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RU141
Delta of the River Don
Location Russia (European), Rostov region
Central coordinates 39o 25.00' East  47o 10.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A4i, A4iii, B1i, B1iv, B2
Area 86,400 ha
Altitude 0 - 6m
Year of IBA assessment 2000





Site description Huge mouth of the Don river with a lot of meanders and meadows. Located to the west from Rostov-na-Donu and to the north from Azov towns.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus passage  1997  30-50 individuals  poor  A1  Vulnerable 
Greylag Goose Anser anser passage  1997  10,000-20,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Greylag Goose Anser anser breeding  1997  80-100 breeding pairs  medium  B1i  Least Concern 
Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis passage  1997  500 individuals  poor  A1  Endangered 
Mute Swan Cygnus olor non-breeding  1997  4,000-6,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus passage  1997  500-1,500 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos passage  1997  30,000-40,000 individuals  medium  B1i  Least Concern 
Garganey Anas querquedula passage  1997  20,000-30,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina passage  1997  6,000-8,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Common Pochard Aythya ferina passage  1997  50,000-100,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca passage  1997  100-150 individuals  poor  A1  Near Threatened 
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca breeding  1997  25-30 breeding pairs  poor  A1, B2  Near Threatened 
Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena breeding  1997  1,000-1,500 breeding pairs  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus breeding  1997  2,000-4,000 breeding pairs  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis breeding  1997  500-800 breeding pairs  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea passage  1997  6,000-8,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea passage  1997  5,000-8,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Egret Casmerodius albus non-breeding  1997  500-1,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Little Egret Egretta garzetta non-breeding  1997  6,000-8,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo breeding  1997  1,000-1,200 breeding pairs  good  B1i  Least Concern 
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni passage  1997  150-200 individuals  medium  A1  Least Concern 
White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla resident  1997  10-12 breeding pairs  good  A1, B2  Least Concern 
Corncrake Crex crex breeding  1997  700-800 breeding pairs  medium  A1, B2  Least Concern 
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus breeding  1997  100-120 breeding pairs  medium  B1i  Least Concern 
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus passage  1997  1,500-3,000 individuals  medium  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Great Snipe Gallinago media passage  1997  1,000-2,000 individuals  poor  A1, A4i, B1i  Near Threatened 
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola passage  1997  80-100 individuals  medium  B1i  Least Concern 
Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni passage  1997  200-500 individuals  medium  A1, A4i, B1i  Near Threatened 
Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans passage  1997  150,000-250,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Pallas's Gull Larus ichthyaetus passage  1997  5,000-10,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus passage  1997  250,000-500,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei passage  1997  3,500-4,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Little Gull Larus minutus passage  1997  1,200-1,600 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica non-breeding  1997  100-200 individuals  poor  B1i  Least Concern 
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia non-breeding  1997  50-100 individuals  poor  B1i  Least Concern 
Common Tern Sterna hirundo passage  1997  100,000-250,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Little Tern Sterna albifrons passage  1997  10,000-20,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida passage  1997  80,000-100,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida breeding  1997  100-120 breeding pairs  poor  B2  Least Concern 
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus passage  1997  100,000-150,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Black Tern Chlidonias niger passage  1997  60,000-90,000 individuals  poor  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds passage  1997  -  unknown  A4iii   
A4iv Species group - soaring birds/cranes passage  1997  3,000 individuals  medium  B1iv   

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Donskoe zapretnoe rybnoe prostranstvo Managed Resource Protected Area 11,308 protected area contained by site 11,308  
Rostovskoe GOOH (Azovskiy uchastok) Managed Resource Protected Area 5,037 protected area contained by site 5,037  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Grassland Humid grasslands  30%
Sea Open Sea  9%
Wetlands (inland) Rivers and streams; Water fringe vegetation  -
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) Perennial crops, orchards and groves; Urban parks and gardens  24%
Coastline Mud flats & sand flats; Sand dunes & beaches  -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture 17%
fisheries/aquaculture 14%
hunting 20%
nature conservation and research 49%
not utilised 37%
tourism/recreation 5%

Acknowledgements The identification of IBAs and information collected between 1980 and 2009 provided by the IBA network of the Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU).

Related state of the world's birds case studies

References V.A.Minoranskiy

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Delta of the River Don. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife