Motorized Vehicle – Bird Collisions on the Highway Surrounding Lake Van (Turkey)

This study investigated vehicle – bird accidents over the highway surrounding Lake Van. Observations were made between November 2015 and October 2016 on the 430-km road. As a result, dead bodies of 297 birds from 28 species were found, and the rate was calculated as 21 bird/km/year. The highest death rate found in the study was that of Corvus frugilegus (Rook) by 80 individuals (26.93%). This was followed by Larus armenicus (Armenian gull) by 40 individuals (13.46%), Melanocorypha calandra (Calandra lark) by 37 individuals (12.45%), Corvus monedula (Jackdaw) by 33 individuals (11.11%), Sturnus vulgaris (Starling) by 26 individuals (8.75%), and Passer domesticus (House sparrow) by 12 individuals (4.37%). It was observed that accidents increased in areas close to the main road. Additionally, it was seen that young individuals who just started to fly experienced accidents more frequently.