Distribution and numbers of heron colonies in Ukraine according to the questionnaire census in 1986. - V.V. Serebryakov, V.N. Grishchenko. - Berkut. 1. 1992. - P. 52-56.
527 colonies from 2 up to 1240 pairs were registered. The largest of them are situated on the East Sivash, on the Lebyazhyi Islands by the coast of the Crimea, in the lower part of the Dnieper, on islands on the Dneprodzerzhinsk and Kremenchug reservoirs of the Dnieper. 22 992 pairs of 6 heron species nested in registered colonies (except Odesa region). Among them: Grey Heron - 15 802 pairs, Purple Heron - 788 pairs, Night Heron - 3645 pairs, Great White Egret - 1242 pairs, Little Egret - 1242 pairs, Squacco Heron - 273 pairs. The main species of most mixed colonies is the Grey Heron. Only sometimes in the South of Ukraine the Night Heron, Great White and Little Egrets are more numerous. The Grey Heron nests often in monospecies colonies. The Purple Heron and Egrets form monospecies colonies rare. The Night Heron and the Squacco Heron were found only in mixed colonies. The Grey and Night Herons nest more often in trees (pine, oak, poplar, alder, willow, etc.). Other species build nests in reeds. [Russian].
Key words: Herons, Ukraine, distribution, numbers, colony, nesting.