Abstract
The historical loss of natural wetlands in Romania is significant. The building of lakes, ponds, and dams has compensated for some of these losses, as was the case in the study area, the artificial wetlands designated as the Natura 2000 (special protection area, SPA) and Ramsar sites. In this context, to evaluate the conservation status of colonial waterbirds (cormorants, herons, and egrets), we analyzed actual distributions, habitat selection, features, and population sizes. Standardized counting of colonial species was used, supplemented by nest counting and colony-area estimation during winter, and drone footage. All species and their colonies were built in artificial or anthropically influenced habitats. Concerning distribution and population sizes, Phalacrocorax carbo and Microcarbo pygmeus were found to nest only in central Romania. The pair numbers of Ardea alba, Ardea purpurea, Ardea cinerea, and Nycticorax nycticorax in the area exceeded 1% of the national minimum breeding population. There was a statistically significant positive trend of breeding populations for Ardea alba, Nycticorax nycticorax, and Egretta garzetta. In conclusion, these artificial wetlands offer optimal breeding conditions for a relatively large diversity of colonial bird species over areas that are not very large.
Highlights
Biodiversity, including waterbirds, in Romania has suffered significant losses of populations and habitats, especially through drainage and dam works mainly along the Danube floodplain, where over 530,000 hectares of wetlands with diverse habitats have been transformed or lost [1]
The creation of artificial wetlands such as fish farms, lakes, and reservoirs with various functions has partially compensated for these losses, and bird populations adapted to conditions which are more or less different from natural ones [2]
Distribution and population size were compared with those on the regional and national levels to establish the importance of the study area
Summary
Biodiversity, including waterbirds, in Romania has suffered significant losses of populations and habitats, especially through drainage and dam works mainly along the Danube floodplain, where over 530,000 hectares of wetlands with diverse habitats have been transformed or lost [1]. The creation of artificial wetlands such as fish farms, lakes, and reservoirs with various functions has partially compensated for these losses, and bird populations adapted to conditions which are more or less different from natural ones [2]. This was found to be the case for the colonial birds in this study, with some being new breeding species for the reference area (Transylvania or the Bras, ov depression). Distribution and population size were compared with those on the regional (central Romania, Transylvania, or inside the Carpathian chain) and national levels to establish the importance of the study area
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