TEHRAN – Hosting some 7,000 to 7,500 lesser white-fronted geese annually has made Shiblou wetland in West Azarbaijan province, northwestern Iran, the second favorite habitat for the species to winter after China.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the bird is classified as a threatened species and recognized as vulnerable, IRNA quoted Omid Yousefi, the head of wildlife monitoring affairs at the provincial department of environment, as saying.

This species is the only bird for which an international conservation action has been developed to identify existing threats and increase its population worldwide, the official added.

Located at the inflow of the Aras River into the Aras Dam, Shiblou Wetland is full of water throughout the year, making it a good habitat for the lesser White-fronted Goose and many other aquatic and water-side birds.

Every year, more than 30,000 birds, including flamingos, lesser and greater white-fronted geese, teals, greylag geese, pelicans, shedluck, and sandpipers, fly to the wetland to feed and rest during migration.

West Azarbaijan province has 70 seasonal and permanent wetlands, covering an area of 890 thousand hectares. According to studies, a total of 302 bird species live in these habitats, and they host over 200 bird species during migration seasons.

Iran, an important stopover for migratory birds

Iran is the most important country in West Asia in terms of housing migratory birds in winter, as around two million birds fly each year to spend winter in the country’s wetlands, according to an official with the Department of Environment.

Encompassing numerous wetlands, reservoirs, and diverse water bodies, Iran welcomes millions of migratory birds every year. The country has also emerged as the most important stopover for migratory birds in their flight route from Siberia to the Nile, as sixteen percent of them select to spend the winter in the country, ISNA quoted Hassan Akbari as saying.

A diverse array of migratory birds fly to the country, with more than 160 species of aquatic and waterside birds identified in Iran, which is a significant number.

Despite limited water resources in the domestic habitats of the country, the study of the migratory bird population trend shows that the abundance and diversity of the birds that enter the country have not decreased. The majority of them have flown to the coastal areas of the Caspian and the Persian Gulf, though.

Iran hosts more than five percent of the world’s migratory birds in 450 sites in winter, Akbari said.

“Every year, some 30 to 40 million birds are counted all over the world, and the related statistics are recorded in the International Waterfowl Census (IWC) database,” he added.

MT/MG