About Kharmang District
District Brief
The Kharmang District is one of the 10 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Bounded on the north by Skardu District, on the north-east by the Ghanche District, on the south by the Kargil District and the Leh District of Indian-administered Ladakh, and on the west by the Astore District. Its district headquarters is Tolti. Total area of the district is about 2,470 sq. kms. Like other eastern districts, Kharmang is also mostly barren terrain, dry alpine zones & permanent snowfields with glaciers, open barren valleys with small patches of alpine meadows and alpine scrub. Compared to other districts the district has the lowest forest cover. Overall the district has less than 1% land under forest or tree cover (including farm forests and plantations), with 5% of the land comprising of alpine and winter pastures. Only about a quarter of a percent of the land is used for agricultural and settlement purposes. More than 93% of the remaining land area is either barren or permanently snow covered.Avian Diversity
Like neighboring Ghanche, the avian diversity is also low in Kharmang with only 137 bird species found in the district, with the highest number (61 species) being Passeriformes (perching birds). This group mainly includes finches, wheatears, redstarts, corvids, few buntings, larks and pipits. During passage the waterfowl include, 16 ducks & geese species, 8 waders, 9 gulls & terns, with more than 14 species of crakes, grebes, egrets and herons. In terms of predatory birds there are up to 12 hawks & eagles, 3 vultures, 1 owl and 1 falcon species in the region. Other birds in the region include 2 pheasant and 4 pigeon & dove species, with some woodpeckers, swifts and others.
Other: 11
Pheasants: 2
Raptors & Owls: 16
Water Birds: 47
Perching Birds: 61
Birds Checklist for Kharmang 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)
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 (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 (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
