Berkut. Vol. 13. Is. 2. 2004. P. 141-154.

An importance of periodic publication of complete short checklists accessible to ornithologists and birdwatchers from any country is understandable, but we have for Ukraine only monographs and brochures in Ukrainian or Russian. Moreover, species of bird fauna of Ukraine were never grouped in categories of the AERC (Association of European Rarities Committees).

As examples we used similar works for other countries (Barthel, 1993; Magyar et al., 1998; Volet et al., 2000).

This checklist was compiled on the base of analysis of national and regional summaries (Somov, 1897; Charlemagne, 1938; Kistyakivskiy, 1957; Strautman, 1963; Ivanov, 1976; Zubarovskiy, 1977; Smogorzhevskiy, 1979; Kostin, 1983; Marisova, Talposh, 1984; Lysenko, 1991; Hrabar, 1997; Peklo, 1997a, 1997b, 2002; Fesenko, Bokotey, 2002; Kinda et al., 2003) and many other publications about the birds of Ukraine.

The systematics, scientific and English bird names are given according to Checklist of the Birds of the World (Howard, Moore, 1998) with some exceptions: Cygnus bewickii, Larus cachinnans, Motacilla feldegg, Anthus richardi, Acanthis hornemanni, Corvus cornix are considered as separate species.

According to the categories accepted by the AERC bird species recorded in Ukraine were listed in following categories:

A: species which has been recorded in an apparently wild state at least once since 1.01. 1950;

B: species which has been recorded in an apparently wild state inside the current borders of Ukraine between 1800 and 1949;

C: species recorded in Ukraine originating from a population that has established a self-supporting breeding population from released or escaped birds;

D: species where certain doubt exists as to its wild origin;

BD: species which has been recorded in an apparently wild state before 1950 and as escapes from captivity later.

Current status of species:

S – sedentary;

B – breeding;

M – migratory;

W – wintering;

O – oversummering;

V – vagrant.

Breeding status of species:

1 – accidental breeding (1–10 records since 1950);

2 – irregular or local breeding;

3 – regular breeding.

In total 423 bird species were included in the checklist (Table). 419 from them have been recorded in wild state and represent the natural avifauna of Ukraine (categories A–C). 4 species were found only as escapes (category D) and are listed in appendix. The list of these species can be incomplete. 22 species were recorded only before 1950 (categories B and BD) and do not occur in wild state at present. 397 species make up the current bird fauna of Ukraine (categories A and C), 4 from them were introduced (C). Birds of Ukrainian fauna represent 18 orders and 62 families.

I.V. Marisova and M.F. Samofalov (1983) wrote about the Little Curlew (Numenius minutus) as a rare vagrant in Chernigiv region, but it most probably was a misunderstanding. In this short note only Russian bird names are given and obviously there was a mess between two birds. The name of the Slender-billed Curlew (N. tenuirostris) used in Ukrainian (“maliy kronshnep” – little curlew) is similar to Russian name of the Little Curlew (“kronshnep-malyutka” – pygmy curlew). The Slender-billed Curlew was bagged in Chernigiv region on 28.08.1927 (Kistyakivskiy, 1957). The Little Curlew has never been recorded in Ukraine.

There is only one mention about Richard’s Pipit (Anthus richardi) by T. Blakiston (1857) for the Crimea, but he does not give any detailed information. Including of this species in avifauna of Ukraine is doubtful.

There were also reports about records of Black-shoultered Kite (Elanus caeruleus), Eleonora’s Falcon (Falco eleonorae) and some other species, but this information remained not proved properly.

Short comments about the most interesting and new species are given below.

Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea). Flocks of 90 and 180 birds were observed above sea near Yalta and Alupka (south coast of the Crimea) on 10.07 and 12.07.1983 (Krieg, 1991).

Black Swan (Cygnus atratus). Breeding in a mixed pair was recorded in Kirovograd region near the village of Dmytrivka in 1994: a male of the Black Swan with a female of the Mute Swan (C. olor) successfully reared 5 youngs (Shevtsov et al., 2004).

Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis). Breeding of a pair was observed on the river Bakshala in Mykolayiv region in 1998. Birds nested open on an islet and did not react to people. They raised 5 youngs. Obviously these birds originated from captivity (Domashevsky, 2001).

Greater Scaup (Aythya marila). A case of breeding was registered in Khmelnitskiy region in 1988: V.I. Gulay (1992) has observed a female with 8 ducklings on a reservoir of a sugar-refinery.

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). A male was observed on the river West Bug in Lviv region on 12.06.1988 (Shidlovsky, 1992).

Daurian Partridge (Perdix dauuricae). 100 birds were released in two places in Kyiv region in 1950. Small breeding population existed at least several years (Kistyakivskiy, 1957). Later all these partridges have disappeared.

White-tailed Plover (Vanellus leucurus). For the first time two nests with fresh clutches were found in mouth of the river Salgir in the Crimea on 16.05.1997 (Garmash, 1998). During the next years breeding pairs of White-tailed Plovers have been recorded in several places of South Ukraine (Grischtschenko, 2001; Chernichko, 2003).

Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus). A bird was shot from a flock of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) on the coast of Molochniy Liman (Sea of Azov) on 20.08. 1952 (Lysenko, 1974).

Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis). A young female was shot from a flock of Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) in the Crimea on 28.09.1973 (Kostin, 1983).

Little Auk (Alle alle). A young female was bagged on a reservoir of a sugar-refinery in Khmelnitskiy region on 7.11.1981 (Gulay, 1983).

Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus). A male was caught on the island Zmiyiniy near the mouth of Danube on 8.05.2004 (Korzyukov, Kivganov, 2004).

Rufous Shrub Robin (Cercotrichas galactotes). A bird was observed in Volynian region on 13.05.1990 (Shidlovsky, 1993).

Olive-tree Warbler (Hippolais olivetorum). A bird was caught in Odesa in autumn of 2001 (Kinda et al., 2003).

Desert Whitethroat (Sylvia nana). A bird was caught near Sevastopol (the Crimea) on 22.10.1993 (Abakumov, Tsvelykh, 1994).

Ruppel’s Warbler (S. rueppelii). An adult male was caught in the mouth of Danube on 21.04.1988 (Poluda et al., 1991).

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus). A young male was caught in Zaporizhzhya region on 13.10.1986, other bird was caught on the island Zmiyiniy near the mouth of Danube on 14.10.2003 (Poluda et al., 2004).

Azure Tit (Parus cyanus). Breeding was recorded for the first time in two places of the northern part of Volynian region in 2001 (Shidlovsky et al., 2002).

Carrion Crow (Corvus corone). In several publicatuions A.N. Klitin wrote about breeding of the Carrion Crow in Chernivtsi region, but verification of museum collections by I. Skilsky (pers. comm.) has showed, that all the bagged exemplars were young Rooks (C. frugilegus). Information by I.R. Gul and T.M. Lemko (2001) about 14 nests found in two districts of Ivano-Frankivsk region is misunderstanding or mystification.