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Tajzara (pronounced ''Taxara'' in English) is a small region and lake on the arid Altiplano of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, located in the vicinity of
Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve,
Yunchará,
José María Avilés Province
José María Avilés (or: ''Avilez'') is a Provinces of Bolivia, province in the western parts of the Bolivian Departments of Bolivia, department of Tarija Department, Tarija.
Location
''Avilés'' province is one of six provinces in the Tarija De ...
.
Tarija Department
Tarija () is a department in Bolivia. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering with Argentina to the south and Paraguay to the east. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 534,348 inhabitants. It has an area of . The city ...
, near the town of
Iscayachi.
Fauna and flora
While the surrounding land might appear rather undistinguished, it is one of the most biologically unique locations in the world. The name Taxara is also synonymous with the shallow lake that marks the center of the region. At about 14,000 feet above sea level, it is an extremely high lake. Another unusual characteristic is that it is a
salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...
. Throughout the year, it bustles with many species of aquatic fowl, including three types of flamingo--the
Chilean flamingo
The Chilean flamingo (''Phoenicopterus chilensis'') is a species of large flamingo at a height of closely related to the American flamingo and the greater flamingo, with which it was previously considered a subspecies before being classified ...
, the
Andean flamingo, and the
James's flamingo
James's flamingo (''Phoenicoparrus jamesi''), also known as the puna flamingo, is a species of flamingo that lives at high altitudes in the Andes, Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina.
It is named for Harry Berkeley Ja ...
--which are drawn to the lake by its wide expanse of shallow plateaus abounding with algae that constitute the birds' primary food source. Since it is the only sizable body of water in the region, it often attracts species of bird that would usually not be found in such a region. Most species thrive off the seed that is provided by the arid grassland which characterizes the environment.
See also
*
Laguna Grande (Bolivia)
References
{{Reflist
Lakes of Bolivia
Landforms of Tarija Department