Editing Selenga (section)

== Natural history ==

=== Fish ===
''[[Leocottus kesslerii]] gussinensis'' and ''Leocottus kesslerii arachlensis'' are endemic subspecies of fish that are found in the Selenga River headwaters and the upper Khilok River. Lake Baikal is the habitat of the Siberian Baikal sturgeon. The Selenga river is a breeding ground for the sturgeon, with migration taking place within the river system. The fish has two migration periods, which occur during the warmer part of the year. The first migration period begins in the second half of April when the water temperature is 3-5 degrees Celsius and finishes in approximately mid-June. The second migration of the Baikal sturgeon is the main migration period. It coincides with the summer floods of the Selenga. When the water temperature begins to cool, this signals the end of the migration. There is also a non-migrating species of sturgeon that inhabits the Selenga catchment.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web|title=Yenisei|url=https://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/605|publisher=Conservation Science Program of World Wildlife Fund}}</ref>

=== Birds ===
Large populations of migrating, breeding and moulting waterbirds assemble at the wetlands in the Selenga Delta,<ref name=":15">{{Cite web|title=Selenga Delta {{!}} Ramsar Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/682?language=en|access-date=2020-11-20|website=rsis.ramsar.org}}</ref> which has been recognised as an [[Important Bird Area]] by [[BirdLife International]]. Migratory species include:<ref name=":15" />
* Siberian crane, ''Grus leucogeranus''
* Black stork, ''Ciconia nigra''
* Bewick's swan, ''Cygnus bewicki''
* Swan goose, ''Anser cygnoides''
* Imperial eagle, ''Aquila heliacal''
* Golden eagle, ''A. chrysaetos''
* Peregrine falcon, ''Falco peregrinus''
* Gyr falcon, ''F. gyrfalco''
* Saker falcon, ''F. cherrug''

Breeding species include:<ref name=":15" />
* White-tailed eagle, ''Haliaeetus albicilla''
* Snipe-billed godwit, ''Macrorhamphus semipalmatus''
* Whooper swan, ''Cygnus Cygnus''
* Spotbill duck, ''Anas poecilorhyncha''
* Falcated duck, ''A. falcata''
* Bittern, ''Botaurus stellaris''
* Baillon's crake, ''Porzana pusill''
* Water-rail, ''Rallus aquaticus''
* Corncrake, ''Crex crex''
* Short-eared owl, ''Asio flammeus''
* Azure tit, ''Parus caeruleus''

=== Other fauna ===
The Selenga delta also supports the following species:<ref name=":15" />

* Baikal grayling, ''[[Thymallus arcticus baicalensis]] infrasubspecies brevioinnis''
* Mongolian toad, ''Bufo raddei''
* ''Rana terrestris''
* Ikonnikov's bat, ''Myotis ikonnikovi''
* Brown long-eared bat, ''Plecotus auritus''
* Parti-coloured bat, ''Vespertilio murinus''
* ''V. nilssoni''