__NOTOC__ Tajzara (pronounced ''Taxara'' in English) is a small region and lake on the arid Altiplano of

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, located in the vicinity of

Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve ( es, links=no, Reserva Biológica Cordillera de Sama) is a protected area in Bolivia located in the Tarija Department, in the Cercado Province, Eustaquio Méndez Province, and José María Avilés Province. I ...

, Yunchará,

José María Avilés Province José María Avilés (or: ''Avilez'') is a province in the western parts of the Bolivian department of Tarija. Location ''Avilés'' province is one of six provinces in the Tarija Department. It is located between 21° 28' and 22° 05' south and b ...

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 2012 census, it has a population of 482,196 inhabitants. It has an area of . The city ...

, near the town of

Iscayachi Iscayachi is a sparsely populated town in the Bolivian high valleys, located at the Eustaquio Méndez province Junction, north Tarija, at an elevation of 2,915 meters. The population is reported to be 1,153. There are different theories about t ...

Fauna and flora

While the surrounding land might appear rather nondescript, 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 litre). ...

. 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 closely related to the American flamingo and the greater flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific. The species is listed as near threatened ...

, the

Andean flamingo The Andean flamingo (''Phoenicoparrus andinus'') is a species of flamingo native to the Andes mountains of South America. Until 2014, it was classified in genus ''Phoenicopterus''. It is closely related to James's flamingo, and the two make up th ...

, 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 Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina. It is named for Harry Berkeley James, a ...

--which are drawn to the lake by its wide expanse of shallow plateaus abounding with algae that constitute the birds' primary food source. Because 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 that characterizes the environment.

References

{{Reflist Lakes of Bolivia Landforms of Tarija Department

Fauna and flora

See also

References