Flamingo chicks at Lake Tuz hit five-year high

A year after a severe drought threatened Lake Tuz’s future as a flamingo breeding ground, the colony has staged a major comeback. This year, the number of hatched chicks hit 12,800—the highest level in five years.

The population boom stems from a combination of favorable rainfall and a targeted 2022 conservation initiative, which involved drilling freshwater wells within the Lake Tuz Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) to sustain the vulnerable chicks.

Following these conservation efforts and improved weather conditions, Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum announced that 12,800 flamingo chicks have hatched at Lake Tuz. "Our family is growing at Lake Tuz," Kurum shared on X.

Mustafa Uzun, director of Conservation Monitoring and Special Environmental Protection Areas at the General Directorate of Nature Conservation, emphasized that the region's special protective status and saline wetland environment make it an ideal home for flamingos.

Uzun noted that while drought hindered hatching last year, favorable rainfall this year has pushed the chick count to a five-year peak.

The flamingos are expected to begin their migration toward the end of the year, but research and technical teams will continue to monitor the colony year-round.