Current view: Text account
Site description (2005 baseline):
Site location and context
A low sandy island near the Absheron peninsula. There are shallows with patches of reeds. The island and the adjacent mainland shore are rented by the Hunters' Society of Azerbaijan.
Breeding birds include herons, gulls and terns. A staging site of great significance for passage waterbirds, with
Phalacrocorax carbo, herons, wildfowl (
Cygnus cygnus and ducks, some also wintering),
Fulica atra (10,000+) and, especially, a wide range of shorebirds, some 20,000-30,000 annually. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Pelecanus crispus (rare passage visitor),
Numenius tenuirostris (Yashma Island is the only site in the country where this species occurs at present; 1 shot in 1988 and, according to hunters, an annual passage-visitor, but extremely rare, with flocks of 2-4 birds).
Non-bird biodiversity: Site has big importance for such species of fish as Huso huso, Acipenser guldenstadti, A. stellatus, Salmo caspius, Aspius aspius, Cyprinus carpio etc.
The territory of the site mostly use for hunting and fishing. Small part of area are using for some agricultural needs.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Main threats is a farm of hunters and fishers. It creates big disturbans for birds. There is some poaching also present at this territory.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Site was studied within the project of identification of Potential Ramsar sites in Azerbaijan
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yashma Island (Azerbaijan). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yashma-island-iba-azerbaijan on 22/11/2024.
