Hopes raised for rare bird
The sociable lapwing is listed at critically endangered
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Friday, 19, Oct 2007 11:02
Conservationists are celebrating after finding a flock of one of the world's rarest birds.
The 3,000-strong flock of the endangered sociable lapwing is said to be the largest seen in more than 100 years.
They were found in the Ceylanpinar district of south-eastern Turkey after one of the birds was tagged before it migrated from breeding grounds in Kazakhstan.
Numbers of the sociable lapwing have fallen since the collapse of Soviet farming, and satellite tagging allows wildlife conservationists to track their movements.
In 2003 the bird was listed as critically endangered and just 200 pairs of sociable lapwings were thought to remain.
The RSPB's Dr Rob Sheldon, who tagged the bird in Kazakhstan, said: "This discovery is something we didn't dare dream of. The sociable lapwing is one of the rarest birds on earth and suddenly it's been found in these large numbers.
"It shows just how important both Kazakhstan and Turkey have become for the survival of this species. The next step is to protect the bird, both on its breeding grounds and at all the key sites on its migration route."
Ozge Balkiz, a scientist at Turkish conservation group Doga Dernegi said the discovery of the flock is a "major breakthrough" for planning the bird's protection.
Doga Dernegi chief executive Guven Eken added: "By tracking a single bird from its Kazakh breeding grounds, we have found the location of most of the world population of these birds in Turkey. Sociable lapwings are finally living up to their name."