Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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 List | Season (year/s of estimate) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius | LC | breeding (1996–2007) | 1 birds | A3 |
| Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus | LC | passage (1996–2007) | 12–2,500 birds | A4i |
| Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | LC | passage (1996–2007) | 55–1,200 birds | A4i |
| Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama | LC | breeding (1996–2007) | 4 birds | A3 |
| Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta | LC | resident (1996–2007) | 2 birds | A3 |
| Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta | LC | breeding (1996–2007) | 5 birds | A3 |
| Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps | LC | breeding (1996–2007) | 4 birds | A3 |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | passage (1996) | min 20,000 birds | A4iii |
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 | poor | not assessed | not assessed |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| no | population | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala | 1 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus | 1 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Common Pochard Aythya ferina | 1,500 / 2,200 (birds) | 69 | poor | ||
| European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur | 2 / 2 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius | 1 / 1 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor | 12 / 12 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis | 3 / 3 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca | 1 / 1 (birds) | 100 | good | ||
| Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama | 4 / 4 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Streaked Scrub-warbler Scotocerca inquieta | 2 / 2 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta | 2 / 2 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps | 3 / 3 (pairs) | 100 | good | ||
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Biological resource use | happening now | few individuals/small area (<10%) | no or slight decline (<1% over 3 generations) | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Not assessed | Not assessed | Not assessed | not assessed |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | 60 | Desert & semi-desert - clay; Desert & semi-desert - sandy; Desert & semi-desert - salty |
| Shrubland | 20 | Low bushes |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 10 | Arable land |
| 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 23/12/2024.