Clucking in their cages and ruffling their feathers, hundreds of partridges bide their time in a complex run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, ahead of their special mission: To save crops from ticks and stink bugs.

Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute, based in the central Turkish province of Konya, serves as the main breeding ground for thousands of partridges, specifically grown to fight against pests harming crops. Every year, up to 20,000 partridges are released into nature all across the country.

Institute’s chair Fatih Özdemir says partridges are "dear" for farmers against pests and they have been breeding them in their complex since 2016. "Our primary purpose was doing research on partridges and breeding them to fight pests were secondary but we achieved both," he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday. He said they provided a myriad of data about the birds to the scientific community, including studies published in international scientific journals. "We run a facility largest of its kind in the world," he stressed, noting that they had a capacity to breed up to 60,000 partridges yearly.

Partridges live in a mostly free environment after they are born and are ready for "release" within five months. They are taken by ministry crews to the areas requiring measures against ticks and stink bugs. Incubation season begins in late March and they are later taken to larger cages, giving them more freedom. They are released into nature usually in September and October, a high season to fight against ticks.

Özdemir says partridges greatly contribute to agricultural activities, but they also face a high risk from illegal hunters.