A research on the ornithofauna of Turna (Keşiş) lake

In this research, the bird population in The Turna (Keşiş) Lake, located in Gürpınar District of Van Province, was investigated. In this study, which continued 12 months, the bird population in Turna Lake was observed. A total of 74 species and 1 subspecies belonging to 11 Orders and 26 Families were detected. This number of species corresponds to approximately 14.1 % of the 530 bird species observed in Turkey and approximately 32.1 % of the 234 bird species observed in the Van Lake Basin. Based on The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Naturel Resources (IUCN) criteria, 2 species of Endangered (EN), 1 species of Vulnerable (VU), 3 species of Near Threatened (NT) and 69 species of Least Concern (LC) were detected in the area. According to the European Convention Fort the Protection of Wildlife and Their Habitats (BERN) category 45 species were listed in Appendix II and 24 were listed in Appendix III, while 6 were not in scope of listing. When looking at the regional status of the bird species living in the area, it was determined that 14 species were resident (R), 56 species were summer visitors (SV), 3 species were winter visitors (WV) and 2 species were transit migratory (T). Summer visitor species were observed breeding in the research area. Turna Lake, located at the highest position in the Van Lake Basin, constitutes a breeding, protecting, feeding and resting area for many bird species.