Determining the water bird fauna of Thrace and its role in bird migration

The six wetlands in the Thrace region (Lake Büyükçekmece, Terkos, Gala, İğneada Longoz, Karaidemir Dam Lake, and Süloğlu Dam Lake) were analyzed in terms of waterbird diversity, temporal and spatial distributions, seasonal dynamics, and population densities, highlighting their similarities and differences. During the study, 105 waterbird species from 18 families were recorded. The species distribution was as follows: Lake Büyükçekmece (40 species from 10 families), Lake Terkos (49 species from 13 families), Karaidemir Dam Lake (36 species from 9 families), Süloğlu Dam Lake (10 species from 7 families), Lake Gala (89 species from 17 families), and İğneada Longoz Forest (58 species from 15 families). Cluster analysis based on species composition showed a 74.77% similarity between Lake Gala and İğneada Longoz in western Thrace, while Lake Terkos and Lake Büyükçekmece in eastern Thrace had a 78.15% similarity. According to the Whittaker index, the most similar pair of observation sites in terms of species composition was Lake Büyükçekmece and Karaidemir Dam Lake. Despite being an artificial wetland, Karaidemir Dam Lake was found to be an important site for Thrace. In terms of waterbird family composition, Lake Gala and İğneada Longoz Forest were the most similar observation sites. The temporal distribution of species revealed that Lake Gala had the highest number of resident species (28), Karaidemir Dam Lake had the most wintering species (11), İğneada Longoz Forest had the most summer migrants (14), Lake Gala had the most winter migrants (21), and Lake Gala also had the most transit species (18). Thirteen species observed in the study areas were listed in the IUCN Red List under the Vulnerable (VU) and Near Threatened (NT) categories. The findings of this thesis suggest that the current protection statuses of wetlands in the Thrace region should be strengthened, and new protected areas should be established.