TEHRAN – Aras wetlands and reservoirs, located in the northwestern West Azarbaijan province, are hosting over 50,000 migratory birds during the winter, IRIB reported on Saturday.

The first flocks of birds will arrive at the wetlands from mid-September, but the autumn is the peak of their migration, Meysam Rahmati, Poldasht’s department of environment chief, said.

These birds fly more than 5,000 kilometers from the wetlands of Poldasht city, including Shibloo wetland and the Aras River, he added.

Over 80 species of aquatic birds and species will migrate to these reservoirs, including, geese, ducks, pelicans, flamingos, gulls, and sandpipers, he further stated.

Shibloo wetland of Pildasht city is the second-largest winter habitat of migratory birds, he stated, adding, the most important species that has two main habitats for wintering in the world are a lesser white-fronted goose, the first and largest habitat of which is in China and the second one is Shibloo wetland.

West Azarbaijan wetlands are annually home to 250,000 birds from across the world. Proper nutrition and security are the two major factors that attract aquatic species.

Shibloo wetland of Pildasht city is the second-largest winter habitat of migratory birds. Species such as flamingos, ducks, Dalmatian pelican, common shelduck, strong dumb, whooper swan, red-breasted goose, greylag goose, greater white-fronted goose, demoiselle crane, gulls, spoonbills, ruddy shelduck, sandpipers, Eurasian sparrowhawk, Grebes, and Eurasian teal migrate to the habitats of West Azarbaijan.

The annual census for migratory birds in Iran begins in the middle of the Iranian calendar month of Dey (December 22-January 20) and ends in the middle of the month of Bahman (January 21-February 19), through which Iran hosts rare species of migratory birds heading from north to the southern countries due to reduced seasonal temperatures and food availability.

Iran’s bird species

Hosting over 600 species of birds, Iran is a climatically rich country, so it is said that the number of bird species in Iran is higher than in the whole of Europe. A wide range of wetlands is the reason behind migratory birds choosing Iran for an annual wintering habitat, as a large number of birds fly a thousand miles each year to benefit from this rich climate.

Every year, from early September to late February, Iran hosts rare species of migratory birds heading from north to the southern countries due to reduced seasonal temperatures and food availability.

It is estimated that there are about 50 billion birds in the world out of 9,000 species, many of which are migratory. Accordingly, about five to seven million birds migrate to Iran in different seasons. There are about 530 species of birds in Iran, 320 of which are migratory species, some of which are native species.

Among the various groups of migratory birds wintering in Iran, the largest population belongs to the group of geese, swans, and ducks amounting to 781,499 and the smallest population of seven are the long-tailed ducks or oldsquaw.

The provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan are the first provinces with the highest number of migratory birds for having sufficient resources, as the movement of migratory birds is closely linked to the seasonal availability of resources.

FB/MG