Branta Issues > Issue №15 (2012)

On the extension of the Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) range in the Eastern Azov area.

Y. V. Lokhman, A. O. Lokhman.

The Caspian Tern is a breeding migratory species in the Western Ciscaucasia. Until the mid-1980s it was considered to be an accidental species. The first breeding sites in the region were found in 1986 on Kiziltashsky Limans (North-Eastern Azov area), and later in 1994 on LakeKhanskoye (Eastern Azov area). During a quartercentury the breeding area of the Caspian Tern has been forming from these isolated colonies. The number dynamics of the Black Sea population of the species is rather stable. We observe a positive trend on LakeKhanskoe, over the period from 2000 to 2008 the number of breeding birds increased two times. Possibly, increase in the number of breeding birds of LakeKhanskoe favoured their dispersion to other areas. Thus, in 2006 we revealed a possible breeding of the Caspian Tern on an island of Boykievsky Liman, in 2008 it was discovered a colony of 20 pairs on Zelenye Islands (Yeisky Liman). The colonies are located 50 km to the north and to the south from the Caspian Tern colony of KhanskoeLake.