 The shallowness of the lake (more than half of the lake is less than deep) attracts thousands of wading birds to use it as a stopover during the migration seasons between Africa and Europe.BirdLife International estimates that between 2,000 and 20,000 greater flamingos ("Phoenicopterus roseus") spend the winter months on the lake.This salt lake lies within Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus, administered as a Sovereign Base Area.