Map showing the hub of a number of migratory flyways used by aquatic birds in the northern area of the Caspian Sea
Derived from: Google Earth & Vilkov, 2016b.
Vanishing Birdlife of the Caspian
In Kazakhstan, 31 coastal and aquatic bird species are listed in the Red Book, including the Dalmatian pelican, Greater flamingo (up to 35,000 individuals), and white-tailed eagle.
In Russia, 45 bird species along the Caspian coast are classified as rare or endangered. Among them, 12 are listed as "endangered," "rare," or "vulnerable" in Europe, and 14 are recognized globally by the IUCN. The curly pelican population has dropped to fewer than 300 birds, mainly found in the Volga Delta and parts of Kazakhstan.
In Turkmenistan, 43 out of 289 bird species are considered rare or endangered. In Gilan, Iran, 30 bird species—representing half of the local avian population—are endangered, with habitat destruction and hunting cited as primary causes.
Illustration depicts Dalmatian Pelican. Listen to the sounds of the Dalmatian Pelican by clicking on the player.
In 2015, artists Lena Pozdnyakova and Eldar Tagi worked on a piece titlted "The Garden of Digital Birds." Sound artwork explored the diversity of birds in Kazakhstan and choosing the extinct or/ under threat species to be analyzed, with Dalmatian Pelican as one of the birds selected for the research.
Speaker cones were fixed to the branches of the trees in the forest, each carrying the sound of one particular bird. Sounds of rare/ extinct birds were played simultaneously in different locations, creating a unique soundscape for the area.
The project was supported by the UNESCO in Kazakhstan, by the Soros Foundation, the Eurasian Cultural Alliance,
Tengri Umai Gallery and Artbat Festival in Kazakhstan.
Presented as part of the 8th River Art Residency and ArtbatFest.
Sources and references for quotes, schemes and other information used in creation of thsi awareness-raising artistic project
Caspian Environment Programme. (n.d.). Rare species in danger of extinction. https://archive.iwlearn.net/caspian.iwlearn.org/caspian.iwlearn.org/caspian.iwlearn.org/caspian-1/biodiversity-1/rare-species-in-danger-of-extinction.html
Nelson, H. (2023, June 20). Kazakhstan makes efforts to save the declining Caspian seal population. Caspian Policy Center. Retrieved from https://www.caspianpolicy.org/research/security-and-politics-program-spp/kazakhstan-makes-efforts-to-save-the-declining-caspian-seal-population
Beysembayev, D. (2025, February 5). Есть опасения, что Каспий может повторить судьбу Арала [There are concerns that the Caspian may share the fate of the Aral Sea]. The Village Kazakhstan. Retrieved from https://www.the-village-kz.com/village/city/situation/39269-est-opaseniya-chto-kaspiy-mozhet-povtorit-sudbu-arala
NASA Earth Observatory. (2016, October 24). Caspian Sea. NASA. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/88977/caspian-sea