Current view: Text account
Site description (2010 baseline):
Site location and context
The region represents a vast system of constant, partially and fully dried up lakes that are fed from Karasuk river. The lakes are primarily brackish but there are some fresh ones. Many lakes have large reedbeds. There are also substantial areas of steppes and salines. A large area is taken by the man-made landscapes, including the Karasuk town. Of highest conservation value are the lakes in the Karasuk town (nesting place of the White-headed duck in the 2000s) and the steppe areas around Troitskoe, where the sociable lapwing nested in the 1990s and there are still suitable habitats for it. Many wetlands of the system have favorouble conditions for rest and feeding of the birds of passage.
White-headed Duck, Sociable Lapwing, >30,000 non-breeding waterbirds.
The following semi-aquatic birds were noticed on nesting and movements in June-August: Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Great Bittern, Great Egret, Whooper Swan, Mute Swan, Mallard, Gadwall, Garganey, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Common Shelduck, Common Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Northern Lapwing, Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Cur-lew, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Common Snipe, White-winged Tern, Black Tern, Common Tern, Caspian Gull, Mew Gull, Pallas's Gull, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Bearded Parrotbill etc.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Research was carried out primarily on the wetlands of Karasuk and in the outskirts of the Troitskoe Village. There was studied 8700 ha out of 25700 ha in 2008-2010 and 12000 ha in 2006-2007.
The ecological centre “Strizh” carries out the monitoring of a number of rare species of birds in this region. An educational campaign is conducted for the local population.
Hunting and fishing is prohibited till the 1st of October on the wetlands where the White-headed Duck nests. Work has started on the establishment of a specially-protected natural territory (SPNT) of local value on the wetlands where the White-headed Duck dwells.
state 70%, private 10%, other 20%
The map polygon is provided courtesy of the Spatial Database on Important Bird Areas of Russia 2014 (© Russian Bird Conservation Union, © Transparent World).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wetlands of Karasuk town (Russia (Central Asian)). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wetlands-of-karasuk-town-iba-russia-(central-asian) on 23/11/2024.
