Steppe Birds of Turkey: Open-Country Species

Turkey’s steppe bird community includes species that breed, feed, migrate or winter in treeless grassland, dry shrub-steppe, saline flats, high plateaus, fallow and broad cereal mosaics. The strongest habitat specialists are larks, bustards, sandgrouse, wheatears, pipits and open-country buntings. Raptors, shrikes, rollers and owls form a second group whose nests may be on cliffs, trees or buildings but whose feeding grounds depend on open landscapes.

There is no single official checklist titled “steppe birds of Turkey.” The boundary is ecological rather than administrative: some birds depend on natural steppe, some use both steppe and low-intensity farmland, and others appear mainly during migration or winter. The checklist on this page therefore separates core steppe species, regular open-country associates and seasonal visitors instead of treating every bird seen over a field as a steppe bird.

Taxonomic baseline

eBird/Clements v2025

Current English and scientific names were checked against the 2025 checklist release.[a]

Steppe extent reference

Nearly 40% of Turkey

This is the approximate national coverage stated in the FAO project description, not a new GIS calculation.[b]

Core habitat study

32 Inner Anatolian sites

The field study covered about one million hectares and ranked birds by dependence on steppe habitat.[c]

National breeding evidence

2014–2017 field period

The Turkish Breeding Bird Atlas provides the national atlas reference for recent breeding evidence.[d]

What Counts as Steppe Habitat for Birds

For birds, Anatolian steppe is a set of open vegetation structures rather than one uniform plant community. It ranges from short, heavily exposed plains and saline basins to taller herbaceous steppe, dwarf-shrub country, rocky uplands, alpine grassland and long-established agricultural mosaics. Soil, rainfall, altitude, grazing, fallow age and the amount of scattered woody cover all change which species can use a site.

Central Anatolian grasslands should not automatically be described as ruined forest. Palaeoecological and vegetation evidence supports their treatment as old-growth grassland and forest-steppe systems that have persisted under climate and disturbance over long periods. Planting trees into naturally open grassland can therefore replace, rather than restore, habitat for treeless-country birds.[e]

Open farmland is not automatically steppe habitat

A cereal field can support larks, buntings, quail or harriers, but its value depends on crop type, field size, pesticide use, fallow, grazing, field margins and nearby natural vegetation. Intensive irrigated monoculture and diverse dry-farming mosaics should not be placed in the same habitat category.

Open-Country Regions and Their Bird Assemblages

Turkey’s open-country birds turn over along strong gradients of altitude, winter severity, summer drought and land use. The assemblage of a saline Central Anatolian basin differs from that of an eastern plateau or a stony plain in the southeast. The examples in the table indicate characteristic combinations, not exclusive ranges.

Open-country zone	Dominant structure	Characteristic assemblage examples
Central plateau and closed basins	Natural and semi-natural steppe, saline flats, fallow, dry cereal plains	Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Turkestan Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Isabelline Wheatear, Corn Bunting, Great Bustard
Eastern high plateaus	Treeless uplands, cool grassland, rocky plateau and broad valleys	Bimaculated Lark, Horned Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Northern Wheatear, Gray Partridge, Great Bustard, Long-legged Buzzard
Southeastern arid steppe	Low-rainfall plains, stony ground, dwarf-shrub steppe and rocky escarpments	Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Greater Short-toed Lark, Isabelline Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Cinereous Bunting, Lesser Kestrel
Agricultural-steppe mosaics	Cereal fields, fallow, pasture, field margins, villages and scattered trees	Common Quail, Corn Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Lesser Gray Shrike, European Roller, Lesser Kestrel, Montagu’s Harrier
Wet and saline steppe margins	Seasonally damp grassland, shallow basin edges, salt meadows and irrigated field margins	Western Yellow Wagtail, Collared Pratincole, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Sociable Lapwing during passage

Central Anatolian Plateau and Basin Steppe

The central plateau contains broad dry-farming landscapes, natural steppe remnants, salt basins and abandoned fields. Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Tawny Pipit, Isabelline Wheatear and Corn Bunting occupy different combinations of vegetation height, bare ground and disturbance. Great Bustard and Black-bellied Sandgrouse require much larger, quieter open landscapes and are far more localized.

Eastern High Plateaus

Eastern Anatolia adds cold, treeless uplands and broad high-elevation valleys. Bimaculated Lark, Horned Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Northern Wheatear, Gray Partridge and Golden Eagle are more closely tied to these cooler or rockier settings than to the low, dry central plains. Snow cover and severe winters create stronger seasonal movement than in much of central and southeastern Turkey.

Southeastern Arid Steppe

Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakır and neighboring districts contain low-rainfall plains, rocky escarpments and dwarf-shrub steppe with a stronger Middle Eastern element. Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Isabelline Wheatear, Finsch’s Wheatear, Cinereous Bunting and Lesser Kestrel are among the birds associated with this arid open-country belt. FAO-backed conservation planning in Şanlıurfa has focused on Kızılkuyu Wildlife Development Area, Tek Tek Mountains National Park and the Karacadağ steppes.[f]

Agricultural Mosaics and Steppe Margins

Dry cereal fields, fallow, pasture, village edges, orchards and scattered trees expand the usable landscape for quail, Corn Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, shrikes, European Roller and Lesser Kestrel. The same woody elements that provide nest sites for rollers, shrikes and eagles can reduce habitat suitability for birds that require uninterrupted treeless ground. Conservation at landscape scale therefore needs both open cores and selected nesting structures.

Source-Based Working Checklist

The following list combines habitat-dependence evidence from Inner Anatolia, breeding-atlas context, current taxonomy and country-level conservation records. BirdLife’s Türkiye factsheet was used as a country and threat-status cross-check rather than as a stand-alone definition of steppe habitat.[g]

This is a source-based working list, not a complete official inventory. It excludes accidentals, primarily forest or wetland specialists, and widespread urban generalists even when they occasionally feed in open land. Seasonal phrases describe broad national patterns; local timing and breeding status can differ by region and year.

Bustards, Gamebirds, Sandgrouse, Larks and Pipits

Common name	Scientific name	Relationship to steppe	Seasonal pattern in Turkey	Main open-country use
Great Bustard	Otis tarda	Core steppe species	Resident breeder with seasonal movements; also forms winter concentrations	Large treeless plains, fallow, cereal-steppe mosaics
Little Bustard	Tetrax tetrax	Core steppe species	Extremely scarce breeder; migrant and winter visitor	Short grassland, dry farmland, fallow and coastal winter fields
Chukar	Alectoris chukar	Core rocky-steppe species	Resident	Rocky slopes, broken steppe and dry uplands
Gray Partridge	Perdix perdix	Core cool-steppe species	Localized resident	Cooler plateau grasslands, field edges and eastern uplands
Common Quail	Coturnix coturnix	Core grassland species	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Tall grass, hayfields, cereal crops and lightly grazed steppe
Black-bellied Sandgrouse	Pterocles orientalis	Core arid-steppe species	Localized resident and breeder	Dry plains, semi-desert, stony steppe and sparse farmland
Eurasian Thick-knee	Burhinus oedicnemus	Core bare-ground species	Summer breeder; locally present longer	Dry open ground, stony fields, fallow and sparse grass
Sociable Lapwing	Vanellus gregarius	Seasonal open-country visitor	Scarce passage migrant	Short grass, grazed plains and recently worked fields
Collared Pratincole	Glareola pratincola	Open-country associate	Summer breeder and migrant	Bare or short-vegetated ground near shallow wetlands and irrigated plains
Calandra Lark	Melanocorypha calandra	Core steppe species	Resident or locally dispersive	Lowland steppe, pasture and broad cereal plains
Bimaculated Lark	Melanocorypha bimaculata	Core steppe species	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Upland dry grassland, plateau steppe and open cultivation
Greater Short-toed Lark	Calandrella brachydactyla	Core steppe species	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Dry plains, sparse grass, fallow and saline-steppe margins
Turkestan Short-toed Lark	Alaudala heinei	Core short-steppe species	Localized breeder and partial migrant	Short, sparse steppe and saline or semi-arid flats
Eurasian Skylark	Alauda arvensis	Core grassland species	Breeder, migrant and winter visitor depending on region	Plateau grassland, pasture and open arable land
Crested Lark	Galerida cristata	Core disturbed-open-ground species	Resident	Roadside steppe, dry farmland, village margins and bare ground
Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Core alpine-steppe species	Localized resident and breeder	Treeless high plateaus, alpine turf and wind-exposed ground
Wood Lark	Lullula arborea	Forest-steppe associate	Resident or partial migrant	Open woodland-steppe, scrub clearings and dry grassland
Tawny Pipit	Anthus campestris	Core dry-open-ground species	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Bare soil, sparse grass, dry pasture and open cultivation
Red-throated Pipit	Anthus cervinus	Seasonal open-country visitor	Passage migrant	Short pasture, damp fields and open grassland during migration
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	Seasonal open-country visitor	Mainly winter visitor and passage migrant	Pasture, wet grassland and open fields
Water Pipit	Anthus spinoletta	High-country open-land species	Breeder in uplands; widespread in winter	Alpine meadow, wet plateau grassland and lowland winter fields
Western Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava	Open-country associate	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Wet pasture, crop margins, irrigated fields and marshy steppe edges

Raptors and Owls That Depend on Open Hunting or Foraging Ground

Common name	Scientific name	Relationship to steppe	Seasonal pattern in Turkey	Main open-country use
Egyptian Vulture	Neophron percnopterus	Open-country scavenger	Summer breeder and migrant	Feeds over steppe, pasture and farmland; nests on cliffs
Bearded Vulture	Gypaetus barbatus	Highland open-country scavenger	Resident	Mountain steppe and open slopes around cliff nesting areas
Eurasian Griffon	Gyps fulvus	Open-country scavenger	Resident with wide-ranging movements	Pasture, plateau and steppe around communal cliff roosts and colonies
Cinereous Vulture	Aegypius monachus	Open-country scavenger	Resident and dispersive	Forages over open uplands and steppe; usually nests in trees
Short-toed Snake-Eagle	Circaetus gallicus	Open-country raptor	Summer breeder and migrant	Dry grassland, scrub-steppe and open rocky country
Eastern Imperial Eagle	Aquila heliaca	Open-country raptor	Localized breeder, migrant and winter visitor	Steppe and farmland with nesting trees or woodland edges
Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Highland open-country raptor	Resident	Mountain steppe, plateaus, cliffs and broad open valleys
Steppe Eagle	Aquila nipalensis	Seasonal steppe raptor	Passage migrant; occasional winter records	Open plains, ridges and migration corridors
Long-legged Buzzard	Buteo rufinus	Core open-country raptor	Resident, breeder and migrant	Dry steppe, farmland, plateaus and rocky plains
Pallid Harrier	Circus macrourus	Seasonal steppe raptor	Passage migrant and winter visitor	Short grassland, cereal fields and open plains
Montagu’s Harrier	Circus pygargus	Open-country raptor	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Grassland, cereal fields, fallow and wet-steppe margins
Hen Harrier	Circus cyaneus	Seasonal open-country raptor	Winter visitor and passage migrant	Open farmland, pasture, marsh edge and steppe
Lesser Kestrel	Falco naumanni	Core open-country raptor	Summer breeder and migrant	Steppe and cereal plains near colonies in cliffs or buildings
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Regular open-country raptor	Resident, breeder and migrant	Farmland, grassland, steppe and settlement edges
Red-footed Falcon	Falco vespertinus	Seasonal open-country raptor	Passage migrant; local breeding evidence varies	Open farmland, grassland and tree-lined plains
Saker Falcon	Falco cherrug	Core steppe falcon	Localized breeder, resident or migrant	Broad plains, plateaus and open country with suitable nest sites
Merlin	Falco columbarius	Seasonal open-country raptor	Winter visitor and passage migrant	Open fields, grassland and treeless plains
Little Owl	Athene noctua	Regular open-country owl	Resident	Dry farmland, rocky steppe, ruins and village margins
Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Seasonal open-country owl	Irregular winter visitor and passage migrant; local breeder in some years	Open grassland, marshy plains, fallow and rough fields
Eurasian Eagle-Owl	Bubo bubo	Open-country predator from rocky sites	Resident	Cliffs, quarries and rocky steppe overlooking open hunting ground

Wheatears, Shrikes, Buntings and Other Open-Country Passerines

Common name	Scientific name	Relationship to steppe	Seasonal pattern in Turkey	Main open-country use
Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabellina	Core steppe species	Summer breeder and passage migrant	Dry plains, grazed steppe, burrow-rich pasture and fallow
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	Core upland-open-country species	Summer breeder and passage migrant	High plateaus, rocky grassland and alpine steppe
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear	Oenanthe melanoleuca	Core rocky-open-country species	Summer breeder and migrant	Rocky steppe, dry slopes, quarries and open scrub
Finsch’s Wheatear	Oenanthe finschii	Core arid-rocky-steppe species	Winter visitor and localized breeder depending on region	Barren slopes, stony plains and sparse scrub
Kurdish Wheatear	Oenanthe xanthoprymna	Core eastern rocky-steppe species	Localized breeder and migrant	Rocky highlands, scree and dry eastern plateaus
Pied Wheatear	Oenanthe pleschanka	Seasonal open-country visitor	Passage migrant; localized in the east	Rocky plains, short grass and dry slopes
Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra	Open-grassland associate	Passage migrant and localized summer breeder	Meadows, rank grass, field edges and wet-steppe margins
European Stonechat	Saxicola rubicola	Open-country associate	Resident, breeder and migrant depending on region	Rough pasture, scrub-steppe and field margins
Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin	Cercotrichas galactotes	Dry scrub-steppe associate	Summer breeder and migrant	Open scrub, hedges, dry orchards and semi-arid field edges
Red-backed Shrike	Lanius collurio	Open-country edge species	Summer breeder and migrant	Pasture and steppe with scattered shrubs, hedges or small trees
Lesser Gray Shrike	Lanius minor	Open-country edge species	Summer breeder and migrant	Broad farmland and dry grassland with scattered trees or wires
Woodchat Shrike	Lanius senator	Open-country edge species	Summer breeder and migrant	Open scrub, orchards, pasture and lightly wooded steppe
Masked Shrike	Lanius nubicus	Open-country edge species	Summer breeder and migrant	Dry scrub, open woodland and rocky agricultural margins
European Roller	Coracias garrulus	Open-country edge species	Summer breeder and migrant	Steppe and farmland with nest cavities, poles or scattered trees
European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster	Open-country aerial feeder	Summer breeder and migrant	Open farmland and steppe near earthen nesting banks
Common Hoopoe	Upupa epops	Open-country ground feeder	Summer breeder; resident locally	Short grass, pasture, orchards and village-steppe mosaics
Corn Bunting	Emberiza calandra	Core agricultural-steppe species	Resident, breeder and partial migrant	Cereal fields, fallow, pasture and open steppe
Ortolan Bunting	Emberiza hortulana	Core open-country species	Summer breeder and migrant	Dry farmland, steppe slopes and scattered scrub
Black-headed Bunting	Emberiza melanocephala	Core open-country species	Summer breeder and migrant	Tall steppe herbs, field margins and open scrub
Rock Bunting	Emberiza cia	Rocky-steppe associate	Resident or partial migrant	Rocky slopes, open scrub and mountain steppe
Cretzschmar’s Bunting	Emberiza caesia	Dry rocky-open-country species	Summer breeder and migrant	Dry slopes, open scrub, stony steppe and terraces
Cinereous Bunting	Emberiza cineracea	Localized arid-steppe species	Summer breeder and migrant	Dry rocky slopes, sparse scrub and southeastern open country
Gray-necked Bunting	Emberiza buchanani	Eastern open-country species	Localized breeder and passage migrant	Barren hills, rocky steppe and sparse mountain scrub
Rock Sparrow	Petronia petronia	Core rocky-steppe species	Resident or partial migrant	Rocky grassland, ruins, cliffs and open farmland
Pale Rockfinch	Carpospiza brachydactyla	Core dry-upland species	Summer breeder and migrant	Barren uplands, rocky steppe and sparse highland grass
Eurasian Linnet	Linaria cannabina	Open-country associate	Resident, breeder and migrant	Dry grassland, fallow, scrub-steppe and weedy fields
Crimson-winged Finch	Rhodopechys sanguineus	High rocky-steppe species	Resident or locally dispersive	Rocky high plateaus, scree and sparse alpine-steppe vegetation
Spanish Sparrow	Passer hispaniolensis	Agricultural-steppe associate	Summer breeder, migrant and local resident	Cereal plains, pasture and open country near colony sites
Rose-colored Starling	Pastor roseus	Irruptive open-country visitor	Irregular summer migrant and breeder	Grasshopper-rich steppe, pasture and agricultural plains

Names That Need Current Taxonomic Treatment

Taxonomic change affects search results, older field records and population estimates. The current nomenclature used here follows the 2025 eBird/Clements baseline.[a] Older Turkish literature remains valuable, but names must be mapped to current taxa before records are combined.

Current name	Current scientific name	Older or alternative label	Why the distinction matters
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear	Oenanthe melanoleuca	Older sources often used Black-eared Wheatear, O. hispanica, for a broader species.	The 2021 eBird treatment split Western and Eastern Black-eared Wheatears. Turkish breeding birds are normally treated as Eastern, while uncertain records should not be forced to species.[h]
Turkestan Short-toed Lark	Alaudala heinei	Many older records were filed under Lesser Short-toed Lark or a broad A. rufescens treatment.	Current species treatment recognizes Turkestan Short-toed Lark. BirdLife notes that older Turkish estimates may have included birds assigned to a neighboring taxon, so historical totals need taxonomic review.[i]
Pale Rockfinch	Carpospiza brachydactyla	Older literature may use Pale Rock Sparrow or Petronia brachydactyla.	Current nomenclature places the species in Carpospiza; searches should include both older and current names.
Eastern Imperial Eagle	Aquila heliaca	Some global lists shorten the English name to Imperial Eagle.	The scientific name identifies the same species; English-name differences should not be treated as a taxonomic split.

The Steppe Community Changes Through the Year

A spring visit, a winter survey and a breeding atlas can produce very different lists from the same plain. Summer brings quail, short-toed larks, wheatears, buntings, rollers and Lesser Kestrels. Passage periods add Sociable Lapwing, Steppe Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Red-footed Falcon and Red-throated Pipit. Winter shifts many birds toward lower plains and cultivated basins, while Hen Harrier, Merlin, Meadow Pipit and Short-eared Owl become more visible.

Seasonal group	Pattern	Examples
Resident and locally dispersive birds	Present through much of the year, although snow, drought and food can drive movements	Chukar, Crested Lark, Long-legged Buzzard, Little Owl, Rock Sparrow
Spring and summer breeders	Arrive to breed in grassland, dry farmland or rocky steppe, then leave or move south	Common Quail, Bimaculated Lark, Tawny Pipit, Isabelline Wheatear, Black-headed Bunting, Lesser Kestrel
Passage migrants	Use short grass, fields, ridges and plateaus while crossing Anatolia	Sociable Lapwing, Steppe Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Red-throated Pipit
Winter and irregular visitors	Concentrate in open fields, pasture and lowland plains outside the breeding season	Hen Harrier, Merlin, Meadow Pipit, Short-eared Owl, Finsch’s Wheatear in parts of the country
Irruptive open-country users	Numbers vary sharply between years in response to food and movements outside Turkey	Rose-colored Starling and some wintering raptors

Presence during migration does not establish breeding. The Turkish Breeding Bird Atlas used possible, probable and confirmed breeding evidence during its 2014–2017 field period, a distinction that should be retained when regional lists are updated.[d]

Treelessness, Vegetation Height and Fallow Age Shape the Assemblage

In the 32-site Inner Anatolian study, bird composition was best explained by altitude and human land use. Sites near rural settlements and trees could hold more bird species in total, yet treeless high-altitude steppe supported a larger proportion of steppe-dependent birds. Total richness and specialist richness therefore measured different ecological outcomes.[c]

More bird species does not always mean better steppe habitat

Trees, buildings and gardens add woodland-edge and settlement birds, raising total richness while reducing the share of birds tied to open, treeless ground. A steppe assessment should track specialists separately from the full bird list.

The same study found steppe birds most often in long-abandoned cropland, especially fields abandoned for roughly 20–50 years where erect leafy plants had developed. Horned Lark and Northern Wheatear were associated with high, treeless sites, whereas Crested Lark, Tawny Pipit and Isabelline Wheatear were linked to lower, drier and more disturbed ground. Steppe-dependent richness ranged from zero to five species per sampled site, with a mean of 2.7.[c]

Grazing cannot be reduced to a simple present-or-absent rule. Moderate grazing can maintain short vegetation, bare patches and plant heterogeneity needed by some larks and wheatears. Heavy, uniform pressure can remove nesting cover and simplify the plant structure required by quail, buntings and other taller-vegetation birds. The useful target is a mosaic of grazing intensities rather than one vegetation height across the landscape.

Bustards and Migratory Raptors Reveal Different Risk Scales

Global Red List category, national status and seasonal use in Turkey answer different questions. A globally threatened migrant may pass through Turkey without breeding, while a species with a lower global category can be near loss as a Turkish breeder. The evidence must be kept at the scale at which it was assessed.

Species	Scientific name	Use of Turkey’s open country	Turkey-specific evidence used here	Global category
Great Bustard	Otis tarda	Resident breeder with regional movements and winter concentrations	The cited national analysis estimated 559–780 breeding and 593–775 wintering individuals.[j]	Endangered in the current BirdLife factsheet.[k]
Little Bustard	Tetrax tetrax	Very rare breeder; also a migrant and winter visitor	A 2025 assessment estimated 10–20 breeding individuals, 250–400 migrants and 100–200 winterers; it also retained the national Critically Endangered assessment.[l]	Near Threatened globally.[m]
Sociable Lapwing	Vanellus gregarius	Scarce passage migrant using short grass and cultivated plains	Turkey is part of the migration landscape; the checked sources do not support a national population total for this page.	Critically Endangered globally.[n]
Steppe Eagle	Aquila nipalensis	Passage migrant over open country and migration corridors	Records document seasonal use rather than a Turkish breeding population.	Endangered globally.[o]
Saker Falcon	Falco cherrug	Localized breeder, resident or migrant in broad open landscapes	National presence must be separated from the species’ global trend; no national total is assigned here.	Endangered globally.[p]

The contrast between Great and Little Bustards is especially sharp. Great Bustard still has resident breeding populations in Turkey, although the national study reports a rapid decline and a wide threat set. Little Bustard is now estimated to retain only a few breeding birds in the east, while larger numbers pass through or winter, especially in coastal regions.[j][l]

Pressures Act Differently Across the Open-Country Mosaic

Intensification Removes Fallow, Margins and Structural Variety

Large irrigated fields, repeated tillage, early harvest, pesticide use and removal of uncultivated margins reduce the mix of bare ground, short grass, tall herbs and seed-rich fallow used by different species. The effect is not identical for every bird: Crested Lark can persist in disturbed ground, while Great Bustard, Little Bustard, quail and many buntings need larger or more varied patches with less disturbance.

Loss of Treeless Habitat Can Occur Through Planting as Well as Ploughing

Afforestation is harmful where naturally open old-growth grassland is treated as empty or degraded land. Trees can displace the open sight lines and low vegetation needed by larks, bustards and sandgrouse, while also increasing perches for predators. Restoration in these places should protect grassland processes and native plant communities rather than pursue tree cover as a universal target.[e]

Infrastructure and Direct Mortality Affect Large and Wide-Ranging Birds

Power-line collision, electrocution, illegal hunting, disturbance near display and nesting areas, and pesticide exposure act beyond the boundaries of any single steppe patch. The Great Bustard assessment identifies illegal hunting, agricultural intensification, disturbance, power-line collision, overgrazing and pesticide use among the threats in Turkey.[j] The Little Bustard assessment identifies agricultural expansion and intensification, overgrazing and hunting as current or inferred pressures.[l]

The Wider European Pattern Is Also Concentrated in Open Habitats

Birds in Europe 4 classified 207 of 546 assessed species, or 38%, as Species of European Conservation Concern and identified many farmland and steppe birds among the affected groups.[q] The European Red List of Birds also reported that open-habitat groups such as larks, shrikes and buntings contained more declining species than in the previous assessment.[r] These European patterns do not replace Turkish monitoring, but they show why open-country birds need separate tracking.

Why This Checklist Must Remain a Working List

“Steppe bird” is a habitat-use category, not a formal taxonomic rank. The boundary shifts with season, altitude and the amount of cultivation or woody cover. A species such as European Roller may depend on open feeding ground but require a tree, cliff or building cavity for nesting; a vulture may nest outside the steppe yet range over it daily; a pipit recorded during passage may have no breeding connection to the site.

Atlas maps and occurrence records document evidence at particular places and times. They do not prove continuous occupancy between records, and sparse records can reflect low survey effort as well as true rarity. A single unverified observation is not enough to add an accidental species to a national habitat checklist. Breeding evidence, repeated seasonal records, habitat association and current taxonomy should be checked together.

Future revisions may alter names, national breeding status or the placement of borderline species. The stable part of the page is the ecological filter: regular dependence on treeless or sparsely wooded land, clear use of Turkey’s steppe and dry-farming landscapes, and separation of resident breeders from migrants and winter visitors.

Sources and Verification

[a] The eBird/Clements Checklist v2025: citation and downloads — Used for the current taxonomic and nomenclatural baseline.
[b] New FAO project protects Turkey’s unique steppe lands and biodiversity — Used for FAO’s approximate statement that Anatolian steppes cover nearly 40% of Turkey.
[c] Ambarlı and Bilgin: bird communities in Inner Anatolian steppes — Used for the 32-site survey, steppe-dependence groups and relationships with altitude, trees, disturbance, grazing and fallow age.
[d] EBBA2 national atlases: Turkey — Used for the Turkish Breeding Bird Atlas reference and its 2014–2017 breeding field period.
[e] Old-growth grasslands of Central Anatolia require better conservation and management — Used for the old-growth grassland interpretation and the warning that unsuitable afforestation can damage open ecosystems.
[f] Şanlıurfa Steppe Conservation Strategy and Action Plan — Used for the named conservation landscapes in Kızılkuyu, Tek Tek Mountains and Karacadağ.
[g] BirdLife DataZone country factsheet: Türkiye — Used as a country-level cross-check for species occurrence, threatened birds and site-based conservation context.
[h] 2021 eBird Taxonomy Update — Used for the split of Western and Eastern Black-eared Wheatears.
[i] Turkestan Short-toed Lark species factsheet — Used for the accepted species treatment and the caution attached to older Turkish population estimates.
[j] Current status of Great Bustard in Turkey — Used for Turkey’s breeding and wintering estimates, movements and documented threats.
[k] Great Bustard species factsheet — Used for the current global Endangered category.
[l] Türkiye’s Little Bustards in decline: distribution, trends and threats — Used for the breeding, migration and winter estimates, national status and pressures reported in the 2025 assessment.
[m] Little Bustard species factsheet — Used for the current global Near Threatened category.
[n] Sociable Lapwing species factsheet — Used for the current global Critically Endangered category and migratory context.
[o] Steppe Eagle species factsheet — Used for the current global Endangered category.
[p] Saker Falcon species factsheet — Used for the current global Endangered category.
[q] Birds in Europe 4 assessment — Used for the 546-species assessment, the 38% conservation-concern result and the wider pressure on farmland and steppe birds.
[r] European Red List of Birds 2021 — Used for the European trend context affecting open-habitat groups such as larks, shrikes and buntings.