Adrianna Muszyńska
Ornis Polonica 2022, 63: 12–28
https://doi.org/10.12657/ornis.2022.1.2
Abstract: The study summarizes occurrence and breeding of the Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta in Poland after 1945. Only 10 occurrences of this species were recorded between 1945 and 1977. Since 1977 avocets have been occuring in Poland every year and their breeding takes place more frequently. The earliest records of Pied Avocets were reported at the end of March and the latest in mid-November, with wintering birds recorded just twice. In comparison to the period 1945–1993, the period 1994–2020 was characterized by a dynamic increase in the number of the Pied Avocet occurrences in Poland, although there are still large fluctuations between years. Since 2012, the number of individuals observed during the year hasn’t dropped below 38. The largest number of individuals was observed in 2019 (179) and 2020 (175). Observations of single birds (43.6%) and single pairs (31.4%) dominated in the records of this species in Poland. The biggest flock among recorded in 1994–2020 consisted of 15 birds. From 1945 to 2020, 20 cases of avocet breeding (including two repeated broods, after loss) were recorded at 16 sites in Poland. In 2012 the greatest number of cases of Avocet broods (5) was found in the country. In total, counting all broods in history, Pied Avocets raised 44 chicks and 28 of them were ringed. Successful broods were recorded in 10 cases. Nest flooding was the most common cause of brood loss. So far, no permanent breeding sites have been found in Poland, the birds still nest ephemerally.
Keywords: abundance, broods, occurrence, phenology, Pied Avocet
