Factors Influencing The Breeding Success of White Storks Ciconia ciconia in Eastern Romania

Abstract

The White Stork is a farmland and wetland bird that has become part of village communities by nesting in urban areas. Despite breeding close to people, allowing easy access for monitoring, its population in Eastern Europe is poorly studied. This paper presents the breeding success and habitat selection of a White Stork population from Eastern Romania. During the 2016 breeding season their breeding performance was poor compared to other European countries; on average only 2.25 nestlings fledged per nest. With respect to their habitat selection, the Eastern Romanian population uses similar habitats to storks elsewhere in Europe. Parameters influencing their breeding success could include weather conditions, geomorphology, habitat, landscape and intraspecific variables. To find those variables involved in the fluctuation of chick numbers General Linear Model (GLM) analyses, with a step procedure selection, were used. These analyses covered 55 variables. The best model of breeding success included altitude (P = 0.001); a higher elevation is associated with a lower number of chicks per nest. The number of river sectors (P = 0.045) and the distance to the nearest empty nest (P = 0.001) also have a positive influence on breeding success. These two variables could relate to the food availability in the study area. —Fasola-Matasaru, L., Baltag, E.S., Ichim, P. & Cojocaru, D. (2018). Factors influencing the breeding success of White Storks Ciconia ciconia in Eastern Romania. Ardeola, 65: 271–282.