Current view: Text account
Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
Short-grass meadows near the small town Korgalzhyn situated 120 km south-west of Astana, near the Nura river. The natural surrounding landscape is Festuca-Arthemisia steppe. Within a radius of 3-4 km from the town, there are pastures with different intensities of grazing where several colonies of Sociable Lapwing exist.
Seven breeding colonies of Sociable Lapwing; plus wagtails, pipits, some larks. Other birds are typical of anthropogenic landscapes.
Almost all of the area is used as pasture for cows, horses and sheep, with moderate to high intensity.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Threats – direct disturbance of nesting birds plus higher nest robbery by rooks, dogs etc. Direct destruction of eggs by cows etc. is also possible. Overgrazing and undergrazing (due to too tall grass in this case) might have a very strong influence.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Ongoing project of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan & RSPB “Conserving a flagship steppe species: the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing” supported by the Darwin Initiative (2005-2008). There is also the major project for general conservation of biodiversity of the region - the GEF/UNDP “Kazakhstan Wetlands Project “ (2004-2010).
Kurgalginskiy State Nature Reserve - 50 km - is the closest SPA.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Vicinity of Korgalzhyn village (Kazakhstan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/vicinity-of-korgalzhyn-village-iba-kazakhstan on 23/12/2024.
