JP004Lake Kuccharo

Site Description

Wetlands

Kuccharoko lake is an inland sea which faces the Sea of Okhotsk in the north of Hokkaido. The lake consists of two small lakes, Onuma (5.5 m diameter) and Konuma (3m diameter), and is 27 km around, with an average water depth of 1.5 m. During high tide, seawater flows back from Okhotsk Sea, because of the lake’s low altitude. Neighboring areas are covered with Carex, Sphagrum and Phragmites australis, and eight rivers flow into the lakes.

Area & Coordinates

2,803ha 45°08′N 142°18′E
region: Hokkaido

Designation Type

National Park, Wildlife Protection Area (government), Ramsar Site

Protection Status

Protected

Conservation issues

Agricultural intensification/expansion
Other

Birds

Breeding resident

Anas platyrhynchos, Dryocopus martius, Aegithalos caudatus trivirgatus, Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Breeding visitor

Ardea cinerea, Gallinago hardwickii, Saxicola torquata, Locustella fasciolata

Winter visitor

Cygnus columbianus, Bucephala clangula, Mergus serrator, Haliaeetus pelagicus

Passage visitor

Anas penelope, Anas formosa, Aythya marila, Turdus obscurus