Bird fauna long-term monitoring in the Romanian lower Prut river basin

Abstract

Bird fauna long-term monitoring in the Romanian lower Prut river basin In the present paper, we give data on the bird' fauna's dynamic during the last 18 years in the Romanian Lower Prut River basin. This valley shelters a good level of the biodiversity being very well protected through the border status, but due the low level of the industrial development, too, despite an increasing of the human pressure in the last years. We recorded in this area some very rare breeding bird species for Romania - Platalea leucorodia, Plegadis falcinellus, Limosa limosa, Recurvirostra avosetta, Himantopus himantopus, Luscinia svecica, etc. but also some globally threatened species like Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Aythya nyroca or Crex crex. In this sector of the Prut River basin three Important Birds Areas (IBA) were delimited, all included in the "Romanian Nature 2000 Network".