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Rare breeding migrant. Inhabits large and average sized reservoirs with fish stocks and suitable nesting islands with or without surface vegetation. Arrives at end February – early April in small groups of 5-10 birds, sometimes singly or occasionally in large flocks of up to 100. Colonies are formed soon thereafter and nests constructed on clumps of dry reed, or on stony and sandy islands with no vegetation. Nests are especially large, up to 1.5 m in diameter and up to 1 m in height and are constructed from twigs, reed stems and dry herbaceous drift collected from water’s edge; inner cup lined with thin grass. Both parents build nest. Settles in single pairs or in small colonies (3-20, very rare up to 150-200 pairs), frequently together with White Pelicans and Cormorants. The breeding cycle of each pair tends not to be synchronised. In the colonies juveniles of different ages and clutches at different stages of brooding can be recorded on a single visit. Clutches of 2-4, occasionally of 5-6 eggs, recorded in early April - early July. Both parents incubate for 30-40 days and continue to bring material to nest over the first 7-12 days. In the Ile river delta late summer nesting has been recorded. Juveniles observed end May – August. In autumn birds disperse and fly considerably to the north of breeding sites. Autumn migration late, from mid-October – end November, and odd birds linger to mid-December.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 1. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1960. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.