Abstract:

The waterbirds at 2 wetlands (Lakes Akşehir-Eber and Köyceğiz) in western Turkey were compared to determine their spatial and temporal distributions along with their habitat characteristics. The waterbirds were evaluated according to whether they were residents, winter migrants, summer migrants, or transit migrants and were assigned to foraging behavior groups. At Lakes Akşehir-Eber, 67 waterbird species belonging to 17 families and 9 orders were observed, while at Lake Köyceğiz 42 species belonging to 14 families and 9 orders were recorded. The waterbird fauna in both lake systems is composed of the following bird groups in the same order of occurrence: diving birds > wading birds > ducks > marsh birds. According to the qualitative comparison of waterbirds in the wetlands, the compositions of winter and summer migrant communities showed significant differences that could suggest that the vegetation composition, the size, the eutrophication level, and the seasonal climatic conditions of these wetlands play a role.

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