Kukla Wetlands Birdwatching Centre

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The ‘Hotspot for Birdwatchers’ Project

The ‘Kukla Wetlands Birdwatching Centre’ was conceived from the idea of creating a hotspot that both local and international birdwatchers would visit with priority in Cyprus. It will represent the first complete example of a birdwatching centre in the northern part of Cyprus which will add to the value of this region - hence of Cyprus - as an international birdwatching destination.

The first stage of the ‘Kukla Wetlands Birdwatching Centre’, the 'Hotspot for Birdwatchers' project is a project of KUŞKOR, funded by the European Union with Beyarmudu Belediyesi. With this grant the site will be partly organized as a birdwatching centre, and research will be dedicated to understanding the long term management requirements of the site for our future commitment.

Latest News

Update on the Conservation Status of Key Bird Species

Robin Snape
December 25, 2015

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List for birds was updated on October 29th. For birds that are seen regularly in North Cyprus, and so those that are of relevance for conservation here, we have listed...

A First in North Cyprus:
Floating Islands for Birds

Damla Beton
20 October 2015

During the Hotspot for Birdwatchers: Kukla Wetlands Birdwatching Centre Project, funded by EU and run with collaboration of Municipality of Beyarmudu, we faced a very serious problem: Stray Dogs!During May we realized a number of dogs at the site...

The First Record of Lesser Flamingo in Cyprus

Damla Beton & Olkan Ergüler
20 July 2015

Although Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is a common winter visitor in Cyprus; its smaller relative, Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) had never been recorded in the island until May 8th 2015 at Kukla/Köprü/Kuklia Wetland, North Cyprus...

Kukla Wetlands

A general look at the landcsape, flora and fauna

The Geography

The Mesaoria/Mesarya Plain is bounded at the east and west by the Mediterranean Sea, at the south by the Troodos/Trodos Mountains and at the north by the Pentadaktylos/Beşparmak Mountains, while in the middle lies the capital Nicosia/Lefkoşa. In the past, it was covered by dense forests. Most of these forests were cut down in the middle of the 1st century BC...

Habitats

There are five basic types of habitats within Kukla Wetlands: These are temporary shallow lake, inland salt marsh, riverbeds, agricultural fields and orchard. Each one inhabits different kinds of wildlife, homing different plants, insects and birds. For example, (Kuklia/ Köprülü) Reservoir part forms the temporary shallow lake habitat of Kukla Wetlands, which can be as deep as 2 meters. The reservoir used to be deeper, however...

Birds at Kukla

Kukla Wetlands becomes a prime birdwatching hotspot of Cyprus once it is full. Although this only happens in wet years, it flourishes from a desert to into to a heaven attracting thousands of birds. In fact more than half of the birds ever recorded in Cyprus have been observed at the site including some first records of species for the island...

Photo Gallery

The Aim of the Project

Our overall aim is to conserve the natural heritage of Cyprus, by promoting it as a birdwatching destination,
showcasing one of the most undervalued natural part of the island. KUŞKOR The North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature