Airkhan Lake

Airkhan Lake lies in Bulgan Province in northern Mongolia, fed mainly by rainfall and situated south of a tributary of the Eg River at an elevation of roughly 900 to 1,300 meters. Because the lake depends so heavily on precipitation, its water level fluctuates sharply between years, and during dry spells it can split into two separate pools rather than one continuous body of water. The surrounding reed beds and wet grassland support a wide range of waterbirds, and the lake has been recognized internationally as an Important Bird Area for the globally threatened species that rely on it, including the swan goose, Pallas's fish eagle, eastern imperial eagle and great bustard, along with large numbers of ruddy shelduck, common crane and northern lapwing. Local herding families use the lake and nearby wheat fields for domestic water and livestock, a use that has put some pressure on the reed and grassland habitat through trampling. Rising regional temperatures are also cited as a factor behind the lake's declining water level in recent decades.