Famous wetland home to Turkey’s one-third of bird species

ISTANBUL

A year of bird research and monitoring studies in the Gediz Delta show that more than one-third of bird species breeding in the country are born in the world-famous wetland in Turkey’s west.

Sharing the details of their findings, Şafak Arslan, the biodiversity research coordinator of the Nature Association, explained that significant findings came to light as a result of extensive studies conducted.

Arslan noted studies such as bird counting, determining the overnight areas of birds, routine bird watching, flamingo nest counting and spring and autumn bird migration monitoring had been carried out in the delta throughout the year.

Noting that they have set an exemplary work for Turkey in their intense fieldwork that lasted for four seasons, Arslan said the delta provides a habitat for thousands of living species thanks to the different habitat types it hosts.

“As a result of our observations for a year, we witnessed the life cycle of 186 bird species. We have revealed that more than one-third of the number of bird species breeding in Turkey breeds in the delta,” Arslan said.

“We carried out the nest count of flamingos after the breeding season and determined that 13,750 nests were made this year, while the number of flamingos spawned was lower than we anticipated,” he noted.

Citing the main reason for this decline as the erosion of the flamingo breeding island, Arslan said that the good news was that the authorities were planning a study on this issue.