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Home , Baraba steppe, Gelochelidon, Ivory gull

SPEOAL REVIEW

By D. D. HARBER

THE OF THE SOVIET UNION. Under the general editorship of G. P. DEMENTIEV and N. A. GLADKOV. (State Publishers "Soviet Science", Moscow, 1951-54). 6 vols. (In Russian).

CONTENTS OF VOLUME 3 (1951: 680 pages)*

(Part II) THE Lariformes are considered a separate order by the Russians and are dealt with by G. P. Dementiev. On the one hand, he writes, they approach the waders and on the other the auks. But "the common morphological characteristics are not numerous and the biological differences are very considerable. Therefore the of the old (and of some new) authors, where auks, and waders are united' in a single order, are a mixed group. The probability of a common origin is of course not enough to permit these biologically different birds to be attributed to one order." The wide-spread opinion that birds of this order are harmful because they feed on cannot be considered cor­ rect. Most commonly they take fish which is dead or dying and only a small percentage of fish which is useful to Man. Moreover the larger birds of this order destroy obnoxious and the value of gulls and in destroying insect pests is recognised in "all the most recent investigations". The Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) is a rare in the Soviet Union, being occasionally recorded between the Murman coast and Novaya Zemlya. There are old records for the Kiev district about which the writer is somewhat doubtful. The Pomarine Skua (S. potnarinus) has occurred on a number of occasions on migration in the interior of the Soviet Union. Visits to the Black Sea and the Caspian "are probable but in fact remain unproved". The Skua (S. parasiticus) breeds as far south as Kam­ chatka. Breeding on the New Siberian Islands cannot yet be regarded as certain. While it outnumbers the Pomarine Skua in it is outnumbered by it in . The Long-tailed Skua (S. longicaudus) does not normally nest on or on Jan Mayen. Details are given of seasonal variations of the food of this and the last . The race pallescens of the Long- * Discussions of the contents of volumes 1 and 2 appeared in previous issues on pages 221-224 and 268-276. The first part of volume 3 was described on pages 313-319.

343 344 BRITISH BIRDS [VOL. XLVIII tailed Skua (given as doubtful by The Handbook) is recognized and is stated to breed eastwards from the lower reaches of the Kolyma. Birds from the New Siberian Islands and the lower Indigirka are transitional in type. The Ivory (Pagophila eburnea) probably nests at about lat. 75° N. on Novaya Zemlya, but the actual site has not yet been found. It nests on Lone Island (Einsamkeit), on and perhaps on Bennett, Herald and Polynia. There does not seem to be any fresh information on nesting on these last three islands since M'Clintock wrote in 1856. On rare occasions stragglers are found in the interior of the Soviet Union. Its incu­ bation period is given as a little less than a month. On Novaya Zemlya it has been observed to attack young auks (Gorbunov, 1929). The breeding of the (Rissa tridactyia) on Vaigach (Waigatz), given as doubtful in The Handbook, is con­ firmed. There are a number of records of this species for the interior of the country. The largest colony of the typical form (off the Murman coast) has rather more than 6,000 pairs. Its incubation period is stated to be 24-25 days. The range of the eastern race pollicaris is not fully known, but it is believed not to nest on Wrangel and Herald Islands. It is stated that recent investigations have added little to the information on the distribution of Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) obtained by Buturlin in 1905. It may perhaps nest at the mouth of the Yana and on the lower Khroma. It may extend about 100 miles east of the mouth of the Kolyma. There are indications that in years of severe flooding this bird may not nest at all and this may explain its early appearance at times in the north. Four (one of them infertile) were once found in a nest. Its incubation period is rather more than three weeks. It apparently winters in those parts of the Arctic Ocean free from ice. Since 1949 this species has been put on the list of com­ pletely protected birds in Yakutia. Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini) nests on Wrangel Island (not given in The Handbook). It is very rare in the interior. It is suggested that this bird probably winters in the ice-free parts of the northern seas. Flocking and the desertion of nesting localities begins very early; Torgashev saw a flock of 120-150 on 15th July on the lower Khatanga. It is a rare bird in the Palaearctic. Apart from a few in Esthonia, the Great Black-backed Gull (Lams marinus) nests only on the Murman coast and its islands in the Soviet Union. "Statements as to its nesting on Kanin, on Vaigach, on the lower Pechora (Pleske, 1928) are not confirmed and all information about encountering the Great Black-backed Gull both here and on the coasts of Siberia is founded on confusion with other species." Its incubation period is given as 29-30 days. The Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus) does not nest on the VOL. XLVIH] BIRDS OF SOVIET UNION—3 345

eastern Murman coast nor on most of the White Sea coast. It regularly winters in the Black Sea. The Great Black-headed Gull (L. ichythyaetus) breeds in the Crimea; at the delta of the Volga and in an area to the west of this river but not further north than Stalingrad (Kalmuck Steppe); in North Kazakhstan (Kirghiz Steppes) about as far as lat. 500 N.; round the north, east and south shores of the Cas­ pian"; on the ; on Lake Teli-kul; on the lower Syr-Daria (episodically); apparently eastern Pamirs; Balkash; Ala-kul; Sassyk-kul; Issyk-kul; Zaisan ; sporadically on the large lakes of north-west Mongolia and south Altai. There is also an isolated colony on Lake Chany in the Baraba Steppe and there is possibly one on Lake Sevan in Armenia. In the Soviet Union it winters on the south Caspian, on the upper Amu-Daria (apparently) and in the Crimea (occasionally). It is common on the islands of the Caspian and Aral Seas. On Komsomol Island in the former up to 3,000 birds were counted in 1948. In the Syr-Daria delta the first eggs are laid at the beginning of April. There appears to be still no information regarding incubation and fledging periods. Among the items of food listed are the eggs and young of other birds and rodents. The race sibiricus of the Black-headed Gull (L. ridibundus) is not recognized and thus the typical race is given as breeding as far east as Kamchatka and Sakhalin. This species is considered to be very valuable to agriculture by eating rodents and insects, and' regret is expressed that so many birds bred in the Soviet Union fall victims to gunners while wintering or on passage in western and southern Europe. The race relictus of the Mediter­ ranean Black-headed Gull (L. melanocephalus) is rejected. It is considered possible that the single specimen from which this race Is described is in fact an aberrant example of L. brunneicephalus, particularly since no one has since been able to find another in Mongolia which country has been "sufficiently well investigated ornithologically". There are still no details known of the incu­ bation and fledging periods of the Mediterranean Black-headed Gull. The (L. minutus) normally breeds only as far south as the Volga-Ural Steppes apart from sporadic breeding in the Crimea, the Sea of Azov and Lake Sevan in Armenia. There is an isolated colony in Volhynia. It does not nest in but does so as far east as Lake Zaisan. Then there is a gap and breeding begins again a little to the west of Lake Baikal. It is not clear how far east its range extends from there, but it is doubtful if it reaches the sea of Okhotsk. On the whole its numbers are only moderate and its colonies are not of large size. Its incubation-period is given as 23 days (quoted from Tischler, 1941) and the young fly when 21-24 days old. 346 BRITISH BIRDS [VOL. XLVHI

The White-winged Black (Chlidonias leucopterus) possibly nests in the Novgorod district. This is given as certain in The Handbook. There is a gap in its distribution in central Siberia between the upper and the east of Lake Baikal. Outside the Soviet Union it is found in an isolated area of north-west Mon­ golia. From Transbaikalia it nests to the Pacific coast and south Sakhalin. Since the time of Pallas there seems to be no evidence that it is to be found on Kamchatka. Its southern limit in central Kazakhstan is not clear and it is not certain whether it breeds on the Syr-Daria and the Amu-Daria. It is abundant in northern Kazakhstan, the Kulunda and Baraba Steppes but sporadic and scarce on the Black Sea. Apparently nothing is known about its incubation and fledging periods. Apart from insects it has been known to eat (more rarely) small fish, frogs, tadpoles, worms and spiders. The Whiskered Tern (C. hybrida) is said to nest in Bessarabia and Podolia on the basis of old information "which requires confirmation". In Soviet Asia it does not nest further east than the Syr-Daria and the Amu-Daria, The statements of Sushkin as to nesting in the Zaisan area were probably based on birds of passage. Only in Turkmenia can this species be con­ sidered not only common but abundant. There is a colony of several hundred pairs in the Astrakhan sanctuary. Incubation lasts not less than 18 days and the young fly when about 21 days old. The Black Tern (C. niger) does not breed on the Ust Yurt or on the Mangyshlak Peninsula. It is only numerous in the south of European , in north-west Kazakhstan, and in south-west Siberia. It "undoubtedly has a positive significance for agricul­ ture by destroying harmful insects. It is hardly possible to con­ sider that it does any concrete harm to fisheries". The Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) nests as far east as Lake Zaisan in central Siberia and' there is a colony on Lake Uryug-nor in north­ west Mongolia. Otherwise there are no more until the Far East where breeding takes place in Ussuria. It is common on the and in places on the Aral Sea and in east Kazakh­ stan. In the Crimea and in Esthonia there are only a few. In the Black Sea area two eggs are normally laid {The Handbook quotes three as being usual in this area). In parts of central Asia it appears to lay during the first half of May. Thcf Gull-billed Tern ( nilotica) nests as far east as Lake Zaisan in Siberia and there is "apparently" an isolated colony in south-east Transbaikalia. While it is usually a bird of the plains it nests by mountain lakes up to about 6,500 feet in Armenia. It does not form big colonies: in north-west Kazakh­ stan its colonies contain up to 150 pairs and on the Aral Sea up to 300. It can be regarded as common in central Asia. There is no evidence for any decrease in numbers during the last century such as has taken place in western Europe. It normally lays three VOL. XLVIII] BIRDS OF SOVIET UNION—3 347 eggs "but sometimes several females lay in one nest; then there are 5, 6 and even 17 (sic) eggs in a nest" The Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) is a rare bird in the Soviet Union and there are considerable colonies only on the north shore of the Black Sea though there are lesser colonies on the Caspian. Four races of the Common Tern (S. hirundo) are recognized. The typical race breeds as far east as the Yenesei and the borders of Altai. So far as has been ascertained by ringing it winters in Africa. In places (Kirghisia and Armenia) it nests at a height of about 6,500 feet. It is numerous in the plains of central Asia, in north-west Kazakhstan and south-west Siberia and in many localities in the south of the European part of the Soviet Union. The race minussensis breeds from south-east Altai to Transbaikalia, extending into Mongolia. The race tibe- tana is found in the Soviet Union in the eastern Pamirs. The race Jongipennis (which has a completely black bill) breeds from the eastern limits of minussensis to the Anadyr (though not to the coast there), Kamchatka, the Amur and Sakhalin. An unfortunate error has been made on the map showing the distribution of these races. These are numbered from 1 to 4 but no 4 appears on the map. There are, however, two 3s and one of these should be 4. The Arctic Tern (S. macrura) nests along the whole northern coast of Siberia and on the northern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk. Apparently it does not nest on either Kolguev or Kamchatka. The southern limit of its range more or less coincides with that of the tundra though it penetrates further south along large rivers. It appears that after the end of the breeding-season the birds from both the European and Asiatic parts of the Soviet Union first fly north to the shores of the Arctic Ocean and then turn west and make for the Atlantic. There are very few records for the interior. The Little Tern (S. alhifrons) is common in parts of central Asia where the largest colonies (up to 50 pairs) appear to be on the Aral Sea. It is rare in the centre of European Russia and in western Siberia. The race sinensis nests in the Soviet Union in Ussuria. The race saundersi (which is regarded as a separate species by the author) has been claimed in the past for various parts of Asiatic Russia, but these claims are considered to relate to aberrant specimens of 5. a. albifrons. The Ralliformes are by E. P. Spangenberg. The Coot (Fulica atra) winters in huge numbers in the Caspian and in parts of central Asia. Many perish in unusually severe winters, falling victims to jackals and birds of prey. Many are obtained for food and in Azerbaijan this species provides 8a% of the total winter catch of birds while much the same is the case in Turkmenia. The flesh of the Coot in winter is said to be "of high quality and is distinguished by exceptionally large layers of "fat". But in 348 BRITISH BIRDS [VOL. XLVIII summer it is of little value. The Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) breeds as far east as south-west Altai and also in Ussuria, but in the area between its status seems uncertain though it has been reported as breeding- in south-west Transbaikalia. Its northern limit is not fully known. As a breeding- species it is particularly numerous in the Ukraine and in Transcaucasia. Large numbers winter in the last locality and some in central Asia. The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) winters in the Crimea and the northern Caucasus and ("in huge numbers") in Transcaucasia. Many perish in snowy winters, not so much from cold or from lack of food as from predators. As a breeding species it is only reported as numerous from a few localities, e.g. in the Pinsk marshes, in places in the Dnepropetrovsk and Chkvalov districts. The Corn­ crake (Crex crex) "is almost everywhere common or even abun­ dant where suitable habitats are available. It is relatively rare at the limits of its area and is not numerous in the Semirechinsk dis­ trict. The total number of birds in the U.S.S.R. is enormous". It seems to be absent from the area between the Caspian and Lake Balkash, apart from the Semirechinsk district. In places (the Crimea) it is highly esteemed as a game bird when on passage. The Little Crake (Porzana parva) has bred as far north as Rybinsk (1950) but this appears to be exceptional. It is rare in the north and east of its area but common and even abundant in the south, e.g. Armenia, many parts of the Ukraine, northern Kazakhstan and the Chkvalov district. Its total numbers are "very considerable". The eggs are laid at 24-hourly intervals. Both sexes incubate but mainly the female. Incubation apparently begins about halfway through the laying and lasts 20-21 days. The race illustris is rejected. The Spotted Crake (P. por­ zana) is common in parts of the mountains of Transcaucasia (though not numerous in the lowlands there) and is abundant throughout the whole of the southern, middle and, in places, northern zones of the Soviet Union. It does not require such moist localities as the Little Crake and Baillon's Crake and is "quite content with damp, grassy meadows with small expanses of open water". Apparently two broods are raised annually. According to the observations of the author, incubation lasts 20 days. The young fly when 7 or 8 weeks old. The northern limit of the range of the typical race of Baillon's Crake (P. pusilla) in the European part of the Soviet Union seems to be Smolensk, Tambov, Gorki, Ulianovsk, Ufa. In Asia its range appears to extend through southern Siberia and central Asia to the Far East. On the whole it is more abundant than the Little Crake but con­ siderably less so than the Spotted Crake.