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | passage | 1996 | min 20,000 individuals | A4iii |
1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2018) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2018 | unfavourable | not assessed | not assessed |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| no | population | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Reference | Actual | Units | % remaining | Result |
| White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala | 1 | 1 | individuals | 100 | favourable |
| Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus | 1 | 1 | individuals | 100 | favourable |
| Common Pochard Aythya ferina | 2,200 | 1,500 | individuals | 69 | unfavourable |
| European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur | 2 | 2 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius | 1 | 1 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor | 12 | 12 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis | 3 | 3 | individuals | 100 | favourable |
| Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca | 1 | 1 | individuals | 100 | favourable |
| Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama | 4 | 4 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta | 2 | 2 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta | 2 | 2 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps | 3 | 3 | breeding pairs | 100 | favourable |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | some of area/population (10-49%) | no or imperceptible deterioration | low |
| Biological resource use | 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 |
| Not assessed | Not assessed | Not assessed | not assessed |
| Habitat1 | Habitat detail | % of IBA |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | Desert & semi-desert - clay, Desert & semi-desert - sandy, Desert & semi-desert - salty | 60 |
| Shrubland | Low bushes | 20 |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable land | 10 |
| Wetlands (inland) | 10 |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| hunting | 90 |
| fisheries/aquaculture | 10 |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mergen (Turkmenistan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mergen-iba-turkmenistan on 23/11/2024.