Turkey's eastern Van lake hosts flamingos

By Necmettin Karaca

VAN, Turkey (AA) - On the migration path of various birds, Van Lake basin hosts flamingos in eastern Turkey.

The migratory birds have drawn attention of visitors and photographers.

Ozdemir Adizel, a biology professor at Van’s Yuzunci Yil University, said the flamingos fly to Van lake from northern Africa every year in mid of February.

"The number of flamingos in Van Lake basin is around 10,000. Generally, they stay in the basin until the end of November," Adizel told Anadolu Agency.

The visitors can also observe around 213 species among hundreds of birds in the basin.

The basin makes up of one-fifth of wetlands in Turkey and boasts a number of different birds, including flamingos, swans, white-headed ducks, black-winged stilts, pied avocets and Eurasian coots.