Bird population structure of key landscapes of the National Park “Sengileevskiye Gory” during the breeding season

Background. The study of the bird population structure will make it possible to determine the role of various landscapes in the formation of the biodiversity of the territory of the National Park “Sengileevskiye Gory” and lay the foundation for long-term monitoring of key components of ecosystems of a specially protected natural area. Materials and methods. The research was conducted in 2023–2024 in four key landscapes of National Park “Sengileevskiye Gory”. The main characteristics of the bird population (species composition and abundance) were obtained during complex route surveys. The total length of the hiking trails during the research was 55 km. Results. 77 bird species have been identified (from 43 to 50 in various landscapes). The total population density of birds in various habitats ranged from 473,3 individuals/km2 (steppes) to 923.7 individuals/km2 (broadleaf forests). The finch Fringilla coelebs everywhere dominates in numbers in forest communities, and the forest horse Anthus trivialis in steppe communities. The similarity of ornithocomplexes of pine and broadleaf forests is 62 %, forest communities and floodplains – 50 %, floodplain and forest communities and steppes – 29 %. The similarity of bird population variants in different periods of the breeding season and years is 68–75 % in pine forests, 65–73 % in broadleaf forests, 40–52 % in floodplains, and 37–79 % in steppes. Conclusions. The maximum diversity of avifauna is noted in floodplains. The maximum bird population density was found in broad-leaved forests. The highest indicators of diversity and alignment of bird communities (Shannon index) are typical for floodplains. The ornithocomplex of pine forests is characterized by the greatest stability. The greatest similarity of ornithocomplexes is characterized by forest and floodplain landscapes, the steppes are the least.