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Turkey Turkey Ramsar wetland

Lake Kuş

223 bird species recorded; the most from April to May and in September.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec152at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Biologicalkitty88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

This month here

131 species in January.

The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.

Eurasian Teal
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorKoshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India · CC BY 2.0
Common Buzzard
Common BuzzardButeo buteoWinter visitorcaroline legg · CC BY 2.0
Western Marsh Harrier
Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosusWinter visitorPierre-Marie Epiney · CC BY-SA 2.0
European Robin
European RobinErithacus rubeculaWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Smew
SmewMergellus albellusWinter visitorMPF · CC BY-SA 3.0
Northern Shoveler
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Northern Pintail
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorJ.M.Garg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dalmatian PelicanNT
Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispusResidentRoubinakiM · CC BY-SA 4.0
Great Cormorant
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentJJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mallard
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentTetiana.iefimenko · CC BY 4.0
Grey Heron
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentVassilios Vescoukis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Greylag Goose
Greylag GooseAnser anserWinter visitorImran Shah from Islamabad, Pakistan · CC BY-SA 2.0
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian MagpiePica picaResidentAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Black-headed Gull
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentDiliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusWinter visitorMeneer Zjeroen · CC BY 2.0
Greater White-fronted Goose
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorFrank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Coot
CootFulica atraResidentNoodle snacks · CC BY-SA 3.0
Great White Egret
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCalibas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Common Kestrel
Common KestrelFalco tinnunculusWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Common PochardVU
Common PochardAythya ferinaResidentCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 3.0
Northern LapwingNT
Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Eurasian CurlewNT
Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
White-headed duck
White-headed duckOxyura leucocephalaWinter visitorFerran Pestaña from Barcelona, España · CC BY-SA 2.0
Yellow-legged Gull
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentJörg Hempel · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

223 species, counted.

80out of 100

Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).

  • 223Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 127Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 7ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 9,352Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 19Raptors
  • 5Owls
  • 28Waders
  • 17Gulls & seabirds
  • 23Ducks & geese
  • 17Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 3Storks & cranes
  • 1Flamingos
  • 87Songbirds
  • 23Other birds

From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.

The checklist

All 223 species.

By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.

Raptors19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
  • Common BuzzardButeo buteo
  • Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
  • Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
  • Black KiteMilvus migrans
  • European HobbyFalco subbuteo
  • Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
  • Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
  • Long-legged BuzzardButeo rufinus
  • Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
  • Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
  • Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
  • European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
  • White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
  • Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
  • Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
  • Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
  • Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
  • Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Little OwlAthene noctua
  • Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
  • Long-eared OwlAsio otus
  • Western Barn OwlTyto alba
  • Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Waders28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
  • Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • RuffCalidris pugnax
  • RedshankTringa totanus
  • Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
  • Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
  • Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
  • Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
  • Little StintCalidris minuta
  • Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
  • Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
  • Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
  • Spur-winged LapwingVanellus spinosus
  • Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
  • Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
  • Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
  • Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
  • Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
  • European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
  • Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
  • Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
  • Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
  • Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
  • Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
  • SanderlingCalidris alba
  • Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
  • Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
Gulls & seabirds17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
  • Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
  • Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
  • Common TernSterna hirundo
  • Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
  • White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
  • Common GullLarus canus
  • Black TernChlidonias niger
  • Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
  • Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
  • Little TernSternula albifrons
  • Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
  • Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
  • Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
  • Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
  • Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
  • Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
Ducks & geese23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • MallardAnas platyrhynchos
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
  • Greylag GooseAnser anser
  • SmewMergellus albellus
  • GarganeySpatula querquedula
  • Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
  • Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
  • Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
  • Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
  • Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
  • GadwallMareca strepera
  • White-headed duckOxyura leucocephala
  • Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
  • Mute SwanCygnus olor
  • Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
  • Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
  • Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
  • Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisVU
  • Lesser white-fronted gooseAnser erythropusVU
Herons, ibises & grebes17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Grey HeronArdea cinerea
  • Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispusNT
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
  • Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeus
  • Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
  • Little EgretEgretta garzetta
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
  • Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
  • Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
  • Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
  • Purple heronArdea purpurea
  • Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
  • Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • White StorkCiconia ciconia
  • Black storkCiconia nigra
  • Common CraneGrus grus
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds87 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian MagpiePica pica
  • Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
  • Great titParus major
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  • Western JackdawColoeus monedula
  • Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
  • White WagtailMotacilla alba
  • Crested larkGalerida cristata
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
  • Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
  • Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
  • Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
  • European RobinErithacus rubecula
  • Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
  • Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
  • Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
  • Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
  • Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
  • Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
  • Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
  • Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
  • Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
  • Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
  • Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
  • Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
  • Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
  • SkylarkAlauda arvensis
  • RookCorvus frugilegus
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
  • Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
  • Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
  • Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
  • European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
  • Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
  • Northern RavenCorvus corax
  • WoodlarkLullula arborea
  • European GreenfinchChloris chloris
  • Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
  • Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
  • Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
  • BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
  • WhitethroatSylvia communis
  • Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
  • WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
  • BramblingFringilla montifringilla
  • Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
  • Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
  • Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
  • Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
  • Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
  • Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
  • Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
  • European SerinSerinus serinus
  • Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
  • Red-breasted flycatcherFicedula parva
  • Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
  • Black-headed buntingEmberiza melanocephala
  • Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
  • Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
  • Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
  • GoldcrestRegulus regulus
  • Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
  • Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
  • Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
  • Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
  • Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
  • Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
  • Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
  • Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
  • Coal TitPeriparus ater
  • Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
  • Garden WarblerSylvia borin
  • Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
  • HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
  • Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
  • Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
  • Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
  • RedwingTurdus iliacus
  • European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
  • Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
  • Masked ShrikeLanius nubicus
  • Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
  • DunnockPrunella modularis
  • Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
Other birds23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • CootFulica atra
  • Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
  • Syrian WoodpeckerDendrocopos syriacus
  • Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
  • European Water RailRallus aquaticus
  • Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
  • Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
  • European RollerCoracias garrulus
  • European SwiftApus apus
  • European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
  • Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
  • Common CuckooCuculus canorus
  • Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
  • Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
  • Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
  • Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
  • European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
  • Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
  • Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
  • Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
  • Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis

Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.

When to go

The most species from April to May and in September.

Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.

  1. Jan1319°/0°87 mm
  2. Feb11010°/2°74 mm
  3. Mar10314°/3°59 mm
  4. Apr14218°/7°50 mm
  5. May15224°/12°40 mm
  6. Jun10528°/16°33 mm
  7. Jul7332°/18°10 mm
  8. Aug10432°/19°10 mm
  9. Sep14327°/15°43 mm
  10. Oct12621°/10°66 mm
  11. Nov6716°/6°63 mm
  12. Dec10210°/2°92 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Lake Kuş.

Lake in Turkey

Lake Kuş is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Turkey.

223 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 9,352 open records.

The most recorded are the Grey Heron, the Dalmatian Pelican and the Great Cormorant.

68 species come for the summer, 53 for the winter and 6 only pass through.

7 are threatened worldwide, including Common Pochard, Grey Plover and European Turtle Dove.

The most species are recorded from April to May and in September.

Balıkesir Manyas 2018 Nisan 1
Biologicalkitty88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Get there and watch

Plan the visit

A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

From above

The place and its surroundings.

The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Lake Kuş seen from above (Sentinel-2)
Seen from above: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6 × 6 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around, in OpenStreetMap

  • 1observation towers within 6 km
  • bird hides within 6 km
  • marked trails within 4 km
  • visitor centres within 6 km
  • viewpoints within 5 km
  • car parks within 3 km
  • restaurants and cafés within 3 km
  • campsites within 10 km
  • places to stay within 10 km

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.

In our other atlases

Around Lake Kuş.

The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.

Peakyas5 mountains within 25 km
Höyücek Hill · 13 kmDedebayır Hill · 14 kmSızıdede Hill · 21 kmKestanelik Hill · 22 kmNaldöken Hill · 24 km
Riveryasthe river nearby
Kocaçay River150 km

Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

Photographs

The place, as people saw it.

Manyas gölünde bir rüya
Mehmet Polat KÜNTÜZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Manyas gölünde yansıma
Mehmet Polat KÜNTÜZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Balıkesir Manyas 2018 Nisan
Biologicalkitty88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other places nearby.

Lake Kuş

Turkey

  • 80Birdyas Score
  • 223Species
  • 127Migrants
  • 7Threatened

Lake Uluabat

Turkey · 53 km

  • 76Birdyas Score
  • 221Species
  • 134Migrants
  • 5Threatened

See the guide

Gediz Delta

Turkey · 209 km

  • 82Birdyas Score
  • 253Species
  • 144Migrants
  • 7Threatened

See the guide

Poda Protected Area

Bulgaria · 254 km

  • 89Birdyas Score
  • 302Species
  • 198Migrants
  • 14Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q1891954) · CC0
Birds9,352 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
See these recordsgbif.org
SpeciesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons
AltitudeCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Temperature and rainNASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2)
What is around© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Sister atlasesPeakyas, Lakeyas, Riveryas

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.