Pied Avocet

(Recurvirostra avosetta)

Category of conservation concern (IUCN, 2020) – Least Concern

Population size: 2020: 250 – 800 pairs (2007: 250 – 790 pairs)

Distribution pattern

A small number of dispersed breeding sites, more compact in the region of the Burgas Wetlands (Atanasovsko Lake, Pomoriysko Lake and Poda). Colonies in neighbouring squares exist also in the Varna–Beloslav Lake Complex, Durankulak Lake and Shabla Tuzla Lake, and in isolated breeding sites – at the Kalimok fishponds, Srabarna Lake and some inland water bodies. Wandering specimen have been recorded during the breeding season near the Ivaylovgrad Dam.

Population estimation for the period 2013 – 2020:  The number of the species in the country has strong annual fluctuations. Often in different years, the birds are distributed into different squares, looking for the most optimal breeding conditions. This is most evident in the neighbouring lakes Atanasovsko and Pomorie, sustaining the main breeding population of the species in the country. The location and number of colonies along the Danube River strongly depends on the annual variations of the water level of the rivers. Nowadays, it breeds along the Danube River, relatively regularly only in the Belene Islands Complex Protected Area. In the period, 2013-2020, no visible change was established in the distribution of the regular breeding habitats of the species.

Population size in Special Protection Areas of Natura 2000: 250-800 pairs (100% of the population). All significant and regular breeding sites of the species are on the territory of the Natura 2000 network. The highest numbers are registered in the Special Protection Areas “Atanasovsko Lake” (45-602 pairs), “Pomorie Lake” (50-550 pairs), and “Varna-Beloslav Lake” (15-25 pairs).

Comparative distribution of the species compared to the first breeding birds atlas (Iankov, 2007): Breeding locality until 2007 | Breeding locality until 2007, confirmed after 2015 – | New breeding locality after 2015. – The breeding localities after 2015 are identified on a base of raw data from smartbirds.org.

Habitats

Breeds exclusively in coastal lagoons and around hypersaline shallow limans, situating its nests in salt marshes, salt steppes, salt scrubs, on dikes and dividing banks in the salt pans, rarely on the banks of standing brackish water and standing fresh waters.

Although less often, it also breeds in wetlands with fresh water – sandy shores and islands in rivers, half-dried fishponds and sediments, spills in fields, etc. A colonial species that rarely breeds singly and can form colonies of several hundred pairs. It often breeds in mixed colonies with other rain whistles and terns.

Trends in population changes for the period 2013-2020

Threats

Predation (especially from stray dogs, jackals, yellow-legged gulls), threatening eggs and chicks in breeding colonies. Extreme climate events because of global climate change. Destruction of nests and chicks due to technical activities in the production and extraction of salt. Destruction of sand islands in the Danube due to dredging and construction of hydraulic facilities.

Vladimir Mladenov, Ralitsa Georgieva, Petar Shurulinkov