Transactions
of the Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station
Structure of bird communities of floodplain forests of the black alder of Belarussian Polesye
V. V. Sahvon
The 1999-2006 results o f the study of species richness, diversity, structure of breeding bird assemblages and bird density in the floodplain alder-swamp forests of Polesye Region are presented. Birds were counted by using the Finnish line transect census method with some additions. The line transect method is a 3-6-visit census from the end of March to the end of June at three areas. Total 61 species were registered (from 50 to 54 species in the areas). The breeding was confirmed for 55 species. The breeding bird assemblages of alder-swamp forests were rich in species and overall density and highly similar in the three areas. Overall bird densities of Passeriformes ranged from 13.71 pairs/ha to 15.87 pairs/ha. Fringilla coelebs, Phylloscopus collybita, Erithacus rubecula, Phylloscopus trochilus, Sylvia atricapilla, Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Turdus merula were the main density of assemblage.
Density of hole-nesters was high (1.92-3.41 pairs/ha). Species richness, diversity and abundance o f breeding birds are determined by the character of spring high water and the structure of forest. The most changeable group is the birds which nest on the ground (Anthus trivialis, Phylloscopus collybita). The abundance of Troglodytes troglodytes, Turdus merula and Pyrrhula pyrrhula was positively related to the amount of uprooted trees. A uniqueness role of floodplain alder-swamp forests in preserving o f the species diversity of birds and the necessity of continuation of researches is underlined.
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