{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03460559796437659, 'fraction_numerical': 0.03460559796437659, 'mean_word_length': 4.86865671641791, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Recent observations on the Great Bustard, Otis tarda, in south-eastern Anatolia

The Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is a globally threatened species classified as “vulnerable” by IUCN (IUCN 2004). It is estimated that its population is declining over large parts of its Western Palaearctic range. The population in Turkey is estimated at 500–1000 individuals, which is divided into two sub-populations: one in central and the inner part of southern Anatolia, the other in eastern and south-eastern Anatolia (KASPAREK 1989, GÜRKAN et al. 2003). A population assessment has still not been undertaken in Turkey, but it is evident that the population is declining mainly because of the loss of habitats (grassland and other open areas). The international action plan for this species lists a national survey in Turkey among the priority actions which should be undertaken (HEUNKS et al. 2001). The Great Bustard appears to be locally more common in south-east Anatolia than in other parts of the country, but concrete information is scarce, and the presence of a non-breeding (mainly wintering) population blurs the picture (KASPAREK 1989, KIRWAN & MARTINS 1994, KASPAREK & BILGIN 1996, KIRWAN & MARTINS 2000, KIRWAN et al. 2003). We therefore studied the population of the Great Bustard in the Diyarbak r Basin between March 2003 and late October 2004, with a focus on the breeding season of 2004. Altogether, we made 24 field excursions, which followed seven main routes in all parts of the province (Fig. 1). The area was surveyed from a car, driven at low speed and stopping frequently at points with a panoramic overview for defining birds, using binoculars (10x50) and telescopes (20-45x60). Additionally, interviews with local people were carried out to obtain information on the former and current occurrence of Great Bustards. Most of the observations were made in the morning hours, starting at dawn until six hours after dawn. We made the following observations: