Slovak Raptor Journal 2012, 6: 31–36. DOI: 10.2478/v10262-012-0065-8. © Raptor Protection ofSlovakia (RPS) The first observation of the Levant sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes (Severtzov, 1850) in Slovakia Prvé pozorovanie jastraba krátkoprstého Accipiter brevipes (Severtzov, 1850) na Slovensku Štefan DANKO & Ervín HRTAN Abstract: On May 15, 2012 an individual of Levant sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes was observed at the southern edge of Trebi- šov town in eastern Slovakia, situated in the Východoslovenská rovina Lowlands. The sighting was documented with photo- graphs. This is the first recorded occurrence of this species in terms of the bird fauna of Slovakia. The present article describes in detail its distribution and breeding in eastern Hungary and western Romania, based on an isolated population in the Pannonian Basin at the north-western edge of its breeding range. The occurrence of the Levant sparrowhawk beyond the boundaries of its breeding range and outside the Pannonian Basin consists mostly of rare movements by young individuals (northern Moravia, cen- tral and northern Poland) far north of its breeding range. An adult male was observed in south-eastern Poland in the pre-breeding period, and in Slovakia an adult female was observed in the breeding period. Abstrakt: Dňa 15. mája 2012 bol na južnom okraji mesta Trebišov na východnom Slovensku v orografickom celku Východoslo- venská rovina pozorovaný jastrab krátkoprstý. Je to prvý zaznamenaný, zároveň fotograficky dokumentovaný, výskyt tohto druhu pre avifaunu Slovenska. V texte je podrobnejšie opísaný jeho výskyt a hniezdenie vo východnom Maďarsku a západnom Rumun- sku, kde žije izolovaná populácia v Panónskej panve na severozápade jeho hniezdneho rozšírenia. Výskyty jastraba krátkoprstého mimo hniezdneho areálu a mimo Panónskej panvy predstavujú zriedkavé zálety mladých jedincov (severná Morava, stredné a severné Poľsko) na sever od hniezdneho rozšírenia. Na juhovýchode Poľska sa vyskytol dospelý samec v predhniezdnom a na Slovensku dospelá samica v hniezdnom období. Key words: eastern Slovakia, Pannonian Basin, first record Štefan Danko, Raptor Protection of Slovakia, Kuklovská 5, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia. E-mail: [email protected]. Ervín Hrtan, M. R. Štefánika 681/191, 075 01 Trebišov, Slovakia. E-mail: [email protected] Acknowledgments: We enjoyed great help from Pál Marik in our discussions about the occurrence and breeding of the Levant sparrowhawk in Hungary and from Szilárd Daróczi in Romania. We were helped by László Haraszthy with Hungarian literature and Lukasz Lawicky with references from Poland. Maps were created by Alexander Kürthy. We owe our thanks to all of them for their help and cooperation. Introduction and western Romania (Glutz et al. 1971, Cramp & Sim- The Levant sparrowhawk is a species occurring almost mons 1994, Bijlsma 1997, Gorman 1998, Mebs exclusively in the Western Palearctic. Its breeding range & Schmidt 2006). The most numerous populations extends over south-east Europe from the Balkan penin- breed in Russia, Greece, Turkey and Ukraine (Bijlsma sula east to the Caspian Sea. The western part of its 1997, Mebs & Schmidt 2006). range in the Balkans and western Turkey is fragmented, The most significant records in relation to Slovakia whereas it has a continuous range of distribution east of come from the isolated population in the Pannonian Romania over the Black Sea to the Ural River in wes- Basin. The Levant sparrowhawk is distributed here east tern Kazakhstan. The northern boundary of its range of the Danube River. The first record of this species in leads through Croatia, Serbia, south-east Romania, this region dates 1904 in Turches village in Romania Moldavia, south-east Ukraine and the south-western (Csörgey 1906). The first record from Hungarian terri- part of Russia in the surroundings of Volgograd. Its tory was published in 1934 (Greschik 1934), coming southern range extends to the Mediterranean and sout- from Mohács town in Baranya county. Other accounts hern Turkey and in some patches in Georgia, Armenia, come from the east of the country, Ókígyós village Azerbaijan and north-west Iran. An isolated population (present name Szabadkígyós), from Pusztaszer village in has settled in the Pannonian Basin in eastern Hungary Csongrád county, Hajdúböszörmény village in Hajdú- 31 Danko Š & Hrtan E: The first observation of the Levant sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes (Severtzov, 1850) in Slovakia (Fig. 1: no. 4; Tomiałojć & Stawarczyk 2003). The most recent, third observation (young individual) in Poland was recorded at the beginning of September 2010 at the south coast of the Baltic Sea in Gdańsk Bay (Fig. 1: no. 5; Bela & Typiak 2011). The Levant sparrowhawk has not yet been recorded in Ruthenia (Potiš 2009). The first breeding of the Levant sparrowhawk in Hungarian territory was recorded in 1957 in Hajdú-Bihar county in the forest north of Debrecen (Aradi 1964). This pair nested in the same location subsequently in 1962, 1963 and 1967, but no further nesting was later recorded at this location. This location is 85 km south of the south-eastern border of Slovakia. More recently, the Levant sparrowhawk was observed in the surroundings of Debrecen in 1993, 1994 (Tóth et al. 1998) and the last observation was recorded in 2010 (MME NB 2012). Since 1985 this species has often been observed in the same county in the area of Hortobágy. The last published observation occurred in 2007 (Kovács 2004, Hadarics & Zalai 2008). In 1994, three breeding pairs of the Levant sparrowhawk were recorded in Békés county and further confirmed in 1995–1998 (Marik et al. 1997, Tóth et al. 1998, Hadarics 1998). The last published account of the breeding of this species in Hungary comes from Csongrád county, where a nest was found in 2009 (Mészáros 2009, Mészáros & Tóth 2009). The breeding of this species in the adjacent territory of Romania has not been confirmed (Fig. 2). The data displayed on the map were derived besides the cited references also from several articles of the MME NB (2008, 2010a, b) and from the webpage www.rarebirds.hu. Fig. 1. Occurrences of the Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter bre­ vipes) in the Dunántúl area and outside the Pannonian Basin. Výskyty jastraba krátkoprstého ( ) Obr. 1 Accipiter brevipes Description of the observation and discussion v Zadunajsku a mimo Panónskej panvy. On May 17, 2012 the second author of this paper photographed an adult female of the Levant sparrow- Bihar county, Pálmonostora village in Bács-Kiskun hawk in the afternoon between 14:30–14:40 GMT +2 on county, Öcsöd village in Szolnok county and Apaj vil- the southern edge of Trebišov town (eastern Slovakia, lage in Pest county (Tarján 1938, Pátkai 1947, Radó Východoslovenská rovina Lowlands, 21° 43' 12'' E, 48° 1954, Bankovics 1991, Tóth et al. 1998, Hadarics 36' 32'' N; 102 m a. s. l.; Fig. 4). The bird flew in from a & Zalai 2008). garden in the centre of the town north to the observation An adult female Levant sparrowhawk was observed point. The observed individual departed after 10 minu- at the end of 1953 in the Dunántúl area (west of the tes, flying back north to the centre of the town. It is the Danube River) at Nagylengyel village (Fig. 1: no. 1; first observation of this bird species in Slovakia, docu- Breuer 1955). A single subadult Levant sparrowhawk mented with photographic images. Record is particular- was shot at the beginning of September 1958 in northern ly interesting, because it was an adult female observed Moravia, beyond the Pannonian Basin (Fig. 1: no. 2; in Trebišov county in eastern Slovakia during the bree- Hudec et al. 1966). The first observation of an adult male ding period. According to Marik et al. (1997) this in Poland was recorded in 1989 at Przemyśl village (Fig. species lays eggs between May, 17–28. The date of oc- 1: no. 3; Kunysz 1992), another one (two year old male) currence indicates that we can speculate about occa- at the end of October 1993 near Włocławek village sional breeding of this species in Slovakia, since an 32 Slovak Raptor Journal 2012, 6: 31–36. DOI: 10.2478/v10262-012-0065-8. © Raptor Protection ofSlovakia (RPS) Fig. 2. Sites of occurrences and breeding of the Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) in the Pannonian Basin. Blue circle – occurrences until 1 988, red circle – occurrences after 1 989, black circle – breeding sites. Obr. 2. Lokality výskytu a hniezdenia jastraba krátkoprstého (Accipiter brevipes) v Panónskej panve. Modrý krúžok – výskyty do roku 1 988, červený krúžok – výskyty od roku 1 989, čierny krúžok – hniezdne lokality. adult female should be found in the vicinity of its nest sparrowhawk in recent years indicate rather rare nort- at that time. A potential breeding habitat is located in hward trips by this species beyond the boundaries of its the large city park (1000×770 m), which this individual regular breeding range. most probably left from and returned to. There is a strip This account of the occurrence of this bird species in of forest 150 m wide and 3 km long attached to the Slovakia is indeed a challenge for thorough observation eastern edge of the park. All observations of this and photographic documentation of all occurrences of species from locations other than eastern Hungary such small-sized hawks in the lowland region of eastern Slo- as the Dunántúl area at the end of November 1953, vakia, because its presence may easily remain unnoticed northern Moravia at the beginning of September 1958 or it may be mis-identified as the European sparrowha- and central and northern Poland at the end of October wk for their close resemblance. In contrast to the Euro- 1993 and beginning of September 2010 come from the pean sparrowhawk, however, the Levant sparrowhawk post-breeding migratory period. Occasional movements has black wingtips in flight and the wingtip is formed by to the north are rather evidence of post-breeding move- the 3rd and 4th primaries (the 3rd–5th in the European ments (typical for all young individuals), as this is sparrowhawk).