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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions. It has become common in summer even inside the Arctic circle along the Norwegian coast.
Summary Phalacrocorax pygmeus is listed as Least Concern because, although declines continued in a few countries between 1990-2000, key populations in Azerbaijan and Romania were stable or increased, and the species underwent a moderate increase overall. The estimated European population (75-94% of the global breeding range) is now 28,000-39,000 pairs, considerably higher than the 13,000 pairs estimated in 1996, with an estimated 8,000-12,000 breeding pairs in Azerbaijan and 11,500-14,000 breeding pairs in Romania. The species breeds in south-east Europe (east from Italy), Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzebekistan, and winters primarily in Albania, Greece, the Balkan states, Turkey, Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan and also Israel, Bulgaria, Romania and Syria. In south-east Europe, conservation measures have ameliorated the most important threats, although concern still exists regarding habitat destruction and persecution in its wintering range It occurs in reedbeds, transition zones between reedbeds and open waters, extensively grazed or mowed shores and wet meadows and, in winter, in coastal wetlands, along rivers, and sometimes on inland lakes. The preferred nesting habitat is willow Salix trees but, in Azerbaijan, birds breed mainly in Tamarix. Threats to this species include wetland drainage and degradation, persecution by fishers, and changes to hydrological regimes. A European action plan was published in 1996. |
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