Bird Observations in Severnaya Zemlya, Siberia

Abstract

Fieldwork in different parts of Severnaya Zemlya in 1985, 1991, 1992 and 1993 and aerial surveys in 1994 revealed a limited bird fauna with a total of 17 breeding species. The most numerous breeding birds are cliff-nesting seabirds, comprising little auk ( Alle alle ), 10 000-80 000 pairs; kittiwake ( Rissa tridactyla ), 5000-10 000; black guillemot ( Cepphus grylle ), 1000-5000; ivory gull ( Pagophila eburnea ), 1000-2000; and glaucous gull ( Larus hyperboreus ), 500-1000. They breed all over the archipelago, usually in rather small mixed- or single-species colonies. Arctic tern ( Sterna paradisaea ) 100-500, and herring gull ( Larus argentatus ) 1-10, breed as solitary pairs or with a few pairs together. Of tundra birds, only brent goose ( Branta bernicla ), purple sandpiper ( Calidris maritima ) and snow bunting ( Plectrophenax nivalis ) are found breeding on most of the major islands. The other tundra species--red-throated diver ( Gavia stellata ), king eider ( Somateria spectabilis ), sanderling ( Calidris alba ), Arctic skua ( Stercorarius parasiticus ), long-tailed skua ( Stercorarius longicaudus ), snowy owl ( Nyctea scandiaca ) and Lapland bunting ( Calcarius lapponicus )--breed in small numbers and in limited areas, often not every year. Of the even fewer mammal species, reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) occurs occasionally, while Arctic fox ( Alopex lagopus ) and collared lemming ( Dicrostonyx torquatus ) are locally common in some years. Key words: Severnaya Zemlya, high Arctic birds, breeding distribution