Аналіз активності угрупувань птахів у міських парках: приклад з містом Дніпро (Україна)

Abstract

The article presents the results of the analysis of bird communities’ activity in the parks of the right-bank part of Dnipro City during the breeding season of 2022–2023. It was established that 51 bird species consistently exhibit activity in the city parks. Among them, more than half (68.6 %) belong to the order Passeriformes. The analysis of the obtained data indicates that common species such as the house sparrow, chiffchaff, great tit, and white wagtail demonstrate the highest activity in all investigated parks and squares. The widespread presence of these species suggests their flexible use of spatial resources in urban parks, indicating their adaptability to anthropogenic environments. Applying the Rodgers–Shannon overlap index allowed determining the similarity degree of bird community parameters. The results indicate significant similarity among communities in several parks in the right-bank part of Dnipro, associated with their small area, proximity to residential buildings, and common tree crown pruning stages. The correlation between bird diversity and the size and characteristics of park territories was investigated. The correlation matrix revealed a clear positive relationship between park area and the number of bird species exhibiting activity. This is attributed to the greater environmental heterogeneity and the presence of resources for survival, which, in turn, enables representatives of different ecological complexes to realise their ecological and spatial niches. This is explained by the greater heterogeneity and the availability of resources for survival, facilitating the realisation of various ecological and spatial niches for different species. Some parks in the right-bank part of the city exemplify a clear connection between park area and bird species diversity. It was found that with an increase in park area by an average of 2.9556 hectares, the number of bird species increases by one. Additionally, a correlation was observed between the number of tree species in the territory and the bird communities’ biodiversity of the park or square, emphasising the importance of the plant cover for preserving and attracting bird diversity.