Volume 25 (2017): Issue 1 (June 2017)

Between 1950 and 2016, 254 individuals of Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) of foreign origin were observed during their dispersal or migration in Hungary from eight countries. Colour-ringed birds originating from Serbia, Croatia and the Czech Republic were the most commonly observed, while individuals from Italy, the Danube Delta (Romania) and the Wadden Sea area (Denmark and The Netherlands) were observed rarely in Hungary. Only metal ringed Spoonbills were recovered from Austria. All age-classes were found in Hungary: juveniles were the most common, while 2cy immatures formed the rarest class. Adults from the Wadden Sea area, and also from the Danube Delta were observed in Hungary during the breeding season, implying potential gene flow between those areas and the Carpathian Basin. My results predict that the breeding population of the Carpathian Basin forms a unique subunit of a metapopulation which is in close contact with the Czech population. The nesting of adults of Serbian and Croatian origin was confirmed in Hungary. Two prospecting subadults (4cy) were observed in Hungarian colonies, one was from Serbia, and the other was from Italy. One adult (5cy) occurred in several Hungarian wetlands in a short period before breeding, which probably explored habitats for breeding or for feeding. Spoonbills of Czech, Serbian, Croatian and Italian origin observed in Hungary used the Central Mediterranean or the Adriatic Flyway. Individuals from the East Atlantic population arrived to Hungary by shifting their migration routes. One bird from the Danube Delta wintered in Tunisia, where it probably joined Hungarian breeders and reached Hungary with them. Adults and juveniles from the Czech Republic used the wetlands around Lake Neusiedler as a stop-over and staging area during autumn migration. My results suggest that Hungarian wetlands play an important role in the movements and breeding of Spoonbills in Central Europe, thus, the management and conservation of these wetlands are essential for the future.

The Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola), which was once a typical breeding species of the sodic grasslands of the Great Plain, has become threatened with extinction from Hungary. It disappeared from the traditional grassland breeding sites before the 2000 and is currently breeding only in three sites in agricultural environments in Hungary. The objectives of our research were to find links between the use of shallow wetlands and the breeding behaviour of the species and to identify the characteristics of its breeding on ploughed fields. Data were collected between 2008 and 2016 as part of preparations for the conservation of the largest population which is found in the Nagykunság. We found a positive correlation between colony size and the area of the nearby wetland. We calculated the proportion of habitat-types used for nesting, and found that cultivated fields and fallow lands were the most important. Additionally, we also found that colony sizes were substantially smaller during the research period than those found earlier in the traditional grassland habitats. Finally, we found a positive trend in the size of the population during the research period.

Due to conservation measures, the breeding population of the Raven significantly strengthened over the last decades in Hungary, also nesting on the lowlands. Nowadays, observing large flocks is not rare. Compared to other European countries, the urbanization of the species began relatively late in Hungary, in the ‘90s, first breeding in the urban areas of Baranya County. There were another five similar known cases after the millennium across the country. Because of the advanced adaptive capacity of species, this number is likely to grow in the future. In Hungary, the brood is typically complete in the second half of February and the young birds fledge in the first days of May. There are two known cases after the millennium when the Ravens bred in a significantly different time than usual. In these cases, the young birds fledged on 20 January and the second half of February. In both cases, the nests were found on overhead transmission line poles in lowland agricultural areas. It is uncertain what led to the unusual breeding time, but it is most likely that the breeding pair was accustomed, having successfully raised several brood before, and they could rely on the abundant food base near the nests during the breeding period.

Wildfowl (Anatidae) are a diverse group of birds and globally distributed. These birds feed by widely varying methods, there are generalist and specialist species. In a number of vertebrate taxa trophic specializations have led to distinct differences in the morphology of the skull, like in birds. Our knowledge and understanding of the relationship between cranial morphology and feeding mechanism of wildfowl are limited. The aim of this article is to increase our knowledge of the relationship between skull shape and foraging habits and find the identifiable attributes of the differently adapted groups. We used morphometric methods with 7 linear measurements of the skull. We used principal component (PC) analysis to identify the groups with different foraging habits. The PCs were related to measurements which represent the demanded muscle mass for feeding and the amount of capable food items. The grazers have a narrower bill and bigger bone surface which requires more muscle tissue than the broad billed filter-feeders. We observed the structural and functional differences between grazers and filter-feeders. There are no important differences in the bill measurements between omnivore dabbling and diving ducks. Only the bill is not enough to deduce the foraging habits.

Three cases of carrion-feeding with remains of artiodactyls (0.3%, n=1104 samples with food remains) have been documented in a long term diet study of Eurasian Eagle-owls (Bubo bubo) in 53 localities at Southeastern Bulgaria. Bone pieces of a sheep/goat (Ovis aries/Carpa hircus), a Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and a Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa dom.) in three Eurasian Eagle-owl breeding localities (5.7%) prove extremely rare feeding on carrion. Northern White-breasted Hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus), rats (Rattus sp.), waterbirds and gallinaceous birds (total 59.5-72.6% by biomass) constituted the main portion of the diets with carrion remains. The comparisons between food niche breadths, diet composition, average prey biomass and values of superpredation of the annual diets in the three localities have not supported the carrion-feeding of the Eurasian Eagle-owl as a result of food shortages.

This study aims to summarize the knowledge about the evolution and fossil remains of avian fauna near waterbodies, since ornithologists, who rarely come across or research the paleontology of birds, do not possess significantly detailed knowledge about the evolution and evidence of the current avian fauna.

The Common Blackbird is a partial migrant throughout much of its range in Europe. That is, part of its breeding population migrates while the rest stays at the breeding ground for winter. Given the rapidly changing global climate, it is important to understand how migratory birds, including partial migrants, respond to shifting climatic conditions. In this study, I analyzed 85 years of ring recovery data of the Hungarian population of the Blackbird, ringed during the breeding season and recovered during migration or winter, with two objectives in mind: (1) to assess whether the Hungarian Blackbird population is also partially migratory, and (2) to test the prediction that Blackbirds have exhibited decreasing migration distances over the past decades as expected based on warming winter temperatures. Hungarian Blackbirds expressed both migratory and resident strategies, thus can be considered as partial migrants. Furthermore, Blackbirds had been recovered increasingly closer (-5.9 km/year) to their breeding grounds in the past decades. Age and sex had no effects on recovery distance. Provided that this trend continues, the adaptive benefits of migratory behavior may eventually be reduced to a level that selection will not maintain it in the population and the Hungarian population becomes entirely sedentary. Surprisingly, 88% of migrant recoveries were the result of shooting or hunting activities in Mediterranean countries, primarily in Italy, highlighting both the need to understand the effects of hunting pressure on migratory behavior at the population level in songbirds and the urgency to ban the killing of migratory birds in European countries.

We studied the presence and movements of Song Thrush along the southern Tyrrhenian coast line in the region of Campania, from 2013 to 2016, in order to establish the timing of northward migration. We captured and ringed 150 birds with standardised mist-netting. There was little evidence of migration from the second 10-day period of January, when the trapping began, until the first 10-day period of February. There were no peaks due to the arrival of migrant birds though an increase in captures was recorded during the second 10-day period of February with a very considerable peak during the second 10-day period of March. The mean body mass showed significant increases from the third 10-day period of February, with the highest values recorded in March, also reflected in the accumulation of subcutaneous fat; 91% of subjects with fat scores 3 and 4 were concentrated between the third 10-day period of February and the third 10-day period of March, while the first birds with fat appeared only in the first 10-day period of February. Analysis of several recoveries of thrushes ringed in Campania, in other Italian regions and in other countries, confirms the presence of these birds in Campania in the period between the third 10-day period of January and the third 10-day period of March. The data gathered during the four years of this investigation provide a fairly clear, though not conclusive, picture of the temporal trend of pre-nuptial migration of Song Thrush, which never began before the second 10-day period of February, although it is possible that some birds on migration may be present in the previous 10-day period.

Ornithological studies often rely on long-term bird ringing data sets as sources of information. However, basic descriptive statistics of raw data are rarely provided. In order to fill this gap, here we present the third item of a series of exploratory analyses of migration timing and body size measurements of the most frequent Passerine species at a ringing station located in Central Hungary (1984-2016). First, we give a concise description of foreign ring recoveries of the Song Thrush in relation to Hungary. We then shift focus to data of 4137 ringed individuals and 1051 recaptures derived from the ringing station, where birds have been trapped, handled and ringed with standardized methodology since 1984. Timing is described through annual and daily capture and recapture frequencies and their descriptive statistics. We show annual mean arrival dates within the study period and present the cumulative distributions of first captures with stopover durations. We present the distributions of wing, third primary, tail length and body mass, and the annual means of these variables. Furthermore, we show the distributions of individual fat and muscle scores, and the distributions of body mass within each fat score category. We distinguish the spring and autumn migratory periods, breeding and wintering seasons, and age groups (i.e. juveniles and adults). Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the analysed variables. However, we do not aim to interpret the obtained results, merely to draw attention to interesting patterns that may be worth exploring in detail. Data used here are available upon request for further analyses.

Ornithological studies often rely on long-term bird ringing data sets as sources of information. However, basic descriptive statistics of raw data are rarely provided. In order to fill this gap, here we present the fourth item of a series of exploratory analyses of migration timing and body size measurements of the most frequent Passerine species at a ringing station located in Central Hungary (1984-2016). First, we give a concise description of foreign ring recoveries of the Common Blackbird in relation to Hungary. We then shift focus to data of 6849 ringed individuals and 6081 recaptures derived from the ringing station, where birds have been trapped, handled and ringed with standardized methodology since 1984. Timing is described through annual and daily capture and recapture frequencies and their descriptive statistics. We show annual mean arrival dates within the study period and present the cumulative distributions of first captures with stopover durations. We present the distributions of wing, third primary, tail length and body mass, and the annual means of these variables. Furthermore, we show the distributions of individual fat and muscle scores, and the distributions of body mass within each fat score category. We distinguish the spring and autumn migratory periods, breeding and wintering seasons, ages (i.e. juveniles and adults) and the two sexes. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the analysed variables. However, we do not aim to interpret the obtained results, merely to draw attention to interesting patterns that may be worth exploring in detail. Data used here are available upon request for further analyses.