Flamingos become year-round residents in Van Lake

VAN

Flamingos that once migrated seasonally between Iran’s Urmia Lake and eastern Türkiye have increasingly become year-round residents in the Van Lake Basin, after the near-total drying of Urmia eliminated one of the region’s key wetlands.

Each spring, thousands of flamingos arrive from Iran to the Van Basin to breed and feed in its extensive wetlands — home to about 250 of Türkiye’s 453 recorded bird species.

Under normal conditions, the birds leave in October or November for warmer African climates. But in recent years, rising temperatures and shrinking wetlands have altered this pattern.

According to Professor Lokman Aslan, director of a wildlife protection center at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, more than 100 flamingos remained in the basin throughout last winter, a shift he directly links to the collapse of Urmia Lake’s ecosystem.

“As Urmia dries up and habitat shrinks, flamingos are coming to the Van Basin in greater numbers and staying longer,” Aslan said.

Some now arrive as early as March and can be seen well into December, with a portion no longer migrating at all.

The Van Basin’s rich wetlands provide both food and safety, two conditions Aslan says determine whether wildlife choose to settle.

If the wetlands are protected from agricultural expansion, disturbance and overuse, he believes the basin could soon host even more species, including geese, ducks and pelicans.

“With proper conservation, the number of bird species could rise to 300,” he noted.

Aslan emphasized that continued protection of wetlands, regulation of hunting seasons and minimizing human disturbance will be crucial if the basin is to remain a permanent refuge for these birds in a warming climate.