Oak forest stands in the Mediterranean basin have an old tradition as sources of livelihood for rural communities. The biodiversity inhabiting these habitats are relatively less known, particularly in the eastern parts of the region. Changes in the socio-economic conditions have lead to abandonment of many stands, putting them in great risk of being converted into coniferous plantations managed for production purposes. The "Turkish Oak Habitat Project" initiated in 2005 work with studies describing and documenting the biodiversity associated with oaks in different parts of Turkey. Previous studies have focused mainly upon the invertebrate fauna of old hollow oaks. This study investigated, for the first time, bird assemblages of oak and pine forest stands in a region located in southwestern Turkey. Species richness, territory density and associations between groups of birds and habitat attributes were analysed to assess how well the two habitats work in supporting breeding birds. The results can be used to identify conservation measures of valuable habitats and guide forestry practises towards a more sustainable management to benefit breeding birds.