Complementarity of Nesting Ornithocomplexes in Urban Faunae (through the example of Melitopol, Southern Ukraine)

Abstract

The results of the study of birds nesting in Melitopol conducted in 2011-2019 are presented. The distribution and correlation of bird species in urban biotopes based on a raster map with squares of 1x1 km is provided. There are 170 bird species registered in the city throughout the year, including 104 nesting species; over the last 50 years their number has increased by 69 species. Nesting ornithocomplex of the areas of the city with multi-storey buildings include 16 species, areas with individual buildings – 23 species, industrial sites - 21 species, green areas - 51 species, reed thickets - 27 species, agricultural landscapes - 24 species, floodplains - 9 species, floodplain meadows - 9 species. Over the last decades, birds of Corvidae family - Garrulus glandarius, Pica pica, Corvus monedula, C. frugilegus, C. cornix, C. corax - have inhabited the city and formed urbanized populations. Of the birds of prey - Falco tinnunculus and Athene noctua. The taxonomic and ecological structure of ornithocomplexes of the city is considered. The basis of ornithocomplexes are widespread species of synthantropes and dendrophylles. Introduced species (Phasianus colchicus) and invasive species (Streptopelia decaocto, Dendrocopos syriacus, D. minor, Phoenicurus ochruros, etc.) also inhabited the city. Representatives of the dendrophylic group predominate in the ecological structure of onitocomplexes of the studied area, which includes 47 species (45.2%), lymphophyllous group is represented by 26 species (25.0%), sclerophyllous – by 14 species (13.5%), campophyllous – by 9 species (8.7%), the limnophyllous-dendrophyllous group is represented by 1 species (0.9%), dendrophyllous-sclerophyllous – by 6 species (5.8%) and limnophyllous-sclerophyllous – by 1 species (0.9%). Complementarity of urban ornithocomplexes is high due to the syntantropic species - dendrophylles and sclerophylles.