Bird migration occurring on the Polonyna Borzhava ridge was studied. Material was collected during 52-days in 307 hours from September till November 2018. It was found that despite diffi cult terrain and variable weather conditions at least 49 species of birds migrate over Polonyna Borzhava. Among them the following species dominate: Chaffi nch, Fringilla coelebs, Common Crane, Grus grus, Eurasian Siskin, Spinus spinus, Common Wood Pigeon, Columba palumbus, Great Tit, Parus major, Goldfi nch, Carduelis carduelis, Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta, Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, and also raptors: Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo, Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, Hen Harrier, Circus cyaneus, Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus and other species. Among detected species six are under protection of the Red Data Book of Ukraine: Common Crane, Hen Harrier, Stock Dove, Columba oenas, Alpine Accentor, Prunella collaris, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, and Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus. Median date of the overall bird passage falls on 9 October. Passage dynamics diff ers among species. Most of species prefer fl ight heights not higher than 55 m above the ridge, but some numerous species choose higher altitudes, for instance Wood Pigeon (85.6 ± 62.7 m), and Common Crane (227.5 ± 62.5 m).
Objectives. The Little Owl is the most common owl in the Western Palearctic and its population is declining significantly in Europe. Therefore, conservation and study of this owl is an important issue in most European countries. Analysis of trophic patterns at the local level provides interesting and valuable information about the predator’s eating habits. The owl’s diet investigation allows us to analyze their potential adaptations to habitats with different levels of environmental transformation. Materials and Methods. We studied nutrition of the Little Owl Athene noctua, in agricultural lands of Berehove district of Transcarpathian region in Ukraine. In total, 1446 pellets were collected at 15 pellet stations in 2002–2020 and 2506 prey items were identified. The prey items represented 18 vertebrate species (16 species of small mammals of three orders Rodentia, Soricomorpha, Carnivora, as well as reptiles of the family Lacertidae and birds of the order Passeriformes and arthropods. Results. Vertebrates play a major role in feeding the Little Owl (over 99 % of total prey biomass in all of the studied sites). The common vole is the most common prey in the owl’s diet (52.1 % of the total prey number and 67.5 % of the biomass of the prey caught), as well as a high proportion of mice of the genus Apodemus and Sylvaemus. The contribution of invertebrates to total prey biomass is insignificant (0.3 %). A large number of invertebrates were observed in the diet of the Owl in summer and were almost completely absent in winter. Conclusions. According to our data, the Little Owl is a typical predator generalist in Transcarpathia. The 28 taxa found in the pellets show a wide range of food objects in a relatively small area, and high level adaptations to habitats with different levels of environmental transformation (agrosystems and anthropogenic areas).
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