New Breeding Localities of Stock Pigeon (Columba oenas Linnaeus, 1758) in Bulgaria: Do Game Feeding Grounds Contribute to Increasing Distribution of the Species?

Abstract

Between 2020-2023, seven UTM squares were visited in Balkan Mountain and Sarnena Sredna Gora Mountain. Five new localities of Stock Pigeon with a certain breeding category were reported. In three of them, the birds regularly visited feeding grounds for big game. In two of the localities, the breeding category was determined as confirmed breeding, and in the remaining three was probable breeding. In the present study, food complexes in some of the squares provided the seed supply at the beginning of the breeding season, and croplands, pastures, and meadows provided food resources during the fledging period, this is also the most likely reason for the increase in the breeding distribution of the species in the studied area.