Antropogenic materials in the nests of Passerine birds in the west of Ukraine

Background. Traditionally birds build their nests out of natural materials that are usually found near the location of the future nest. However, along with the expansion of human economic activity and the appearance of various types of antropogenic mate­rials (hereafter debris) that pollute environment, they appeared in bird nests. Although it is hard to predict with certainty what significance this behavior will have for birds in the future, it is possible to investigate which species are prone to such behavior, which unnatural materials birds choose to build nests, and which factors influence it. This makes it possible to predict how changes in the environment by humans affect the nest-building behavior of different species of birds and the species-specific appearance of the nest. Moreover, incorporation of debris into birds’ nests may be used as an indicator of environmental pollution. Materials and Methods. Materials for this article included 382 nests of 42 passerine species. Nests were collected unevenly during the last two decades in different stations across the western part of Ukraine. Among them, 18.3 % of the nests were located within the borders of human settlements, 48.2 % on their outskirts, and 37.5 % in the natural or close to the natural environment far beyond settlements. Nests were decomposed with laboratory forceps and nest components were identifined as natural (grass, plant stems, tree leaves, grass roots, moss, mammalian hair, bird feather and others) and antropogenic (threads, synthetic fibers, fluff, ropes, fishing line, cigarette butts, paper, tissue, wires and others), and their percentage by volume was defined. Results and Discussion. To construct nests, birds use antropogenic materials in the form of debris/solid waste, which they find in the surroundings. Among 382 analyzed passerine nests (42 species) collected in the west of Ukraine, artificial or man-changed materials were recorded in nest construction of 103 nests (27.0 %) of 26 species (61.9 %). Most frequently antropogenic materials are incorporated in the nests of the Fringillidae family (Linaria cannabina – 85.7 % of the analysed nests, Chloris chloris – 71.4 %, Fringilla coelebs – 66.7 %). The amount of artificial materials in the nest composition varied from minimal to up 100 %. More than a half (55.3 %) of the investigated passerine nests contain only a minimal or small amount of debris (≤ 1 % by volume). We found 17 types of anthropogenic materials in the nests. The most popular were threads (in 47.1 % of the analyzed nests with antropogenic materials), synthetic fibers (31.7 %), fluff (20.2 %, among them artificial fluff 14.4 %, cotton wool 4.8 %, fiberglass 1.0 %), plastic film (17.4 %), ropes (14.4 %), and fishing line (12.5 %). The number of various types of antropogenic materials in one nest varied from 1 (in 55.3 % nests), 2 (31.1 %), 3 (9.7 %), and 4 to 7 (3.9 %). The higher number of artificial material types in the structure of a bird’s nest may imply purposefulness of such beha­vior in the environment transformed by the human. Some selectivity of the types of solid waste (debris) that birds use for nest construction was noted. We assume that in most cases birds use antropogenic materials closely resembling the traditional natural ones usually used by birds of certain species. The new artificial components in the composition of the nest imply that nest buil­ding is not completely genetically programmed but there is a possibility to change it by adding something new – similar, or even different. It looks quite reasonable, as it facilitates adaptation in changed environments. Using antropogenic materials as nest components is still controversial. The species specific look of the nest has changed by a different degree in polluted environments. It is still questionable weather such behavior is beneficial for birds in the long-term perspective. We suppose that antropogenic components may have appeared as part of the nest in the environments with available solid waste. Intentional/unintentional substitution of some natural components for nest with antropogenic ones may occur because of their high resemblance. Sometimes debris is incorporated into the nest while suitable natural components are accessible. In a polluted environment the species specific appearance of a nest may change to a certain degree. Conclusion. Passerine birds use antropogenic materials (in the form of debris) for nest construction quite often. Debris was found in nests of 26 passerines species. Synantropic species used various types of artificial materials more often. 17 types of various anthropogenic materials were found in the nests. Some selectivity was noted. Birds use antropogenic materials that resemble natural materials, but occasionally choose completely different ones

The Autumn Migration of the Citrine Wagtail, Motacilla Citreola, in the Lviv Region (W. Ukraine) During its Range Expansion

The Citrine Wagtail has been gradually expanding its breeding range from Asia westward into Europe since the middle of the last century. New breeding records of this species further to the west of Europe have emerged during the last several decades. The distribution of the Citrine Wagtail in Western Ukraine began at the end of the last century. A total of 48 Citrine Wagtails were ringed in August 1995–2016 at the Cholgynskyy ornithological reserve (West-Ukrainian Ornithological Station). The birds were recorded mainly in the first half of August, peaking from the beginning of the second decade to the middle of the month. At the beginning of August there were wagtails in different stages of moult. Adult moulted birds were recorded from the beginning of the second decade of August, while juvenile birds underwent partial moult during the first part of the month. The mean weight of adult moulted birds was higher than that of juveniles. At the beginning of August many Citrine Wagtails were lean, without fat reserves, with the mean fat class increasing by the end of the month. The autumn passage of M. citreola took place in W. Ukraine. Birds stay in the shallow waters, pastures, and reed beds to feed, overnight, moult and gain fat reserves for migration

Fuelling strategies differ among juvenile Sedge and Reed Warblers along the eastern European flyway during autumn migration

In this study, we investigated fattening strategies of juvenile Sedge and Reed Warblers during their autumn migration. We analysed fat scores of birds captured at five ringing sites situated between the southern Baltic Sea coast and Asia Minor. In Eastern Europe these two species had similarly low fat reserves. Their fat load increased in the Balkans. Remarkable differences between the species were noted in Asia Minor, where fat reserves of Sedge Warblers were more than two-fold higher compared to Reed Warblers. As high as 90% of Sedge and only 30% of Reed Warblers captured in Asia Minor had the potential capability to cross the Mediterranean Sea in one non-stop flight. Moreover, two-thirds of those Sedge Warblers were able to continue their long flight without refuelling and reach the southern edge of the Sahara desert, while in Reed Warblers only 6% of individuals were potentially able to use the same strategy. The results of the study show clear differences in potential flight ranges of the studied species, revealing different fattening strategies of the Sedge and Reed Warbler in the Balkans and Asia Minor

Birds protected by national legislation show improved population trends in Eastern Europe

International audienceProtecting species is one of the major focuses of conservation efforts. However, large-scale assessments of the effects of species protection on animal populations are rare. Protection has been shown to benefit birds in Western Europe and in the United States, but not yet in Eastern Europe, where modern environmental legislation was only established in the early 1990s after political changes. We compared the population trends of bird species between 1970–1990 and 1990–2000 in ten Eastern European countries for species protected since 1990s and unprotected species, controlling for effects of species’ phylogeny and traits. After 1990, trends in protected species improved more than in unprotected species. This suggests that national legislation has helped prevent declines of the protected species, although there was a high variability in population trends among countries. In particular, there was great improvement in the population trends of protected species in countries providing ‘narrow and deep’ protection to few species. In contrast, trends of protected species remained nearly unchanged in countries providing ‘broad and shallow’ protection to most species, while few unprotected species had adverse population trends in these countries. Although our correlative analysis cannot show causal relationships, the positive relationship between protection and long-term population trends suggests that species protection is a highly relevant tool for conservation. A combination of ‘broad and shallow’ and ‘narrow and deep’ protection might be most efficient for securing healthy bird populations for the future