Armash Important Bird Area
The Armash Important Bird Area (also known as Armash Fishponds) is an area of wetland near the town of Armash, in Armenia, in the foothills of Mount Ararat. This location is on the border with Turkey, Iran and Nakhchivan (an exclave of Azerbaijan). It is designated as an "Emerald Site" wildlife refuge since 2016. The 4,639 ha. site includes 1,514 ha. of ponds used for farming carp, fed by artesian wells and an irrigation canal from the Araks River.
234 bird species have been recorded to dwell on this site, with 93 species of them breeding. It is the only place in Armenia where White-headed Duck, White-tailed Lapwing, and Kentish Plover have been recorded to breed. Other notable species present include Marbled Teal, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Northern Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Turtle Dove, and Pallid Harrier, all of which are globally threatened, as well as Savi's Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, White-winged Tern, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Mediterranean short-toed lark, and European Roller.
It is considered one of the eighteen Important Bird Areas in Armenia.
References
- ^ "Armash fish-farm". Armenian Bird Census Council. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Armash Fishponds". Armenian Travel Bureau. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ "Armenia". Heatherlea. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ "Important Bird Areas in Armenia". BirdLife International. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Armash Important Bird Area.
- Armash Important Bird Area bird sightings on eBird
- 'Dominic's Field Pics' blog post describing a day at the reserve, with pictures.
- 'Nomad Birder' blog post describing a day at the reserve, with pictures.
