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Turkey Turkey Ramsar wetland

Kızılırmak Delta

298 bird species recorded; the most in April and in October.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec249at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Chidgk1 · CC0

This month here

161 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
Eurasian Chaffinch
Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebsWinter visitorGilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0
Northern Shoveler
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Coot
CootFulica atraResidentNoodle snacks · CC BY-SA 3.0
Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeusWinter visitor
Mallard
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentTetiana.iefimenko · CC BY 4.0
Rook
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorKim Hyun-tae · CC BY 4.0
Western Marsh Harrier
Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosusResidentPierre-Marie Epiney · CC BY-SA 2.0
Grey Heron
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentVassilios Vescoukis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Buzzard
Common BuzzardButeo buteoResidentcaroline legg · CC BY 2.0
Eurasian Wigeon
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorПочта России · Public domain
Great White Egret
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCalibas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Redshank
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hooded Crow
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommonists · CC BY-SA 4.0
Little Egret
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentBirdman1 · CC BY 2.5
European Robin
European RobinErithacus rubeculaWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Little Grebe
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Snipe
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorHobbyfotowiki · CC0
Northern Pintail
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorJ.M.Garg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tufted Duck
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaWinter visitorAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Common PochardVU
Common PochardAythya ferinaResidentCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 3.0
Great Crested Grebe
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentGrahamBreeze · CC BY-SA 3.0
Eurasian Blackbird
Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merulaWinter visitorKahvilokki · CC BY-SA 4.0
DunlinNT
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorMdf , edited by Fir0002 · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

298 species, counted.

89out 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).

  • 298Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 186Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 11ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 62,849Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 24Raptors
  • 6Owls
  • 39Waders
  • 23Gulls & seabirds
  • 28Ducks & geese
  • 20Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 4Storks & cranes
  • 1Flamingos
  • 119Songbirds
  • 34Other 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 298 species.

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

Raptors24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
  • Common BuzzardButeo buteo
  • Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
  • European HobbyFalco subbuteo
  • Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
  • Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
  • Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
  • Black KiteMilvus migrans
  • Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
  • Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
  • MerlinFalco columbarius
  • Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
  • Long-legged BuzzardButeo rufinus
  • Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
  • Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
  • Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
  • Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
  • Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
  • White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
  • Eastern Imperial EagleAquila heliacaVU
  • Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
  • Red KiteMilvus milvus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Western Barn OwlTyto alba
  • Tawny OwlStrix aluco
  • Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
  • Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
  • Little OwlAthene noctua
  • Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders39 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
  • Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
  • RedshankTringa totanus
  • Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
  • Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
  • Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
  • Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
  • Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
  • RuffCalidris pugnax
  • European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
  • Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
  • Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
  • Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
  • Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
  • Little StintCalidris minuta
  • Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
  • Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
  • Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
  • Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
  • Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
  • Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
  • Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
  • SanderlingCalidris alba
  • Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
  • Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
  • Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
  • Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
  • Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
  • Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
  • Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
  • Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
  • Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
  • White-tailed LapwingVanellus leucurus
  • Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
  • Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
  • Great SnipeGallinago mediaNT
  • Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
Gulls & seabirds23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
  • Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
  • Common TernSterna hirundo
  • White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
  • Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
  • Armenian GullLarus armenicus
  • Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
  • Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
  • Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
  • Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
  • Common GullLarus canus
  • Little TernSternula albifrons
  • Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
  • Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
  • Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
  • Black TernChlidonias niger
  • Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
  • Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
  • Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
  • Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
  • Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
  • Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
  • Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
Ducks & geese28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • MallardAnas platyrhynchos
  • Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Mute SwanCygnus olor
  • GadwallMareca strepera
  • Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
  • Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
  • GarganeySpatula querquedula
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
  • Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
  • Greylag GooseAnser anser
  • Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
  • Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
  • Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
  • Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
  • White-headed duckOxyura leucocephala
  • SmewMergellus albellus
  • Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
  • Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
  • Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
  • Lesser white-fronted gooseAnser erythropusVU
  • Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
  • Greater ScaupAythya marila
  • Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
  • GoosanderMergus merganser
Herons, ibises & grebes20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Grey HeronArdea cinerea
  • Little EgretEgretta garzetta
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
  • Purple heronArdea purpurea
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
  • Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
  • Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
  • Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
  • Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeus
  • Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
  • Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
  • Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispusNT
  • Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
  • Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
  • ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
  • Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
Storks & cranes4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black storkCiconia nigra
  • Common CraneGrus grus
  • White StorkCiconia ciconia
  • Demoiselle CraneAnthropoides virgo
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds119 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
  • White WagtailMotacilla alba
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
  • European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
  • Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
  • Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
  • Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  • European RobinErithacus rubecula
  • Crested larkGalerida cristata
  • Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
  • RookCorvus frugilegus
  • Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
  • Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
  • Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
  • Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
  • Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
  • Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
  • Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
  • Great titParus major
  • Red-breasted flycatcherFicedula parva
  • Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
  • Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
  • European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
  • Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
  • Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
  • Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
  • Garden WarblerSylvia borin
  • European GreenfinchChloris chloris
  • Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
  • Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
  • Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
  • Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
  • Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
  • SkylarkAlauda arvensis
  • Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
  • WhitethroatSylvia communis
  • Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
  • Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
  • Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
  • Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
  • WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
  • Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
  • GoldcrestRegulus regulus
  • BramblingFringilla montifringilla
  • Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
  • DunnockPrunella modularis
  • Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
  • Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
  • HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
  • Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
  • Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
  • Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
  • Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
  • European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
  • Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
  • Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
  • Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
  • Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
  • YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
  • Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
  • Western JackdawColoeus monedula
  • RedwingTurdus iliacus
  • Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
  • FieldfareTurdus pilaris
  • Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
  • Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
  • Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
  • Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
  • Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
  • Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
  • Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
  • BluethroatLuscinia svecica
  • Eurasian MagpiePica pica
  • Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
  • Northern RavenCorvus corax
  • European SerinSerinus serinus
  • Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
  • Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
  • Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
  • WoodlarkLullula arborea
  • Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
  • Eurasian River WarblerLocustella fluviatilis
  • Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
  • Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
  • Coal TitPeriparus ater
  • Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
  • Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
  • Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
  • Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
  • Black-headed buntingEmberiza melanocephala
  • Half-collared FlycatcherFicedula semitorquata
  • Pied WheatearOenanthe pleschanka
  • Phylloscopus nitidusPhylloscopus nitidus
  • Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
  • Pallas's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus proregulus
  • Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
  • Lesser Short-toed LarkCalandrella rufescens
  • Red-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurus
  • Masked ShrikeLanius nubicus
  • Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
  • Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
  • Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
  • Blyth’s PipitAnthus godlewskii
  • Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
  • Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
  • Eastern Orphean WarblerSylvia crassirostris
  • Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
  • Isabelline ShrikeLanius isabellinus
  • Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
  • Hume’s leaf-warblerPhylloscopus humei
  • Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
  • Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
  • Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
  • Arctic warblerPhylloscopus borealis
Other birds34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • CootFulica atra
  • Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
  • Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
  • Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
  • Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
  • Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
  • Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
  • European Water RailRallus aquaticus
  • European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
  • Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
  • Common CuckooCuculus canorus
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Syrian WoodpeckerDendrocopos syriacus
  • Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
  • European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
  • European SwiftApus apus
  • European RollerCoracias garrulus
  • Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
  • WryneckJynx torquilla
  • Stock DoveColumba oenas
  • Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
  • Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
  • Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
  • Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
  • Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
  • Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
  • Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
  • Porzana parvaPorzana parva
  • Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
  • Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
  • Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
  • Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
  • Little BustardTetrax tetraxNT
  • Pallid SwiftApus pallidus

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

When to go

The most species in April and in October.

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

  1. Jan1618°/4°73 mm
  2. Feb1529°/4°47 mm
  3. Mar19711°/5°57 mm
  4. Apr23814°/8°43 mm
  5. May22818°/13°42 mm
  6. Jun13623°/18°38 mm
  7. Jul10726°/21°19 mm
  8. Aug22026°/22°18 mm
  9. Sep22824°/18°39 mm
  10. Oct24919°/14°59 mm
  11. Nov19615°/10°69 mm
  12. Dec17110°/6°85 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Kızılırmak Delta.

Ramsar site and plain in Bafra, Samsun, Turkey

Kızılırmak Delta is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Turkey.

298 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 62,849 open records.

The most recorded are the Grey Heron, the Little Egret and the Western Marsh Harrier.

95 species come for the summer, 88 for the winter and 3 only pass through.

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

The most species are recorded in April and in October.

Kızılırmak River mouth
Chidgk1 · CC0

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.

Kızılırmak Delta 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

  • 1bird hides within 6 kmKızılırmak Deltası Kuş Cenneti
  • 2observation towers within 6 kmKızılırmak Deltası Kuş Cenneti
  • 2viewpoints within 5 km
  • 1restaurants and cafés within 3 km
  • marked trails within 4 km
  • visitor centres within 6 km
  • car parks 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 Kızılırmak Delta.

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

Peakyas6 mountains within 25 km
Karadora Hill · 18 kmKeller Hill · 19 kmKışla Hill · 20 kmGümüşhan Hill · 20 kmTavşan Hill · 21 kmMount Kızılgöl · 24 km
Lakeyas5 lakes within 15 km
Gernek Gölü4.2 km² · 1.8 kmLake Liman1.8 km² · 5.7 kmLake Hammamli10 km² · 7.3 kmLake Tatlı0.6 km² · 8.9 kmLake Uzun2.2 km² · 9.4 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.

Burning fields in KızılIrmak Delta
Chidgk1 · CC0
Border of river and sky
Esme Ilgın Uçar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloud in the river
Esme Ilgın Uçar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other places nearby.

Kızılırmak Delta

Turkey

  • 89Birdyas Score
  • 298Species
  • 186Migrants
  • 11Threatened

Lake Seyfe

Turkey · 305 km

  • 71Birdyas Score
  • 153Species
  • 86Migrants
  • 5Threatened

See the guide

Sultan Reedy National Park

Turkey · 375 km

  • 83Birdyas Score
  • 242Species
  • 153Migrants
  • 8Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q6005979) · CC0
Birds62,849 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

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.