The population increase of the Hooded Crow, Corvus corone cornix Linnaeus, 1758, in Zagreb, from 2004 to 2017

Abstract

Siva vrana (Corvus corone cornix, L.) eurazijska je vrsta ptica iz reda vrapčarki (Passeriformes), porodice vrana (Corvidae) koja nastanjuje veći dio europskog kontinenta, pretežno istočnu i sjevernu Europu. Oportunisti su koji uspješno iskorištavaju promjene uslijed urbanizacije krajolika, što pokazuje i rast njihovih populacija u raznim europskim gradovima. Cilj istraživanja bio kvantificirati istražiti brojnost i porast populacije sivih vrana na području Zagreba prebrojavanjem gnijezdećih parova unutar 16 odabranih kvadrata površine 1 km². Dobiveni podaci uspoređeni su s onima prikupljenim između 2004. i 2007. godine, te je utvrđen rast u gotovo svim odabranim kvadratima. Dokazana je korelacija između porasta sivih vrana i visokourbaniziranih područja grada ali i njihovo preferiranje parkova i ostalih otvorenih površina.The Hooded Crow (Corvus corone cornix, L.) is a Eurasian bird species which belongs to the order Passeriformes and family Corvidae. It is found across the European continent, mostly in Eastern and Northern Europe. They are opportunistic species that successfully exploit the habitat changes brought by urbanization, which is reflectedseen by the growth of their populations across European towns. The aim of this research was to quantify the increase of the Hooded Crow population in Zagreb by counting the nesting couples in 16 squares that have a surface of 1 km². The data was compared to those gathered between 2004 and 2007, and an increase has been shown in almost all of the squares. A correlation between the increase of the Hooded Crow population and the highly urbanized parts of the city was found, as well as their prefference has not been proven, as crows preferred parks and green areas