Birds

1. Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 70 pairs.
Breeding, wintering and staging.
Conservation status – population disturbed and threatened.
Kingfisher is living at water bodies of various types; it is breeding in steep banks. Food consists mainly of small fish. Optimal ecological conditions: unregulated rivers with a mosaic of flowing and standing water, trees and shrubs on the banks, large numbers of fishes, steep river banks. In the project site possible breeding places are reduced and the food offer is lowered.
There is not sufficient data on the number of pairs and distribution of kingfisher within the project site; the only relevant number is from the monitoring at preparation of SPAs (33 pairs in SPA Dunajské luhy).
Conservation problems: reduced river dynamics causes loss of potential breeding places (steep river banks) and insufficient food supply (small fish).

2. Garganey (Anas querquedula)
Habitats directive – Annex II/1.
Estimated size of population in project area – 2-10 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – endangered.
Originally, the breeding habitats of garganey were the large branches of the Danube of plesioptamal and paleopotamal type (oxbow-lakes) with large shallow water areas. In the presence the majority of them are breeding on the new water-bodies of the Hru?ovská zdr? water reservoir, and there are not recent records of breeding pairs in the fragments of the natural habitats.

3. Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Habitats directive – Annex II/1.
Estimated size of population in project area – 5-15 pairs.
Breeding, wintering and staging.
Conservation status – not threatened immediately.
Originally, the breeding habitats of gadwall were the large branches of the Danube of plesioptamal and paleopotamal type (oxbow-lakes) with large shallow water areas. In the presence the majority of them are breeding on the new water-bodies of the Hru?ovská zdr? water reservoir, and only few pairs have been registered to breed in the fragments of the natural habitats.

4. Purple heron (Ardea purpurea)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 20-30 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – endangered, however the population number is stable during the last ten years.
It is endangered because the whole breeding population is concentrated in one (in some years two) breeding colonies. The purple heron is specialised to inhabit large litoral zones with reed. It is breeding in colonies, usually in reed, sometimes also in willow shrubs. Feeding localities are outside the colonies but usually also in reed or other aquatic plants.
Although the population is stable presently, several decades ago the number of breeding colonies and pairs in the area was significantly higher. At moment, there is one large breeding colony of the species within the project site, in the SPA Szigetköz. The colony is located in the vicinity of SPA Dunajské luhy, and also the majority of the feeding habitats are located here. Recently only irregular breeding of 1-4 pairs has been recorded in SPA Dunajské luhy. The former breeding localities (1950-1980) have been fully destroyed, or there is changed water regime now. Several potential breeding localities have been identified; the limiting factor on the localities is either too low water level at the beginning of the breeding period, or excessive disturbance by anglers.

5. Black stork (Ciconia nigra)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Population size in project area – 5-12 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – critically endangered.
In sub-site SPA Dunajské luhy during 1980-1990 breeding of 13-15 pairs has been recorded, during 2006-2007 only 2 breeding pairs were located. The conservation status is being worsen by a whole complex of factors (reduced feeding possibilities, reduced breeding possibilities, excessive disturbance). During the last years with increased frequency also the phenomenon has been observed, that only one bird was present at the nest – the population is reduced to minimum and creation of new pairs may be problematic.
The negative trend in the population seems to be a consequence of three factors limiting black storks:
1. Intensive forestry reduces the possible breeding places, the large-scale hybrid poplar plantations are not suitable breeding places. It happened repeatedly that even trees with existing nests have been cut down.
2. Changes in water regime and decreased connectivity of the river branch system caused reduced possibilities of feeding.
3. Excessive disturbance by people on breeding places and partially in feeding localities causes regularly leaving of nests or even complete leaving of the territory

6. Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 22 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – favourable.
The marsh harrier inhabits both, natural wetlands within the project site and agricultural land mostly located outside of the project site. The present population seems to be stable. Of the proposed concrete conservation actions, improvement of water regime and restoring of meadows will contribute to the feeding possibilities of marsh harrier; restoration of the dry river branches will create new potential breeding places.

7. Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 70 pairs.
Breeding and wintering.
Conservation status – disturbed, but not threatened immediately.
The main threat is intensive forestry, which reduces breeding and feeding possibilities. Also direct cutting down of trees with breeding holes during breeding period is possible.
Black woodpecker has excellent living conditions in older or not managed floodplain forests. In contrast to them, the intensive hybrid poplar plantations are of limited importance – due to reduced food offer and above all, due to missing of appropriate breeding trees. Improvement of the conservation status can be achieved by enlargement of the forest areas with more extensive forest management. Another possibility is to gradually increase the number of native trees within the plantations, these trees should be located in groups and/or separately and they have to be kept (saved) during cutting down the forest stand.

8. Little egret (Egretta garzetta)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Population size in project area – 1-5 pairs.
Despite the more or less stable population, little egret is endangered in the project site, because the breeding population is very small and it is concentrated in one breeding colony. As the major limiting factor seems to be lack of shallow water areas and temporary marshes, and it is enhanced by excessive disturbance by man.
Within the project site there is only one place where little egrets are regularly breeding. The present breeding population (1-5 pairs) is so low that protection measurements are urgently needed. Several other colonies of little egrets existed during the 20th century in the project site. All of them were situated on inaccessible island, together with other colonially breeding birds. As the most important feeding places used during breeding period were identified shallow gravel and sandy banks without much vegetation and shallow places in large river branches. And exactly these habitats have been reduced drastically in the past, mainly due to dredging in the main river bed and other regulation works and due to stabilisation of water level dynamics in some sections of the branch system. Other conservation problems are the reduced breeding possibilities and excessive disturbance by man. At the moment probably the most effective protection of little egrets is restoration of appropriate shallow water areas.

9. White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Population size in project area – 6-7 pairs.
Breeding, wintering and staging.
Conservation status – not threatened immediately.
Potential threat lies in the low population density, small reproduction rate and large sensitivity to various negative factors. For example, in 2007 the majority of breeding pairs was not successful.
Besides the presently realised monitoring and limiting of forest management activities around the nest, also improvement of the habitat quality should follow to keep the population stable.

10. Little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 50 pairs.
Breeding a migrant.
Conservation status – favourable.
Although several important breeding places of little bittern have been destroyed (older river branches separated from the river), it has occupied similar habitats emerged in the sections with stabilized water regime.

11. Black kite (Milvus migrans)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Population size in project area – 2-4 pairs (2008-2009).
Breeding a migrant.
Conservation status – critically endangered.
The conservation status is being worsen by a whole complex of factors (reduced feeding possibilities, reduced breeding possibilities, excessive disturbance). Between 1980 and 1990 in the whole project site there were breeding about 25 pairs.

12. Night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 100 pairs.
Breeding and staging. Conservation status – endangered.
Recently three small breeding colonies of night herons exist in the project site. Main negative factors that have reduced the number of colonies and overall population size of night herons in the project site were destruction of several oxbows and similar wetlands and the changed water regime. Another negative factor is lack of food. Several other colonies of night herons existed during the 20th century in the project site, and the population was significantly higher. Night herons seem to be extremely sensitive to water level decrease. Protection of night heron should consist of restoring of the dry river branches, improvement of food offer (mainly fish) and keeping quietness at the breeding colonies.

13. Sand martin (Riparia riparia)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Estimated size of population in project area – 100 - 300 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – endangered.
The sand martin population in the project site is limited through the river bank fortifications and in the river branches also through the lowered water dynamics – no new steep banks are being created inside the branch system.
Formerly there were large breeding colonies of the sand martins along the entire target section of the Danube River. Despite of excellent food offer and regular presence of sand martins, the present breeding population is reduced to minimum. The majority of potential breeding places (steep sides) have been covered with stones, and the reduced river dynamics causes that new steep sites are arising only exceptionally, even in the river branches without regulated banks.

14. Common tern (Sterna hirundo)
Habitats directive – Annex I.
Population size in project area – 200 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – favourable.
Common terns are breeding only on several islands in the Hru?ovská zdr? water reservoir, these islands are being managed regularly to keep the appropriate breeding possibilities for common terns. The next step in common tern protection should be the improvement of feeding possibilities.
Common terns are breeding only on several islands in the Hru?ovská zdr? water reservoir. Breeding places on gravel banks in the river and in the river branch system existed in the first half of the 20th century, however the population completely moved to artificial water bodies. Restoration of natural breeding habitats (gravel banks) is strongly needed. However, the way how to effectively restore these habitats is not known and possible solutions are above the financial possibilities of this project. Within this project improvement of food basis of common terns will be implemented.

15. Common redshank (Tringa totanus)
Habitats directive – Annex II/2.
Estimated size of population in project area – 5 pairs.
Breeding and staging.
Conservation status – critically endangered.
Originally it has been breeding in shallow open wetlands along the river.
The majority of the area of this habitat in the project site has been destroyed and the breeding population of Tringa totanus moved to man-made habitats. Recently it has been breeding on the Hru?ovská zdr? water reservoir, however, due to continuing succession it losses slowly also these secondary breeding places. Restoration of the original breeding habitats is needed