Birecik Bald Ibis Colony

Overview

On a cliff above the Euphrates, dozens of black birds with bare red faces and crests like old men’s hair sit in wooden nest boxes. They are northern bald ibises, among the rarest birds on earth, and the small town of Birecik has watched over them for centuries. For birdwatchers, the Birecik bald ibis colony is a pilgrimage in itself, on the road between Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa.

The Story of the Birecik Bald Ibis

The bird that guided the pilgrims

To begin with, locals call the bird kelaynak. It was one of the first birds Noah released from the Ark, a sign of fertility. People believed that the ibises flew south each year to guide pilgrims to Mecca. For this reason, nobody harmed them, and the colony survived here long after the species had vanished from Europe.

From 3,000 birds to none

Around 1930, the Birecik colony counted about 3,000 birds, with some 500 breeding pairs. Then, in the decades after the 1950s, pesticides hit the colony hard. By 1989, only three birds returned from their wintering grounds, and in 1990 just one. By 1992, the species was extinct in the wild in Turkey.

A second chance

However, Turkey had already kept birds in aviaries. Today a semi-wild colony lives at the breeding station on the edge of town. Thus, every year, keepers let the ibises out in February or March, and the birds breed in the nest boxes on the cliff. After that, they fly free around Birecik, feeding along the Euphrates and in the fields. In mid-July, however, keepers bring them back into the cages, so the birds do not migrate.

What to See Around the Birecik Bald Ibis Colony

The Birecik bald ibis breeding station

First, visit the station on the cliff by the river. From spring to early summer, you can watch the birds courting, feeding chicks and gliding over the water. Besides, look for the ibis statue in the town center, a sign of how proud Birecik is of its birds.

Birecik Castle and the Euphrates

Afterward, climb to the castle on its white limestone rock above the river. Locals call it Beyaz Kale, the White Castle. From its walls you look straight down at the wide, green Euphrates. Then walk along the riverbank to the bridges that carry the road from Gaziantep to Şanlıurfa.

The Breeding Year of the Birecik Bald Ibis

Eggs and chicks

The Birecik bald ibis breeds once a year and lays one to four eggs. Then the eggs need about four weeks of incubation. At first, the chicks have feathered heads and throats, but the feathers disappear as they grow. At about five years old, the birds become adults, and they can live 25 to 30 years.

Faithful pairs

Also, males and females look alike and behave the same way. So keepers find out each bird’s sex from a blood sample in the laboratory. Besides, the birds keep one partner and stay very loyal to it. In sunlight, their black feathers flash glossy green, orange and purple.

A menu for ibises

Inside the station, the birds get a special meal every day: lean minced meat, boiled egg, grated carrot, chicken feed and unsalted cheese. In 2018, the station completed a treatment and care center and an ibis information center. Finally, watch the colony in the nesting season with a guide on our Birecik bald ibis tour.

How to Visit the Birecik Bald Ibis Station

Birecik lies on the main road between Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, so it fits easily into a trip through the southeast: combine it with the mosaics of the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, the sunken village of Halfeti upriver, and Göbeklitepe beyond Şanlıurfa. Likewise, for more places to watch birds, read our guide to birdwatching in Turkey.