Turkey plans release of 51,000 quail and pheasants for biological pest control

Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that, under Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı, a programme will release 51,000 birds – 39,250 quail and 11,750 pheasants – into natural habitats during 2026. The releases will take place in 62 provinces at 156 sites, with the birds used to combat ticks and the brown‑marmorated stink bug through natural predation. Production centres in Afyonkarahisar, Kahramanmaraş, Yozgat, Gaziantep and Malatya raise the quail, while Samsun, Istanbul and Gümüşhane breed the pheasants. Before release, quail are treated against tick infestations and pheasants are targeted at stink‑bug‑prone areas, especially in the Black Sea region. All release zones will be closed to hunting for three years to allow the populations to establish. The ministry noted that over the past ten years roughly one million such birds have been released, strengthening wildlife and supporting ecological balance. A recent local operation saw 900 red‑legged quail released in Kırşehir, illustrating the rollout’s regional scale.