Materials on ecology of Honey Buzzard and Black Kite in northern Ukraine.
- S.V. Domashevsky. - Berkut. 15 (1-2). 2006. - P. 125-131.
Data were collected in 1988-1989 and 1992-2006 in Kyiv, Zhitomir, Chernigiv
regions and in the east part of Rivne region. Honey Buzzard is an unnumerous
breeding species. The first birds are usually registered in the beginning of
May. The display-flights can be observed in the second half of May – beginning
of June. Honey Buzzards prefer deciduous and mixed forests for the nesting.
The discovered nests were situated at a height 6-20 m, on average – 12.6
m (n = 6). Some single birds start the autumn migration in the second decade
of August. The majority of birds migrates during the second decade of September.
Honey Buzzards fly by groups up to 30 individuals, but usually by 4-8 birds
in a group. The migration height is from 50 till 300 m, the main directions
are south and south-west. The first birds are registered in the beginning of
March and in April. At the same time the first Black Kites were met at their
breeding territories. The biggest number of migrating birds was registered during
the period since middle till end of the first decade of April - 8 individuals.
The complete amount of kites registered during spring periods is 14 individuals.
Building and repairing of nests were observed during the first and the second
decades of April. There are 2-3 eggs in the clutch. The rare case of 5 eggs
in a nest was registered. There were on average 2.0 nestlings per 5 nests. Youngs
leave nests during the second decade of July. Autumn departure starts in the
beginning of the first decade of August. Migrating birds were registered till
the second decade of September. In the end of XXth and in the beginning of the
XXIst cent. the Black Kite became a rare breeding species in the North of Ukraine.
The number still decreases and the species must be protected particularly. [Russian].
Key words: Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Pernis apivorus, Milvus
migrans, northern Ukraine, ecology, breeding, nest, feeding.
Addres: S.V. Domashevsky, Zhukov str. 22/42, 02166, Kyiv, Ukraine; e-mail:
svdom@i.com.ua.
