Flamingos offer visual feast in western Turkey lake

By Arif Yavuz

AFYONKARAHISAR, Turkey (AA) – Preparing for their migration, colorful flamingos offer a dazzling visual feast in Turkey’s Acigol lake, one of their most important breeding ground.

The Regional Directorate for Nature Conservation and National Parks on Wednesday reported an increase in the number of bright pink colored birds, known for their stilt-like legs, despite autumn.

The directorate in western Afyonkarahisar province is monitoring the birds in the lake, which is home to a large number of their species.

In terms of density of sodium sulfate in its waters, the lake stands next to the Salt Lake in Turkey.

“Acigol lake is among the most important wetlands in Turkey. It hosts over 160 bird species from 20 families, especially flamingos,” Ugur Cengiz Erismis, an academician at Afyon Kocatepe University, told Anadolu Agency.

Erismis said that the bird diversity attracts both domestic and foreign bird watchers and nature photographers.

“Another important feature of the Acigol wetland is that it is the sixth highest sodium sulfate producing lake in the world,” he added.

Erismis said the number of flamingos has increased in the Lake since July.

Nutritional reserves found in the lake also shape color of the feathers of the birds as well.

Among the species of flamingos seen on the lake are ruddy shelduck (tadorna ferruginea), mallard (anas platyrhynchos) and common shelduck (tadorna tadorna), Erismis added.

*Contributions and writing by Sena Guler in Ankara