Shapovalova I.B. Avifauna Biodiversity in Some Reservoirs of Kalmykia under the Modern Climate Change and Increasing Anthropogenic Load // Ecosystems: ecology and dynamics. No 4. 2025. P. 125-145. | Abstract | PDF | Reference
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- A little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in a meadow near the road, at the mouth of the Kirasta River (here and below all photos are taken by the author)
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- The spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) on the Dunda River near the village of Kievka
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- A long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus) near the road, in a strip of man-made grove
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- A black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is nesting in the flooded lower floodplain of the Gashun River near the village of Oktyabrsky
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- The black-winged pratincoles (Glareola nordmanni) on a saline coastal strip in a drainage zone of Deed-Khulsun Lake
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- The pied avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta), feeding in a shallow water in the backwater zone of Deed-Khulsun Lake
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- The bachelor individuals of Dalmatian pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) in the backwater zone of Deed-Khulsun Lake
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- A pair of resting Eurasian whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), the rare migratory species in the region
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- A flock of glossy ibises (Plegadis falcinellus) at the Chogray Reservoir dam
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- The little egrets (Egretta garzetta) are a rare breeding and migratory species at Podmanok-2 Lake
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- The little stints (Calidris minuta) are a rare migratory species at Podmanok-3 Lake of the Manych River basin
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- A citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola) is a rare migratory and nesting species at Deed-Khulsun Lake
In this paper, we examine the state of avifauna of several wastewater and drainage water reservoirs, as well as man-made reservoirs of the Republic of Kalmykia, in 2025. We studied the composition and structure of the coastal bird communities of Lake Manych-Gudilo, Lake Ded-Khulsun, and the Chogray Reservoir, as well as several smaller reservoirs of local significance, since they are considered key bird areas of Russia. The water of some of these reservoirs, such as Manych-Gudilo and Ded-Khulsun, are specially protected natural areas of federal and regional significance, which facilitates their monitoring. We provided a current assessment of the diversity of the avifauna and bird populations of these reservoirs and their shores, including species composition, abundance, and abundance indicators. We also assessed the contribution of these reservoirs to the conservation and enrichment of regional biodiversity. We then made recommendations for managing their hydrological regime to maintain and preserve coastal ecosystems, including populations of rare and vulnerable bird species.
Acknowledgments. The author thanks the editor-in-chief and reviewers of “Arid Ecosystems” for their help with preparation of this article for publication; additionally, the author thanks Zh.V. Kuzmina and E.I. Tobolova.
Funding. This work was carried out for the research project of the Water Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences for 2025-2027, “Study of Surface and Groundwater Quality Formation Processes, Natural and Anthropogenic Mechanisms of Change in the Ecological Status of Water Bodies, Development of Methods and Technologies for Water Resources and Water Quality Management” (No. FMWZ-2025-0002), state registration No. 125030703344-8.
Keywords: steppe zone, desert zone, water reservoir, aridization, hydrological regime, climate, ecosystem, ornithocomplexes, bird population, rare bird species, key ornithological areas, specially protected natural areas, Red Data Book, risk of species extinction, factors affecting populations of near-water bird species, anthropogenic impact.
DOI: 10.24412/2542-2006-2025-4-125-145
EDN: MXHPLU
