The wetlands, areas saturated with water seasonally or all year round, such as lakes, marshes
and bogs, important habitats for different forms of life.
Many birds depend on wetlands for sustenance on their migration journeys or else they live
there permanently.
Food is abundant and roosting places offer birds an excellent place for breeding and raising
their young.
Wetland birds visit these habitats during at least one stage of their life cycle, such
as feeding, breeding or roosting.
Among them there are many water birds, birds that swim or walk in the water.
However, there are also birds which are found in the surrounding areas and vegetation.
Large numbers of wetland birds arrive in Cyprus every year, attracted to a variety of areas
such as salt and brackish lakes, freshwater lakes, dams, sewage street and plants and
coastal areas.
Some of these wetlands are important at both European and international levels and have
been recognised by the European Union and International Laws and Conventions.
Six important wetland areas, Larnaca Salt Lake, Acna Dam, Evretu Dam, Osbro Kremostam,
Paralimni Lake and Oroclini Lake support some of the most valuable and threatened species
and habitats in Europe.
For this reason they have been designated as Special Protection Areas, SPAs, under the
EU Birds Directive and form part of the Natura 2000 network which is an EU-wide network of
nature protection areas.
Other important wetlands are the dams at Aia Elini, Calocorio and Panagra, as well as
wetlands in the Fomagusta area.
These wetlands have been studied as part of a project funded by the European Union.
The aim of the project is to provide technical assistance on the management and protection
of potential Natura 2000 sites.
Two of the most important wetlands in Cyprus are also Ramsar sites.
A Ramsar site is a site which supports internationally important numbers and species of wetland birds.
According to the Ramsar Convention, a designated site must be protected, with all plant and
animal species it supports.
Lanaca Salt Lake has been a Ramsar site since 2001 and Akrotiri Salt Lake and Levadi Marsh
have been sites since 2003.
Cyprus is located on a major bird migration route between Europe and Africa and the Middle
East.
Migratory birds breed in Europe during spring and summer and in autumn they fly south to
spend the winter in Africa or the Middle East, where it is warmer.
Most autumn migrants pass through the island during August, September, October and November
on their southward journey.
Many stay and spend the winter in Cyprus, mainly from December to February.
In spring they return northward to their breeding areas.
Feeding migrants pass through Cyprus during March, April and May on their northward journey
to their nesting areas in Europe.
However, after the winter rains, the island has an abundance of food and for this reason
many birds stay for several days or weeks or even nest here.
One of our best known visitors is the greater Flamingo.
It is one of the most spectacular water birds seen in Cyprus and one of the world's most
beautiful birds.
Flamingos are a familiar sight, particularly at Launaca and Akrotiri salt lakes and the
Famagusta wetlands.
Some are also seen at Oroclone Lake.
The Flamingos arrive in Cyprus in autumn and spend the winters here.
They are social birds that live in flocks of up to thousands.
Internationally important numbers of 5,000 to 10,000 birds are usually present in Cyprus
from December to February.
In spring they migrate west to France and Spain or east to Iran and Turkey where they
nest in colonies and have their young.
Flamingos live and feed in shallow waters.
The name Flamingo comes from the flaming red colour of the birds feathers and is caused
by what they eat, tiny brine shrimp which contain keratines, strongly coloured pigments
with a red orange hue.
These are the same pigments that give carrots their distinctive colour.
Flamingo chicks are born grey and juvenile birds are grey brown.
If adult flamingos don't have enough keratine containing brine shrimp in their diet, they
become pale.
Ducks are another common migratory species passing through Cyprus.
In autumn large numbers of ducks fly over and around the coastline on their southward journey
to Africa, while many of them stay and spend the winter here.
At least 15 species of ducks are found at Owetlands.
One of these is the mallard, a common autumn migrant and winter visitor and is sometimes
resident all year round.
The mallard is the ancestor of almost all the varieties of domestic ducks.
The northern chavala is another common winter visitor.
It is a small to medium sized duck easily recognised by its long bill which is shaped
like a spoon.
With its bill, it filters food from the water such as plankton, crustaceans, insects and
seeds.
In spring 2010, northern chavalas nested in Cyprus for the first time in a hundred years.
They nested at Oroclini Lake, while a hundred years ago in 1910 they had nested at Kuklia
Reservoir.
Another very common winter visitor to Owetlands is the Eurasian teal.
This species of duck forms large concentrations with large flocks of tens and sometimes hundreds
of individuals gathering at winter roosting sites.
The garganae is a small duck which breeds in Europe and Western Africa.
It is strictly migratory with its entire population moving to southern Africa and Australasia
in winter, and it is a common passage migrant in Cyprus.
Other water birds are resident from Cyprus and observed all year round, and one of them
is the common coot.
The common coot often nests and has young in Cyprus.
From studies done in other countries, we know that it displays so-called conspecific parasitism,
which means that the female bird lays eggs in the nests of other female coots.
This is similar behaviour to cuckoos, although cuckoos will lay their eggs in the nests
of other species.
By doing this, the parasitic female saves time and energy because she uses another female
to raise her young, while she spends more time looking for food and producing more offspring.
Another water bird living in Cyprus is the common moorhen.
It looks a bit like a duck, but it isn't one.
At a distance, it may be confused with the common coot, but look out for the characteristic
white markings on its flanks and under tail, and the red shield on its forehead.
Its long toes are adapted for walking on soft, uneven surfaces.
Like the common coot, the females of this species also lay eggs in the nests of other
female moorhen.
Another interesting thing about the common moorhen is that it raises at least two broods
during the breeding season, in spring and summer.
Birds are very unusual among birds because the offspring of the first brood help to guard
and feed the chicks of the next brood, meaning that the older brothers and sisters help
in raising their younger siblings.
The little grebes arrive in Cyprus in autumn to spend the winter at our wetlands, while
some live here all year round.
The little grebe is the waterbird known to dive into the water to chase its prey.
It is a strong swimmer and chases fish and other small invertebrates underwater.
The chicks leave the nest and can swim soon after hatching, and are often carried on the
backs of the swimming adults.
In the past, the little grebes were hunted around the world for their plumage and feathers,
and also as food.
Many species of water birds are passage migrants in Cyprus.
They stop over for a few days or weeks.
During this time, they rest and feed before continuing their journey either through the
north or to the south.
Such birds include many small waders, birds which walk in shallow water looking for food.
The common snipe is the common passage migrant, but it sometimes also spends winter in Cyprus.
This bird is characterized by a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage.
The common snipe wades in water and moves its long bill like a sewing machine to search
for invertebrates in the mud.
The cryptic plumage of this bird serves as camouflage.
Since the common snipe is hunted in many countries around the world, its plumage hides it from
hunters in wetland environments.
When it flies, it doesn't fly in a straight line so that hunters have difficulty shooting
it down.
The common green shank has the long legs common to waders and is another often seen passage
migrant.
This bird usually stops over to breed in Cyprus on its way to the taiga and forests of northern
Europe and Siberia.
Not long after the eggs hatch, one parent usually leaves and the remaining parent raises
the young.
Once the parents split up the chicks between them, raising them separately.
Glossy ibises are large wading birds.
In Cyprus they are common passage migrants in spring and can be seen flying in flocks
without stretch necks often in v-formation.
The glossy ibis feeds by wading in shallow water and probing with its long bill into the
mud at the edge of marshes and wet fields.
Its diet consists of crabs, crayfish, aquatic invertebrates as well as frogs, fish and plants.
Although glossy ibises are predominantly passage migrants in Cyprus, this species nested for
the first time on the island in 2010 at the Famagusta wetlands.
Glossy ibises nest in small mixed colonies with other wading birds.
The largest European wading bird is the Eurasian curlew.
It is a rare passage migrant and winter visitor to Cyprus.
In Europe the wading populations of this species have been declining over the last two decades.
Climate change has brought on milder winters and has pushed the birds further north to
take advantage of better feeding conditions.
And so they remain closer to their breeding grounds.
Another group of birds found in Cyprus are herons and egrets.
In total nine species are found in Europe, all of which can be found in Cyprus.
The cattle egret feeds in wetlands and fields.
It often follows sheep, cattle and goats to catch insects and small animals that they
disturb or else it stands on the backs of big animals like goats to remove ticks and
flies from their skin.
This bird stops over in Cyprus during spring and autumn migration.
However a population of about 80 pairs have been nesting at wetlands in Famagusta at least
since 2007.
These birds nest in colonies near water, in trees and bushes, together with other egrets
and herons.
The little egret is also a medium sized white bird which is common during autumn and spring
migration.
Some birds breed in Cyprus when conditions are favourable.
Little egrets have also been observed at the Pedios River in Nicosia.
These birds are lively hunters and feed mainly by walking through water and snapping at their
prey which are small fish, amphibians and insects.
They also feed by running and agitating the water with their feet to disturb prey.
In the 17th century in Europe, the neck plumes of the little egrets and other egrets were
used to decorate women's hats.
The Squacoheron is one of the smaller members of the Heron family.
It gets its name from its piercing call which is a very loud squawk.
The squawk is most often heard at night, especially during the breeding season.
In Cyprus, the Squacoheron is a common passage migrant.
In spring 2007, a small breeding colony was discovered at a wetland in Famagusta.
The grey heron is a very common passage migrant.
A few birds are present during summer and some remain all winter.
This is the largest European heron.
It is usually seen standing at the water's edge waiting to catch fish, frogs and insects
with its long bill, but also small mammals, reptiles and small birds.
It may stand with its neck stretched out looking for food or hunched down with its neck bent
over its chest.
Another important heron species occurring in Cyprus is the purple heron.
It is a common passage migrant and comes in great numbers in autumn.
Purple herons are shy and solitary hunters.
They prefer to stand and wait in cover, staying motionless for long periods of time in shallow
water or perched on low dense trees and bushes.
With their slim bills, they spear and kill fish, frogs, insects, small mammals and even
large snakes.
The Lapwing is a familiar farmland bird in northern European countries and a winter visitor
to Cyprus, where it is found at wetlands with short vegetation.
It is pigeon-sized and from a distance appears black above and white below.
Closer observation reveals that the upper parts are an iridescent dark green and purple.
Small winter concentrations of Lapwings are found at Miamilia sewage treatment plant.
For most of the month these birds feed in the daytime and roost at night, while a few days
around full moon the opposite happens and they feed at night and roost during the day.
Belonging to the same family is the spur-winged Lapwing, an afrotropical species found in
sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt, Southeast Europe and the Middle East.
It is often found in open mudflats and marshy habitats with low and sparse vegetation near
water.
It is a common passage migrant and regular winter visitor with a small resident population.
In Europe this bird breeds only in Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.
The breeding habitats of the stilts are marshes, shallow lakes and ponds.
Black-winged stilts wade in the shallows and hunt prey that is close to the surface and
sometimes they put their heads underwater to catch it.
Both the spur-winged Lapwing and the black-winged stilts are listed in Annex I of the EU Birds
Directive and they are the defining species for the classification of Paralymne and Orocliny
Lakes at special protection areas in the Natura 2000 network.
All the birds we have seen are just a small sample of the variety of birds that can be
observed at wetland areas in Cyprus.
Both in terms of water birds but also bird species in general, Cyprus is very important
at a regional, European and international level.
Regular monitoring of wetland areas that support these and other water bird species is important
and necessary if we want to take coordinated measures to conserve migratory and resident
water birds.
Historically there used to be many natural wetlands in Cyprus including both freshwater
and saltwater ones.
Most of the freshwater wetlands have been lost, in fact many of them had dried out during
the 19th century in the course of campaigns to eradicate malaria.
However, there are still important saltwater wetlands in Laralaca, Akratiri and Famagusta.
Many artificial wetlands such as dams and sewage plants are also increasingly used by
water birds.
Today land reclamation for urban and agricultural development in Cyprus has destroyed and continues
to destroy wetland areas.
Another cause of destruction can be traced to changes in water flows because of upstream
damming and agricultural chemicals or excess nutrient runoff from farms.
Wetlands are among the most productive habitats in the world.
They provide food, water and shelter for fish, shellfish, birds and mammals and they serve
as a breeding ground and nursery for numerous species.
Many endangered plants and animal species are dependent on wetland habitats for their
survival.
During migration many birds return to the same stopover places year after year.
When they set off on their journey they are fat, but they burn this fat for fuel on the
flight and can lose nearly half their weight.
When they return if they find their old resting place gone or severely damaged they cannot
afford to look for a new one.
Loss of their habitat may spell their death.
Therefore, each wetland, each stopover point is a vital link in the chain of wetlands along
the migratory flyway and therefore crucial to the bird's survival.
Land protection is complex and involves all of us, so let us work together to ensure that
wetlands, these important cradles of life are protected and conserved for the next generations.
