Birds

A few years ago, a Sydney scientist noticed a sulfur-crested cockatoo opening his trash bin. Not every resident would be thrilled, but ornithologist Richard Major was impressed by the ingenuity.

It's quite a feat for a bird to grasp a bin lid with its beak, pry it open, then shuffle far enough along the bin's edge that the lid falls backward, revealing edible trash treasures inside.

Some 15 newborns of the endangered northern bald ibis species have been released into the wild in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa's Birecik district, as part of the annual process to allow the birds not to forget their migration route.

European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) have made the Turkish-Greek border their home. (AA Photo)

Two European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) were spotted on a security wire as they share and eat their prey in the Çiğli district of Turkey's Aegean İzmir province. (AA Photo)

Home to 264 bird species, the Yeniçağa Bird Sanctuary in the northwestern province of Bolu's Yeniçağa district hosts many photographers and bird watchers every year during migration season.

Hersek Lagoon in northwestern Turkey, in addition to being home to water birds, hosts summer migratory birds that come to the area for incubation. 

The 152-hectare lagoon in Altinova district - known as bird hotel among residents because some species spending the fall and winter months there - sent the winter migrating waterfowls to other countries.

The eastern Turkish province of Iğdır that borders Iran, Armenia and Nakhichevan has become a haven for migratory birds thanks to geographical conditions.

The wetlands in Iğdır became colorful with birds as they began to flock to the region from the southern hemisphere following seasonal change.

October 10th is World Migratory Bird Day

The harsh winters in eastern Turkey can prove to be a bane for the toughest of creatures.

The season is particularly arduous for birds, who are left without shelter as the freezing cold devours all foliage.

However, a community in the province of Kars has banded together to come up with a possible solution, making and putting up small wooden birdhouses around their village.

A Turkish professor who participated in the 3rd National Antarctic Scientific Expedition between Jan. 4 and Feb. 14, 2019, found five different bacteria in the eyes of a penguin species called "gentoo penguin."

"These bacteria are not yet identified or categorized across the world," said Latife Çakır Bayram from the Erciyes University in Turkey's central province of Kayseri.