ASPECTS OF THE BIRD FAUNA FROM CIRIC VALLEY’S (IAȘI)

Abstract

The Ciric Valley, which is located in the northeastern region of Iași, integrates a considerable variety of habitats. Wetlands are dominant, being partially covered with compact reed beds. The other habitats are the deciduous forest, and meadows located in the northern part of the studied area. These allow the settlement of a diverse bird fauna in the area. Using the method of transects, the fixed-point observation, and sound identification, we identified 84 bird species between March 2020 and February 2021. Most species belong to the order Passeriformes (53 species), the rest of the orders having a significantly lower diversity. With the exception of the 20 sedentary species, Ciric’s avifauna consisted mostly of migratory species (39 summer visitors, 8 winter visitors, 13 vagrant species), and 5 partial migrant species during the research period. Among the identified bird species are 58 breeding species and 5 possible breeding species, representing 75% of the total number of the observed bird species. During the study, we identified 2 vulnerable species (Nycticorax nycticorax - black-crowned night-heron and Streptopelia turtur - european turtle-dove), 2 endangered species (Egretta garzetta - small egret and Ardea alba – great white egret) included in The Red Book of Vertebrates in Romania, and 13 species that require special conservation measures according to the Annex 1 of the Birds’ Directive.