213 bird species flock to Lake Van in eastern Turkey
Jun 17, 20185:52 pm +03 +03:00
Lake Van in eastern Turkey is home to 213 bird species which flock to the wetland for breeding and feeding each year.
Lake Van is Turkey's largest lake and makes up one-fifth of Turkey's wetland region.
It offers visitors numerous bird watching vistas as species migrate across the region.
The basin is home to a variety of flamingos, swans and herons, as well as various rare bird species, making it a prime location for researchers.
Festivals are organized each year around Lake Van in correspondence with bird migration schedules.
Turkey's Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks takes measures to ensure the birds' habitat, especially breeding and feeding grounds, are protected amid increasing numbers of human visitors.
This year, bird species population have been higher than usual, thanks to high rainfall boosting vegetation and fresh water, according to Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) Professor Atilla Durmuş.
"There is a significant increase in the number of species this year. The factors that threaten birds in the region are getting fewer every year, which makes birds more stress free and able to feed and breed comfortably," Durmuş told Anadolu Agency.
