About Shigar District
District Brief
The district is bounded on the north by Nagar/Hunza Districts and the Kashgar Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on the south-east by the Ghanche District, on the south-west by Skardu District, and on the west by the Gilgit District. Covering roughly 8,730 sq. kms, District Shigar is mostly rugged mountains, dry alpine zones & permanent snowfields with glaciers, with patches of alpine meadows and alpine scrub of wildflowers, grasses and sedges dispersed through the region between high valleys and permanent snowfields. Overall the district has less than 1% land under forest or tree cover (including farm forests and plantations), with about 7% of the land comprising of alpine and winter pastures. Only 0.68% of the land is used for agricultural and settlement purposes. More than 90% of the remaining land area is either barren or permanently snow covered.Avian Diversity
About 174 bird species are found in the district, with the highest number (87 species) being Passeriformes (perching birds). This group mainly includes flycatchers, finches, warblers, buntings, redstarts, larks and pipits. The district is also home to a variety of waterfowl, especially during spring and autumn passage, with no less than 16 ducks & geese species, 11 waders, 9 gulls & terns, with more than 14 species of crakes, grebes, egrets and herons. In terms of predatory birds there are up to 14 hawks & eagles, 3 vultures, 2 owls and 3 falcon species in the region. Other birds in the region include 3 pheasant and 4 pigeon & dove species, with some woodpeckers, swifts and others.
Other: 12
Pheasants: 3
Raptors & Owls: 22
Water Birds: 50
Perching Birds: 87
Birds Checklist for Shigar District
Anseriformes (Ducks and Geese)
Galliformes (Pheasants and Allies)
Podicipediformes (Grebes)
Ciconiiformes (Storks)
Suliformes (Cormorants)
Pelecaniformes (Egrets and Bitterns)
Pelecaniformes (Ibises and Spoonbills)
Accipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles and Vultures)
Gruiformes (Rails and Coots)
Gruiformes (Cranes)
Charadriiformes (Stilts and Allies)
Charadriiformes (Plovers and Lapwings)
Charadriiformes (Sandpipers, Snipes and Allies)
Charadriiformes (Gulls and Terns)
Columbiformes (Pigeons and Doves)
Cuculiformes (Cuckoos)
Strigiformes (Owls)
Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars and Swifts)
Bucerotiformes (Hoopoes)
Coraciiformes (Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers)
Piciformes (Woodpeckers)
Falconiformes (Falcons)
Passeriformes (Cuckooshrikes)
Passeriformes (Shrikes)
Passeriformes (Old World Orioles)
Passeriformes (Drongos)
Passeriformes (Crows, Jays and Magpies)
Passeriformes (Larks)
Passeriformes (Swallows and Martins)
Passeriformes (Tits and Long-tailed Tits)
Passeriformes (Wall and Treecreepers)
Passeriformes (Wrens and Dippers)
Passeriformes (Leaf Warblers)
Passeriformes (Sylviid Warblers)
Passeriformes (Laughingthrushes)
Passeriformes (Old World Flycatchers)
Passeriformes (Old World Redstarts)
Passeriformes (Chats and Wheatears)
Passeriformes (Thrushes)
Passeriformes (Starlings)
Passeriformes (Accentors)
Passeriformes (Wagtails and Pipits)
Passeriformes (Buntings)
Passeriformes (Finches and Allies)
Passeriformes (Old World Sparrows)
This website is a joint effort of Forest, Parks and Wildlife Department, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan and Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (an indigenous private initiative)
to highlight the diverse birdlife found in the region. All the maps, imagery and photographs in this book are provided by the mentioned individuals or entities with appropriate
permissions for public use, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan upholds the copyright of these material on behalf of the owners.
birds of gilgit-baltistan
