Abstract
The сhaffinch (Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758; Passeriformes, Fringillidae) is one of the most colourful forest species of birds living in Europe, West Asia and North Africa. The diet of this species was studied as a contribution to the conservation of the population of this species in transformed forests of the north-eastern part of Ukraine. Four forest ecosystems were studied: three model sites in oak forests, transformed under intensive recreation pressure, and one model site in a pine-oak forest. A total of 39 invertebrate taxa, dominated by Insecta (93.0%) were found. The orders Coleoptera (32.6%) and Lepidoptera (63.5%) prevailed in the diet of finch nestlings, the highest number of taxa (52.3–76.2%) was represented by phytophages. The phytophagous species also constituted the majority of the consumed prey items (44.0–55.6%). Environmental conditions provided an important effect on the diet structure. The most favourable foraging conditions for the species were found in protected natural areas. According to the analysis, the finch foraging efficiency was similar in all the studied sites. The highest biodiversity indices were found in a protected area of Homilshanski Forests National Nature Park. Results of the research have indicated the crucial role of Fringilla coelebs in the population management of potentially dangerous agricultural pests.
Highlights
The increasing rate of anthropogenic environmental changes, recorded since the second half of the XX century has led to the formation of urban coenoses (Blinkova & Shupova, 2017)
In the trophic relations of chaffinch and common species of birds of forest ecosystems, the highest values of indices of similarity were found with Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1858): 0.25 – Jaccard, 0.47 – Sørensen
The diet of F. coelebs in four forest ecosystems
Summary
The increasing rate of anthropogenic environmental changes, recorded since the second half of the XX century has led to the formation of urban coenoses (Blinkova & Shupova, 2017). Ecosystem monitoring can be carried out by ecological indicators to preserve and manage the natural environment. Birds are often used, since their mobility makes them convenient indicators of the environment (Gregory et al, 2003; Blair & Johnson, 2008; Bulakhov et al, 2008; Chaplygina et al, 2019). Birds are excellent bioindicators for the health of the environment and ecological change. Birds have been used as indicator species for a range of environmental parameters. They act as biodiversity indicators for a number of reasons (Peach et al, 2004; Sobolev et al, 2017; Matsyura, 2018). The cause-and-effect link between an environmental change and birds is a direct and simple one
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