Current view: Text account
Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA covers the vast foothills zone of the north-western base of the Baysuntau and Kugitang ridges of the western part of the Pamiro-Alay mountain system and consists of well-vegetated hills and small plains. This site is remote from large settlements, though there are a few cattle-breeders' huts, abandoned in winter. The site is a migratory bottleneck, especially for Grus virgo. There are many farm tracks, often impassable in spring because of rain, and vehicles are rare. There is a haymaking in May and June when the number of people increases considerably. There is a recent, progressive development of the foothills for dry crop cultivation which is reducing the amount of land available for cranes, but the majority of the area is still virgin land.
This site is important for spring migration when the high mountains to the east are still covered with snow. The list of migrants is about 240-250 species.
Apart from Passeriformes, the only recorded breeding species are Falco naumanni, Circaetus gallicus, Aquila chrysaetos and Buteo rufinus (common). Griffon Vultures are resident.
In years when Acridoidea breed in large numbers, Sturnus roseus breeds in huge numbers, with colonies of up to 10,000 pairs.
Non-bird biodiversity: The foothills are rich in wildlife in spring. There are many Agriocnemis horsfieldi and Ophisaurus apoda, and Naja naja and Vipera libetina are found regularly.
Rodents: in some years there are very high numbers of Meriones lybica and Rhombomis opimus in the lower areas. Predators (Vulpes vulpes, V. corsac and Felis lybica) are common. Gazella subgutturosa used to be common but has now been exterminated.
Use of the foothills in spring is rather low and mainly for grazing. Local people use “gliftor” poison widely for control of foxes and steppe cats during the lambing period. According to surveys many predators including Aegypius monachus die because of this poison. The Shurtan oil-chemistry complex is being built 4-4.5 km from the site, and the increasing number of people in region, especially industrial workers, could be a negative factor to be taken into account during the IBA creation process.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Detailed counts of migrating Grus virgo and their distribution on the site during spring migration (end of March-April) plus determining limiting factors hampering their presence on the site and identifying the areas of highest concentration.
Counts of the number of migrating birds of prey including threatened species – Circus macrourus, Aquila clanga and Falco naumanni.
Site access / Land-owner requests
To talk to local people about the dangers and impacts of the indiscriminate use of poison to control predators, including Aegypius monachus.
To develop proposals for activities focused on the creation of one or several IBAs, such as seasonal reserves, on the site.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: South-west Gizzar Foothills (Uzbekistan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/south-west-gizzar-foothills-iba-uzbekistan on 25/12/2024.
