Current numbers of rare species of birds of prey in Ukraine
Below there are data on the size of breeding populations of Falconiformes and Strigiformes of Ukraine (table). If have a look, they prove that numbers of many raptors go on declining. Compared to the previous one (Red Data Book of Ukraine, 1994) the new edition (Red Data Book of Ukraine, 2009) additionally added two species of Falconiformes and Owls. Numbers of eight species don’t exceed several dozens of pairs. Two species (Red Kite и Pallid Harrier) stopped breeding in Ukraine, another two (Osprey и Lesser Kestrel), are also obviously extinct.
For the last 15 years increase of numbers was noted for 6 species of Falconiformes, while 5 species have decreased, and 5 have a stable population; as for the other, their trend isn’t possible to estimate since they stopped breeding or breed only in few quantity.
Quite a great reduction of numbers has been recorded for the Black Kite, Montagu’s Harrier, Spotted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk и Lesser Kestrel. Increased numbers have the Long-legged Buzzard, Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Saker и Peregrine Falcons. Stable, with small fluctuations, are populations of the Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Golden Eagle, Black Vulture и Griffon Vulture.
As for Owls, growth of numbers was registered for the Eagle Owl, Ural Owl and Great Grey Owl. Trends of other Strigiformes are hard to estimate reliably because these birds are poor studied.
However, if have a look at the data in the Table, our attention immediately be drawn with substantial differences in assessment of numbers of some species. In most cases the reason lies in more intensive researches which allowed to receive new data, giving in the result an impression of “increased” numbers. It refers to the Montagu’s Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Black Vulture, Griffon Vulture иEagle Owl.
Table
| Species | Red Data Book of Ukraine (1994) | BirdLife International (2004) | Red Data Book of Ukraine (2009) |
| Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) |
4-5 pairs | 0-2 pairs | 1-2 pairs |
| Red Kite (Milvus milvus) |
Very rare | 0 | 0 |
| Black Kite (M. migrans) |
– | 1500-1800 pairs | 1000 pairs |
| Hen Harrier (Cyrcus cyaneus) |
several pairs | 10-25 pairs | 10-20 pairs |
| Montagu’s Harrier (C. pygargus) |
– | 1500-2400 | 2000-3000 |
| Pallid Harrier (C. macrourus) |
0-1 pairs | 0 | 0 |
| Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) |
Approx. 50 pairs | 30-45 pairs | <40-50 pairs |
| Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus) |
2-8 pairs | 50-150 pairs | >250 pairs |
| Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) |
Rare | 160-300 pairs | 250-300 pairs |
| Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) |
450-500 pairs | 240-380 pairs | 450-500 pairs |
| Большой подорлик (Aquila clanga) |
100-150 pairs | 30-45 pairs | 10-20 pairs |
| Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina) |
Scanty | 500-1000 pairs | 500-1000 – 1200-1500 pairs |
| Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) |
Approx. 50 pairs | 45-75 pairs | >100 pairs |
| Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) |
6-7 pairs | 3-5 pairs | 10-15 pairs |
| White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) |
30-35 (possibly, up to 50) pairs | 80-100 pairs | 100-120 pairs |
| Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) |
4-5 pairs, approx. 30 ind. | 2-3 pairs | 5-11 pairs, approx. 50 ind. |
| Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) |
70 ind. | 8-10 pairs | 10-16 pairs, 80-100 ind. |
| Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) |
Approx. 150 pairs | 45-80 pairs | 250-300 pairs |
| Peregrine Falcon (F. peregrinus) |
15-20 pairs | 10-50 pairs | 120-130 pairs |
| Lesser Kestrel (F. naumanni) |
Approx. 100 pairs | 5-10 pairs | 0-1 (?) |
| Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) |
Approx. 50 pairs | 150-200 pairs | 200 pairs |
| Short-eared Owl (Asio flammenus) |
– | 850-1700 pairs | 850-1700 pairs |
| Scops Owl (Otus scops) |
– | 4200-4700 pairs | 2000-4000 pairs |
| Tengmalm’s Owl (Aegolius funereus) |
Rare | 150-350 pairs | Rare |
| Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium paserinum) |
? | 150-350 pairs | 150-350 pairs |
| Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) |
? | 400-900 pairs | 1000 ос. |
| Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) |
3-4 pairs | 15-100 pairs | 20-35 pairs |
| Barn-owl (Tyto alba) |
Low numbers | 5-10 pairs | Up to 30 pairs |
1. Red Data Book of Ukraine. Animal World. Edited by M.M.Shcherbak. Kyiv: Ukrainska Entsiklopedia, 1994. – 464 p. [in Ukrainian]
2. Red Data Book of Ukraine. Animal World. Edited by I.A.Akimov. Kyiv: publ.house “Globalkinsalting”, 2009. – 600 p. [in Ukrainian]
3. BirdLife International. Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. – Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International, 2004. – 374 pp. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12).
Maxim Gavrilyuk
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