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Cypriot Wetlands Contain Plethora of Waterbirds

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This season in the Cypriot wetlands, a variety of waterbirds found havens including teal, flamingos and black-headed gulls, according to BirdLife Cyprus.

The non-profit and non-governmental organization works to preserve wild birds, habitats and biodiversity on the island. Currently, 64% of the globe's wetlands have been depleted since 1990.  The organization issued a press release commemorating World Wetlands Day.

The NGO confirmed on its website, "BirdLife Cyprus recently completed the January mid-winter count at all the key wetlands across the length and breadth of the island. We can report a total count of over 11,000 water birds of 61 different species, including impressive numbers of Flamingos (over 3,000 counted), Teal (over 2,000 counted) and Black-headed gulls (over 1,300 counted)." The mid-winter count is orchestrated around the world by Wetlands International.

BirdLife Cyprus confirmed, "BirdLife Cyprus organized counts at 52 sites between 16th and 18th January 2015 to contribute Cyprus data to the world effort to keep tabs on the health of populations of wetland birds. In winter, Cyprus is an important winter refuge for many wetland species from further north, offering great natural sites like the Larnaca and Akrotiri salt lakes, the Famagusta wetlands and Oroklini Lake and also good man-made sites such as the dams at Kouklia and Akhna. The 'top' sites in January 2015 proved to be Larnaca Salt Lake, which held the most waterbirds (over 3,700 counted) and Oroklini Lake, which held the greatest variety of waterbird species, with 19 recorded."