Ornithologists and photographers gathered in Iğdır to celebrate the rich natural heritage of the city.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Çağan Şekercioğlu, an associate professor of biology at Koç University in Turkey and Utah University in the U.S., said Iğdır offers great potential to ornithologists and other wildlife researchers despite its small size.
"Despite covering only 2% of Turkey's land and having no sea, Iğdır hosts 70% of the bird species in Turkey. Aras Bird Paradise stands out as the richest wetland for birds in particular," said Şekercioğlu.
Another academic at Iğdır's Ornithology Application and Research Center, Ayşegül Çoban said after 13 years of ornithology research in the area, they found that Iğdır is a migration route for birds.
"After years of research, ornithologists found that birds use Iğdır as a rest stop during their migration on a regular basis. It shows the importance of the city as a global bird migration route," said Çoban.
