Tuz Lake records highest flamingo chick count in 5 years

ANKARA

The flamingo population at Tuz Lake reached its highest level in five years in July, with authorities recording 12,800 new chicks following favorable rainfall across the central Anatolian basin.

Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum shared aerial footage of the breeding grounds on social media, confirming the population surge at the salt lake. “Our family is growing in Tuz Lake. We reached the highest number of chicks in the last five years in the area we took under protection, where 12,800 flamingo chicks came to life,” Kurum said.

The ministry currently maintains Tuz Lake under a Special Environmental Protection Area status, implementing comprehensive measures to safeguard threatened birds, native animals and endemic plants. Authorities previously drilled a freshwater well in the region in 2022 to supply the flamingo nursery during dry periods. Meanwhile, natural precipitation returned to optimal levels this season, rendering artificial water supplementation completely unnecessary and paving the way for a highly successful reproductive cycle.

The natural breeding and nesting period occurs between April and May, culminating in mass hatchings evaluated closely by field personnel. This season marks a positive recovery from last year, when water scarcity resulted in a lower offspring count.

“We are in a very good situation this year in terms of the number of offspring. Thankfully, precipitation is at the required levels, allowing the chick population to reach the peak seen in the last five years,” Mustafa Uzun, head of the conservation monitoring department at the General Directorate of Preservation of Natural Heritage, said.

Extensive aerial surveys conducted throughout July allowed researchers and academic teams to accurately document the newborn flamingos. Concurrently, these scanning operations track other endangered species inhabiting the vast salt lake ecosystem, including the great bustard and the steppe eagle.

The juvenile flamingos presently face no food shortages in their designated nursery areas while they gather strength for their upcoming journey. The young birds will initiate their migration preparations toward the end of the year, relying on the lake as a critical sanctuary. “We continue our monitoring activities uninterrupted until that period,” Uzun said.