More than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings counted at key Turkmenistan stopover
Fresh counts from Talimarzhan Reservoir suggest a cautiously positive trend for the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing
A rare wader with a fragile future
Autumn counts from eastern Turkmenistan indicate that more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings are likely to be recorded at their key post-breeding stopover near Talimarzhan Reservoir in 2025, hinting at a welcome uptick for a species that has suffered a dramatic decline over the past century.
Preliminary data, reported by www.ornithomedia.com suggest that the huge gatherings seen in recent years - including up to 5,200 birds counted together in autumn 2022 - are being matched again, pointing towards a “positive trend” for the species in this region. Given the tiny global population, such concentrations represent a substantial proportion of all Sociable Lapwings left in the world.
The species breeds mainly in southern Russia and Kazakhstan, then migrates south to winter from eastern Africa - including Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia - through the Middle East and into Pakistan and north-west India. Key staging areas occur in Turkey, Syria, Israel, parts of the Arabian Peninsula and beyond.
A century of decline and a tiny global population
Sociable Lapwing has undergone a steep collapse. In parts of northern Kazakhstan its numbers are thought to have fallen by 30–60% between 1930 and 1960, followed by a further halving of the remaining population between 1960 and 1987. The causes are multiple and interacting: conversion of steppe to arable land, episodes of severe drought, heavy nest predation, and hunting and trapping on migration and in winter.
Current estimates put the global population somewhere between roughly 16,000 and 24,000 individuals, and the species is now assessed as Critically Endangered. In this context, any sign of stabilisation or growth, however localised, is significant.
Talimarzhan: a crucial bottleneck for a global traveller
During migration a major slice of the world population funnels through the vast plains and rolling foothills of eastern Turkmenistan and south-west Uzbekistan. Here, clay-saline patches and sparse steppe vegetation provide ideal feeding areas, while Talimarzhan Reservoir has emerged as a particularly vital node on the flyway.
Counts of up to 5,200 individuals in autumn 2022 were already remarkable. New data reported in late 2025 suggest that similar numbers are being recorded again, reinforcing the idea that, at least in this part of the flyway, the species may be holding its own or even improving slightly.
Cautious optimism for a species on a knife-edge
For Sociable Lapwing, the numbers emerging from Talimarzhan provide a rare note of optimism. They suggest that in at least one crucial region, the species may be more numerous than feared a decade or two ago. Yet with so much of the world population funnelling through a handful of sites, vulnerability remains high: local changes in land use, water management or hunting pressure could have outsized impacts.
December 2025
Get Breaking Birdnews First
Get all the latest breaking bird news as it happens, download BirdAlertPRO for a 30-day free trial. No payment details required and get exclusive first-time subscriber offers.
Share this story
