Turkey's premier bird sanctuary and Ramsar wetland on Lake Kuş
Kuşcenneti National Park
Kuşcenneti National Park is Turkey's oldest protected area dedicated specifically to bird conservation, established in 1959 at the northeastern shores of Lake Kuş in northwestern Turkey. The park derives its name from the Turkish words kuş (bird) and cenneti (paradise), reflecting its extraordinary significance as a nesting, wintering, and migratory stopover site for millions of birds. Located in the Bandırma district of Balıkesir Province, the park encompasses both terrestrial and aquatic habitats spanning approximately 24,000 hectares, with the lake itself covering roughly 16,400 hectares on average.
The national park sits at a critical juncture of the Palearctic bird migration route, where Asia, Europe, and Africa converge, making it one of the most ornithologically important wetlands in Turkey and the broader Mediterranean region. Each year, between two and three million birds representing over 230 species visit the park, either to breed, winter, or pause during their seasonal journeys between continents. The wetland ecosystem comprises flooded willow and ash tree communities, freshwater lakes, wet meadows, and extensive reed beds that together support this remarkable avian diversity.
What makes Kuşcenneti distinctive among Turkey's national parks is its singular focus on avian protection and its remarkable international recognition. Despite being one of Turkey's smallest national parks by land area, it attracts some of the highest visitor numbers, drawing nature enthusiasts, ornithologists, and conservationists who come to witness the spectacular bird congregations that have made this wetland famous across Europe and beyond.
