SEASONAL ASPECTS OF BIRD COMMUNITIES OF THE NORTHERN URALS FOOTHILLS

Abstract

In 1995 – 1997 year-round route counts of birds on the flat section of the Pechora-Ilytch biosphere reserve were held. Using multidimensional factorial analysis, 8 seasonal aspects of bird assemblages of the Northern Urals foothills were reveled, namely: 1) winter migration; 2) relative winter stabilization; 3) pre-spring movement and arrival; 4) nesting amidst arrival and flyby; 5) nesting and departure of young birds; 6) after-breeding movement and beginning of departure; 7) departure and autumn flyby; 8) end of mass flyby and departure. A quantitative characteristic of each aspect is provided. Differences in yearly changes in bird assemblages in the different regions were compared. The analysis revealed the following: climatic differences of the year dynamics of bird assemblages are pretty close in timing and number of seasonal aspects of bird assemblages in the South of boreal areas with subsequent escalation of differences both to the North, to the Middle taiga, and to the South, to the desert zone.

Keywords

• birds
• year-round counts
• multidimensional analysis
• seasonal aspects