For migratory water birds, the Euphrates River valley serves as a major migration route between the wetlands of Turkey and the wetlands of Iraq. Many of these species depend on a combination of wetlands and arid desert habitat. Birds in the ecoregion of conservation interest include vulnerable Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), the vulnerable Great bustard (Otis tarda), and the near-threatened Little bustard (Tetrax tetrax).[1]