Materials for the Study of the Spring Migration of Waterfowl (Anseriformes, Aves) on the Lake Khanka

Abstract

The results of 11 years (2003–2013) monitoring activities, including estimation of number and gender structure of waterfowl on the Lake Khanka, are presented. The accounting work (50 days) took place in the first decade of April, in the period of mass spring migration of migratory birds. About 682,270 birds are registered. The comparison of the species composition and the ratio of the major groups of waterfowl of the two periods — 2003–2009 and 2010–2013 are given. The most minority group of migratory birds is Cygnus — less than 0.1% of all registered birds. More than 10,000 specimens of geese were accounted (17.7% of registered birds). The maximum number of birds was registered in 2008, the minimum number was registered in 2011. In all years of monitoring the part of Anas formosa was the largest among migratory birds — from 42 to 80% of all registered birds. The Anser albifrons dominates among all Ansers — about 50–80% of all identified species of Ansers. For the first time of all years of the ornithological investigations of the Prikhankayskaya lowland the gender structure of Anas was identified by visual estimates and photo data. The sample was 28.9 thousand birds. The average proportion of males for all years (2003–2013) was 58.9%, the maximum was recorded for Authya ferina (70.2%) and Authya foligula (70.3%).