Site description (2007 baseline)
Uureg Lake is situated in a tectonic, semidesert hollow located between Tsagaanshuvut
and Turgen mountains of Sagil and Turgen soums. The lake is fed mainly by the Kharig
River from Russia. There are meadows on the northwestern side of the lake. The lake is
frozen from October to May. There are two small barren rocky islands in the lake. The
lake is surrounded by semi-desert and arid desert steppe vegetation. The main land use is
livestock grazing.
Key biodiversity
Globally Threatened species using the site are Swan Goose Anser cygnoides (EN), Pallas’s Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus (VU) and Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni (VU). The site supports species typical of the Eurasian steppe and desert and Eurasian high montane biomes. Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea regularly occurs in numbers exceeding 1% of the flyway population.
Non-bird biodiversity: Red Fox Vulpes vulpes and Pallas's Cat Felis manul occur in the area surrounding the lake.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Uureg Lake (Mongolia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/uureg-lake-iba-mongolia on 23/12/2024.