Van Lake Basin a ‘safe haven’ for flamingos

VAN

The shores of Van Lake are home to hundreds of flamingos that have not left the region during the winter months.

As a key stopover along the thousands-of-kilometers-long migration route of migratory birds, the Van Lake Basin hosts various bird species throughout the year.

While some bird species spend the warmer months in the basin’s wetlands and migrate to warmer regions when temperatures drop, this year, some birds have stayed despite the snow and cold weather.

Flamingos, which usually migrate to warmer breeding grounds in the fall, have chosen to remain along the shores of Van Lake this year.

Hundreds of flamingos that remained along the shores of Erçek Lake and in Göründü, a neighborhood in the Gevaş district, are able to feed safely thanks to protection efforts by the gendarmerie and the local branch of the Department of Nature Conservation and National Parks.

Professor Atilla Durmuş, a faculty member in the Department of Zoology at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University’s Faculty of Science, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the Lake Van Basin is an important migration route for birds.

"Every year, migratory birds arrive in the basin to rest, breed, and feed," Durmuş said. "Over the past decade, climate change and shifting seasonal patterns have significantly affected migratory birds and we are witnessing these impacts more clearly now. When birds cannot find sufficient food or breeding grounds, they migrate elsewhere. If conditions are favorable, they stay. In recent years, due to climate change, many areas in the Lake Van Basin have not frozen over and snowfall has been minimal, preventing food shortages. As a result, flamingos, storks, and various duck species have not left the area."

Durmuş noted that the number of flamingos in the Van Lake Basin fluctuates depending on the period. "At times, we have counted populations of 2,000, 3,000, or even up to 10,000 flamingos in the basin. They typically gather around Erçek Lake, the Çelebi Bağı and Kasımbağı shores of Lake Van, and the Dönemeç Delta. While they disperse across different parts of the basin, the largest population is recorded at Erçek Lake."

Emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts in the birds’ continued presence in the basin, Durmuş added: "Flamingos do not breed in this basin; they come here only to feed. Therefore, we need to consider where they breed. The Aegean Region, the Gediz Delta, Iran’s Urmia region, and parts of Africa are key breeding grounds. The flamingos that breed in these areas come to the Lake Van Basin to feed, typically arriving in April and staying until autumn before migrating back. However, in recent years, we have observed that some have remained in the basin throughout the winter."