A massive colony of flamingos is seen gathered at Tuz Lake, located on the border of Ankara, Konya, and Aksaray. (AA Photo)
Tuz Lake in central Türkiye, one of the world’s most significant flamingo breeding grounds, is hosting a successful breeding season this year, with around 12,800 flamingo chicks growing under the protection of an unusual “nursery system” in which hundreds of adult birds collectively care for thousands of young.
The breeding colony is being monitored as part of a project led by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry to protect endangered species and conserve critical habitats.
Project coordinator Ahmet Karataş said surveys conducted this season identified approximately 12,800 chicks, describing the figure as one of the strongest breeding results recorded in recent years. He attributed the success largely to abundant rainfall during the winter and spring, which replenished water resources not only in Tuz Lake but also in nearby wetlands.
The improved conditions have also restored water to Tersakan, Bolluk and Kulu lakes, which had largely dried up in previous years. According to Karataş, the increased water availability has enhanced feeding and nesting habitats for flamingos. However, he cautioned that the recovery should not lead to complacency, warning that expanding agricultural irrigation could once again threaten the region’s fragile ecosystem.
“Water is not only for people or farmers; it belongs to every living creature,” he said, stressing the need for sustainable water management to safeguard biodiversity.
Tuz Lake is renowned for one of the world’s largest flamingo nesting colonies, where the birds raise their young through a rare cooperative strategy known as the “nursery system.” Of the roughly 11,000 bird species worldwide, only about 50 are known to exhibit this behavior.
Karataş likened the system to a human daycare. While the majority of adult flamingos leave the colony to forage each day, several hundred remain behind to supervise the thousands of chicks. The guardians gather the young into groups, protect them from potential threats and lead them to suitable feeding areas until the adults return.
The cooperative care system is found in only a handful of species, including flamingos and penguins, making it one of the most distinctive breeding strategies in the avian world.
Unlike many bird species, flamingos have a highly specialized diet. They feed primarily on brine shrimp “Artemia salina” and microscopic algae, filtering food through comb-like structures inside their beaks. This adaptation limits them to saline wetlands rich in these organisms, such as Tuz Lake and the nearby Tersakan and Bolluk lakes in Konya.
Researchers say preserving these unique wetland ecosystems is essential not only for sustaining one of the world’s largest flamingo colonies but also for protecting the delicate ecological balance that supports countless other species.
