Transactions
of the Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station

Language of the article: Russian Cite: Kucherenko, V. N., Banik, M. V., Atemasov, A. A., Vergeles, Y. I. (2015). The communities of breeding birds of freshwater and slightly brackish lakes of the Western Crimea.. Branta: Transactions of the Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station, 18, 95-109 Keywords: communities of breeding birds, numbers, distribution, wetlands, freshwater and slightly brackish lakes, Western Crimea Views: 897 Branta copyright

Branta Issues > Issue №18 (2015)

Branta: Transactions of the Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station, 95-109

The communities of breeding birds of freshwater and slightly brackish lakes of the Western Crimea.

V. N. Kucherenko, M. V. Banik, A. A. Atemasov, Y. I. Vergeles

The communities of breeding birds of the lakes of the Western Crimea were studied in 2006-2014 by means of counts of adult birds and broods along shoreline sites in late spring to mid summer time. The lakes originated from shallow sea bays or estuaries flooded by seawaters and then separated from the sea by narrow sandbars. Small freshwater wetlands have formed at the easternmost parts of some lakes (e.g. Donuzlav lake) at river or spring inflow points long before the apparent human intrusion. In the 1990s the impact of building new branches of the Northern Crimean canal resulted in heavy influx of fresh water into Western Crimean lakes. The area of freshwater habitats increased dramatically and the communities of breeding birds had become more rich and diverse. 15 species of birds established as regular breeders since the late 1980s. Nowadays the communities of breeding birds of freshwater parts of Western Crimean lakes comprise 30 species (grebes, herons, Mute swan (Cygnus olor) and ducks, Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), rails, Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), and passerines). Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Pochard (Aythya ferina) and Coot (Fulica atra) are the dominants, and Pochard apparently dominated among other ducks. Typical but less numerous species of these communities are Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), Mute Swan, Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Garganey (Anas querquedula), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus), and Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus).

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