Habitats for Northern Bald Ibis expands in Turkey

By Rauf Maltas

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - Habitats of the Northern Bald Ibis has doubled in expansion in southern Turkey with the aim of increasing the population of the critically endangered birds.

Known as "symbol of fertility," the Northern Bald Ibis, whose population is found mainly in Turkey and Morocco and a small area in Syria, has been under the control of Turkey's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry in the Birecik district of Sanliurfa province since 1977.

The bird species, which were taken under protection at the Northern Bald Ibis breeding center, were released to nature in February to breed and continue their natural life.

In the meantime, Nature Conservation and National Parks Directorate teams turned a large area near the center into an available area for the birds.

Haci Ahmet Cicek, head of the third Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, told Anadolu Agency the group has shown great care and effort for years to protect the population of bald ibises.

"The number of northern bald ibis at our center reached 278 individuals. This year, a record was broken and 68 chicks were born. We aim to set a new record in the number of chicks in 2021," he said.

Mentioning that karstic areas are favorite areas for the bird species, Cicek stated that teams carried out works toward the habitat issue which was doubled.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union composed of government and civil society organizations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,300 member organizations and the input of more than 15,000 experts.

Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.