Damian Kurlej, Michał Ciach
Ornis Polonica 2013, 54: 187–195
https://doi.org/10.12657/ornis.2013.3.2
Abstract: The Błędów Desert (12 km2, southern Poland) is one of the biggest active deflation areas in Europe. Plant succession causes substantial changes in the breeding avifauna over the last decades. In this paper, species composition and numbers were assessed in the Błędów Desert, in habitats variable in respect to succession stages. Fieldwork was performed in 2012, with the territory mapping technique on three study plots, representing subsequent succession stages. In the open desert, 11 breeding species were recorded, in the desert overgrowing by bushy vegetation – 14, and in the pine forest – 12. The densities of breeding pairs were similar on all three study plots (11.3–12.7 pairs/10 ha). Densities of the Woodlark Lullula arborea, Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris and Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus are high at a national scale. Compared to the 1990s, the number of open-habitat species and their densities have declined. The plant succession is thought to be the main factor responsible for the long-term changes in breeding bird community of the desert.
Keywords: arid environments, breeding bird community, plant succession
