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War in Iraq drives out birds of prey
Silopi (Turkey), Apr 14: Despite the nickname given to hardliners in Washington, real hawks are not so tough and indeed they are fleeing fighting in Iraq in their hundreds to take refuge in neighbouring Turkey.
Silopi (Turkey), Apr 14: Despite the nickname given to hardliners in Washington, real hawks are not so tough and indeed they are fleeing fighting in Iraq in their hundreds to take refuge in neighbouring Turkey.
Turkish bird experts fear that the war will not only upset the migration patterns of eagles, kites and other birds of prey, but also their mating and nesting habits and could even threaten their numbers in the region.
"This kind of extraordinary situation causes an abrupt change in the environment of these birds, which could send them into a kind of depression," said Mehmet Siki, a zoologist at the University of Izmir in western Turkey. Siki said that birds of prey in the region usually spend the winter in Iraq, near where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, also an important migration point for millions of migrating birds moving to breeding grounds in Europe.
At the beginning of summer, they move up river to nest in southeast Turkey, with some even travelling as far north as Ukraine. "This year they began their migration northward as soon as the war started in March. An early migration means that they could mate earlier than usual, or not at all, and that their nesting rhythms could also be thrown out," Siki said.
He said that several factors could explain why the birds are leaving, including the noise from the bombardments, a lack of food, or the recent sharp rise in temperatures. Fighting can set off fires that destroy grass, woods and forests, and it can also claim birds of prey as "collateral damage" by killing or scaring off their food sources, like fish, frogs or rodents, which they like to eat alive.
Bureau Report
"This kind of extraordinary situation causes an abrupt change in the environment of these birds, which could send them into a kind of depression," said Mehmet Siki, a zoologist at the University of Izmir in western Turkey. Siki said that birds of prey in the region usually spend the winter in Iraq, near where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, also an important migration point for millions of migrating birds moving to breeding grounds in Europe.
At the beginning of summer, they move up river to nest in southeast Turkey, with some even travelling as far north as Ukraine. "This year they began their migration northward as soon as the war started in March. An early migration means that they could mate earlier than usual, or not at all, and that their nesting rhythms could also be thrown out," Siki said.
He said that several factors could explain why the birds are leaving, including the noise from the bombardments, a lack of food, or the recent sharp rise in temperatures. Fighting can set off fires that destroy grass, woods and forests, and it can also claim birds of prey as "collateral damage" by killing or scaring off their food sources, like fish, frogs or rodents, which they like to eat alive.
Bureau Report