The Amount and Distribution of the Red Data Book Bird Wetland Species in the Azov-Black Sea Region of Ukraine According to the Results of August Counts 2004–2015

Abstract In the period from 2004 to 2015, in the Azov-Black Sea region of Ukraine and the adjacent territories five simultaneous August Counts covered all key coastal wetlands were conducted. They were primarily aimed at studying the abundance and spatial distribution of local water birds fauna, since that time there was hardly any migrations. In total 5.5 million birds of 133 species were counted during five August Counts. Forty species of them are included in the 3rd edition of the Red Data Book (RDB) of Ukraine, 35 of which are ecologically related to wetlands. The total amount of RDB birds was 179.5 thousand individuals, or 3.26 % of the total number of counted birds. Amount of birds varied from count to count between 21 and about 55 thousands of birds. In total 80 wetlands were covered by surveys, and in 73 of them (91.3 %), at least one time RDB species were recorded, that indicates the importance of the Azov-Black Sea coast for maintaining both local and migratory RDB birds. In five of the most valuable wetlands the percentage of counted birds from the total average value for all birds ranged from 5.3 % to 16.7 %, cumulatively making up 49.3 %. These are the following sites — Eastern Sivash, Lower part of the Ukrainian Danube Delta, Central Syvash, Kinburnskyi Peninsula, Lebedyni Islands.