Telli Turna

Are you ready to meet one of the most elegant birds gliding across the sky? The legendary bird featured in Anatolian folk songs and fairy tales: the Telli Turna!
They are not only beautiful but also special guests that travel immense distances.
Have you ever seen a flock of birds flying in a V-shape across the sky? One of these magnificent travelers is the Telli Turna.

Gökyüzünde V şeklinde uçan Telli Turna kuşları

_{Yapay zeka ile oluşturulmuştur.}

Telli turnas are among the most delicate and smallest members of the crane family.
They derive their name from the thin, white ornamental feathers that extend backward from just behind their eyes.
Their bodies are gray but the tips of their wings are black.
Their most distinctive feature is the black feathers running from their heads down to their chests, resembling a beard.
Unlike other crane species, they do not have a red patch on their heads.

Telli turnas greatly favor riverbanks, wetlands, and vast plains.
One of the most special places in the world for them is Türkiye.
These birds spend the winter on the warm lands of Africa and return to their nests in Türkiye after flying thousands of kilometers when spring arrives (in March and April).
In our country, the Bulanık Plain in Muş is their most important breeding ground.

Sazlıkta yuvasının yanında yavrularıyla beraber yaşıyan Telli Turna kuşları

^{Yapay zeka ile oluşturulmuştur.}

Unfortunately, the survival of these beautiful birds is under serious threat.
The last 11 breeding Telli turnas in Türkiye are currently struggling to survive in the Bulanık Plain.
Scientists shepherds and villagers have joined forces to protect this rare bird.
If we do not protect them, the Telli turna may survive only as a memory in our old folk songs.