The populations,study and protectionof waders in Kazakhstan V. V. Khrokov Khrokov,V.V. 1992. Thepopulations, study and protection of wadersin Kazakhstan.Wader Study GroupBull. 64:31 - 33. Khrokov,V. V., Instituteof Zoology,480032 Alma Ata, Kazakhstan Withinthe vastterritory of Kazakhstan,which includes a wide Wadersare distributedirregularly over the geographiczones rangeof ecologicalzones- ranging from deserts to forest- of Kazakhstan.The greatest number of species(16) nestin steppesand alpine areas- 57 speciesof wadershave been steppeand forest-steppe (typically: Sociable Plover, Curlew, recorded. Two of these have been found for the first time Black-tailedGodwit, Marsh Sandpiper and Black-winged recently:Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata in 1977, Pratincole).Eight species nest in the desert (typically: Stone andRed-necked Sandpiper C. ruficollisin 1979. Curlewand Greater Sand Plover) and seven in the mountains (typically:Ibisbill, Dotterel and Hermit Snipe). The wadersof Kazakhstancan be dividedinto three groups: 29 nestingspecies, 22 migratoryspecies and sixsporadic or Sincethe publicationof thesecond volume of Birdsof visitingspecies (Table 1 ). It shouldbe notedthat there is Kazakhstanin 1962,which contained the descriptionof Order currentlyno reliableevidence of GreenSandpiper Tringa Limicolae,about 120 workson the biology,distribution and ochropusand Wood Sandpiper T. glareolanesting in Kazakh- abundanceof wadershave been published (mainly by stan.The nestingof PintailSnipe Capella stenura was found scientistsof theZoology Institute, Kazakh Academy of forthe first time in WesternAItai (north-eastern Kazakhstan) Sciences).This is a smalloutput, of course.The most in 1973. In the semi-desertzone the nestingof RuffPhiloma- studiedareas have been the southern,eastern and central chuspugnax was discovered in 1986on the lowercourse of regionsof Kazakhstan,but ornithologists have not paid theTurgai River in CentralKazakhstan. In 1975the nesting enoughattention to the northernand western regions of of White-tailed Plover Vanellochettusia leucura was described Kazakhstan. for the first time. Thereis varying knowledge of the biologyof differentspecies The mostnumerous waders in Kazakhstanare Lapwing,Little of waders.The majorityof publicationshave been concerned RingedPlover, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit. They nest withthe studyof seasonalmigrations and wader nesting everywhereexcept in the ariddesert and alpine zones. biplogy.There has been much less coverage of questions Frequent,but less widely distributed species are Stone concerningnumbers, distribution and feeding ecology. Only a Curlew,Kentish Plover, Oystercatcher, Black-winged Stilt, few workshave information about moulting, feeding and Curlew,Common Sandpiper, Snipe, Black-winged Pratincole, wadernesting behaviour. No studieshave been carried out Collared Pratincole and some others. The remainder of concerningwader populations and their food reserves. breedingwaders nest locally and in smallnumbers. Thereis no effectivesystem of protectionof wadersand their Somewaders have become very rare and are listedin the habitats.Generally, only studies of waders'seasonal migra- KazakhstanRed Data Book. In contrast,some species have tionsare conductedintensively. As for our knowledge of shownan expansionof theirrange: White-tailed Plover have separatespecies, the greatest number of publications expandedmainly in northernand north-western directions, concernnot the numerousand widespreadwaders, but the Black-wingedStilt in northernand north-eastern directions, rarestand most restricted birds, such as SociablePlover (five and CollaredPratincole in a northerlydirection. At the same publications)and Ibisbill (six publications). Next most timenumbers of Curlew,Oystercatcher, Avocet and Marsh intensivelystudied have been Redshaft, k, Kentish Plover, Sandpiperhave reduced in numbersappreciably. Black-wingedStilt, Avocet, Little Stint •nd Red-necked Phalarope(three publications each). Only one or two pub- 31 Table1. Wadersoccurring in Kazakhstan. GreyPhalarope Phalaropus fulicarius Cream-colouredCursor Cursoriuscursor Nestingspecies Migratory Stone Curlew Burhinusoedicnemus GreyPlover Squatarola squatarola Dotterel Charadrius morinellus GoldenPlover Charadrius apricaria LittleRinged Plover Ch. dubius Lesser Golden Plover Ch. dominicus Kentish Plover Ch, alexandrinus RingedPlover Ch. hiaticula Greater Sand Plover Ch. leschenaultii TurnstoneArenaria interpres CaspianPlover Ch. asiaticus Slender-billedCurlew Numeniustenuirostris LapwingVaneflus vaneflus WhimbrelN. phaeopus White-tailed Plover Vaneltochettusialeucura Bar-tailedGodwit Limosa lapponica SodablePlover Chettusia gregaria TerekSandpiper Terekia cinerea OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus GreenshankTringa nebularia IbisbillIbidorhyncha struthersii RedshankT. erythropus Black-wingedStilt Himantopushimantopus Broad-billedSandpiper Limicola falcinellus Avocet Recurvirostraavocetta SanderlingCrocethia alba CurlewNumenius arquatus LittleStint Calidris minuta Black-tailedGodwit Limosalimosa Red-neckedStint C. ruficollis CommonSandpiper Tringa hypoleucos Long-toedStint C. subminuta GreenSandpiper T. ochropus Temminck'sStint C. temminckii WoodSandpiper T. glareola DunlinC. alpina MarshSandpiper T. stagnatilis CurlewSandpiper C. ferruginea SpoltedRedshank T. totanus Sharp-tailedSandpiper C. acuminata Ruff Philomachuspugnax JackSnipe Limnocryptesrainlinus WoodcockScolopax rusticola Red-neckedPhalarope Phalaropus Iobatus Snipe Capellagallinago PintailSnipe C. stenura Forest(Latham's) Snipe C. media HermitSnipe C. solitaria Sporadic CollaredPratincole Glareola pratincola Black-wingedPratincole G. nordmanni LesserSand Plover Charadrius mongolus Oriental Plover Ch. veredus Little Whimbrel Numenius minutus Migratory AsiaticDowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus GreyPhalarope Phalaropus fulicarius Cream-colouredCursor Cursoriuscursor GreyPlover Squatarola squatarola GoldenPlover Charadrius apricaria Lesser Golden Plover Ch. dominicus RingedPlover Ch. hiaticula TurnstoneArenaria interpres lished works contain informationon the most common Slender-billedCurlew Numeniustenuirostris WhimbrelN. phaeopus speciesin Kazakhstan- Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-tailedGodwit Limosalapponica LittleRinged Plover. There is similarly poor knowledge of TerekSandpiper Terekia cinerea manyother species of waderswhich nest in and pass through GreenshankTringa nebularia RedshankT. erythropus Kazakhstan.Some species have never been specifically Broad-billedSandpiper Limicola falcinellus investigated. SanderlingCrocethia alba Little Stint Calidris minuta Red-necked Stint C. ruficollis However,about half of all publishedworks have information Long-toedStint C. subminuta onseveral species of waders(including information on Temminck'sStint C. temminckii Dunlin C. alpina migration,nesting biology, feeding, and faunistics). It is most CurlewSandpiper C. ferruginea importantto gatherinformation on the populationdynamics of Sharp-tailedSandpiper C. acuminata species,especially those which are decliningin numbersand JackSnipe Limnocryptes rainlinus Red-neckedPhalampe Phalaropus Iobatus areof highconservation importance. Such species are includedin the KazakhstanRed Data Book: Sociable Plover, White-tailedPlover, Ibisbill, Asiatic Dowitcher, Slender-billed Sporadic Curlewand Little Whimbrel. There are several changes in the secondedition (1991 ) of the KazakhstanRed DataBook. LesserSand Plover Charadrius mongolus Oriental Plover Ch. veredus Little Whimbrel Numenius minutus GreaterSand Plover was taken out as species,since it has AsiaticDowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus increasedits number;White-tailed Plover was movedto the .