Waterfowl Wintering in Cities of Temperate Climatic Zone and Its Shaping Factors.

Abstract

The dynamics of the population size and species diversity of wintering waterfowl was for the first time studied in 30 cities of Russia over eight years. The total population size increased by 35%. The species diversity was found to reach 32 species in total. The mallard Anas platyrhynchos dominated in all 30 cities. The cities grouped to form seven clusters significantly differing from each other by the total parameter set. The geographical location and climatic characteristics of a city are the main environmental conditions for both people and birds. The variance of the wintering waterfowl population size was determined to the extent of 93% by the area and human population size of the city; and 62% of the variance in species number was determined by the longitude, the average January temperature, and the human population size of the city (p < 0.001). The population size and species number of birds correlated with the "age" of the wintering place (p < 0.05). If the urbanization rate continues the same, the population size and species diversity are expected to grow further.