Romanov M.S., Evstigneev O.I.
RJEE Vol. 1 (3). 2016 | DOI: 10.21685/2500-0578-2016-3-5
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Receipt date 25.08.2016 | Publication date 20.09.2016
M . S . Romanov
Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences,
E-mail: michael_romanov@inbox.ru
O. I. Evstigneev
State Nature Reserve “Bryanskii Les”, Nerussa Station, Bryansk Oblast, 242180, Russia
E-mail: quercus_eo@mail.ru
Abstract. Habitat preferences of three species of diurnal raptors (the Common Buzzard, the Goshawk, and the Greater Spotted Eagle) and the Black Stork have been studied in the Bryansky Les Nature Reserve (Bryansk region, Russia) from the perspective of modern concepts of the structure of undisturbed forest ecosystems. They were analysed using three spatial scales: nesting territory, nest site, and nest tree. The focal species prefer to establish their nesting territories in floodplains and moraine-sander terrains, which are characterized by the highest level of biotopic diversity and the greatest proportion of old-growth forests. On the nest site selection, the birds give preference to old-growth polydominant forests with a developed shifting-gap mosaic. The spatial structure of these stands provides easy access to the nest and good observation of the nest site. For their nests, birds of prey and the Black Stork primarily select mature generative and old generative trees that possess a number of advantageous features for nest construction, such as maximum size trunk and branches, as well as a flattened, dispersed, spreading crown. Additionally, many of the nest trees have trunk bends, this enhances the steadiness of the nest structure. We suggest that the primary reasons for the rarity of the Greater Spotted Eagle and the Black Stork are almost complete absence of old-growth forests in the modern vegetation cover and the lack of suitable mature and old generative trees in forest stands. The relative commonness of the Common Buzzard and the Goshawk is due to their higher ecological plasticity: in the absence of old-growth forests, they are able to inhabit younger stands and build their nests in young generative trees. However, in these conditions, their nesting density is considerably lower compared to in old-growth forests.
Key words: birds of prey, Black Stork, nesting territory, nest site, nest tree, old-grown forest, mosaic structure of plant cover, gaps in the tree canopy.
For citation: Romanov M.S., Evstigneev O.I. Habitats of diurnal raptors and the black stork in relation to the spatial structure of forest cover. Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology. 2016;1(3). (In Russ.). Available from: https://doi.org/10.21685/2500-0578-2016-3-5