It is well known that the European storks are divided into two populations: those which migrate east and those which migrate west (the eastern storks migrate to Africa via Turkey, while the western population goes via Spain); up to now all the indications pointed to the fact that the division of the migration routes occurs right in the middle of Germany, but now it has been proved that several eastern German storks and even some Polish ones also use the western route. In the middle of Africa, in Chad and the Niger, there is also an area in which the Eastern and Western storks meet during their wintering. Far more east European storks fly there than was previously thought. Further experiments should prove whether some eastern birds migrate back to Western Europe with their west European fellow storks, and vice versa.

Turkey, with the richest wet-lands in Europe and the Middle East, plays an important role for migratory birds during the winter. About 70 bird species spend the winter in the marshlands of Turkey, and another 40 species stop there for rest or feeding on the way to their destinations. In Turkey, there are 81 wet-lands of national and international importance, Environment Ministry officials note. Two of the four most important western hemisphere migration routes pass through Anatolia on the way to their winter homes, and unite over Anatolia. This makes Turkey a special - even unique-country with respect to bird migration. Every autumn, approximately 250,000 storks, 200,000 birds of prey and millions of geese, ducks, songbirds and others migrate from the west and east of the Black Sea. There are 426 kinds of birds living in Turkey, and most of them can be seen over the whole year in the marshy and other regions of the country.

Ciconia nigra Black Stork Distinguishing Features - Length: 95 - 100 cm; wingspan: 185 - 205 cm; weight: average 3 kg. Overall colouration: shining black with iridiscent reflections. The rest of the plumage is pure white. Red beak and feet. When in full flight, you see that the underside of the wings is black with a white triangle at the base of the wing. Neck tensed in flight. The Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) is one of the most endangered species in eastern Europe where Turkey possesses the population, of some 200 pairs.