Recent status and distribution of the Great Bustard, Otis tarda, in Turkey

• Published in: Zoology in the Middle East 2009-01, Vol.48, p.25-34
• Main Authors: Karakas, R, Akarsu, F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0939-7140
• DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2009.10638363

The records of the Great Bustard, Otis tarda (Linnaeus, 1758), in Turkey from the period 1989-2008 were compiled and analysed to update a previous assessment published in 1989. Despite a sharply increased birdwatching activity in Turkey, only 106 records could be found from published and unpublished sources for this 20-year period. 870 of the total of 1066 individuals were recorded during the breeding season and 196 in the non-breeding season. The population is split into two subpopulations; one focused in Inner Anatolia and the other in East and South-east Anatolia, with the latter exceeding the Inner Anatolian population in numbers. Both subpopulations have declined significantly since the 1989 assessment, although, in the absence of comprehensive field surveys, it is not possible to quantify the degree. As several breeding sites have been abandoned, the size of the distribution area has shrunk in recent decades. In particular, the species is no longer present at several sites situated at the edge of the distribution area. The species winters in south-eastern Anatolia and in small numbers also in the large river deltas on the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts. However, the winter population is also sharply decreasing. The Turkish Great Bustard population is much smaller than predicted, and apparently comprises 200-300 breeding pairs at the most.