Ornis Hungarica 2013. 21(2): 1–22. doi: 10.2478/orhu-2014-0001 European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758) in Hungary: a review JÓZSEF GYURÁCZ1, KÁROLY NAGY2, TIBOR ISTVÁN FUISZ3, ZSOLT KARCZA2 & TIBOR SZÉP4 József Gyurácz, Károly Nagy, Tibor István Fuisz, Zsolt Karcza & Tibor Szép 2013. European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758) in Hungary: a review. – Ornis Hungarica 21(2): 1–22. Abstract The European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758) is known as ‛beekeeper bird’ and an effective ecosystem engineer species. The fact that in 2013 it became ‛The Bird of the Year’ in Hungary offers the possibility to summarise the information about the distribution, population size, breed- ing and feeding ecology, dispersion, migration, intra- and interspecific relationships as well as the nature conserva- tion status of the bee-eater population breeding in Hungary. Though this review focuses on the Hungarian population trends, but also summarises the major research results from other countries. In the period of 1992–2013, the num- ber of breeding pairs were surveyed in 5897 2.5×2.5 km UTM squares in the frame of the Monitoring of Rare and Colonial Breeding Birds programme. In the surveyed area during the period of 1992–2013, the most accurate esti- mate suggests a 10600–19600 breeding pair population. The larger nesting colonies were observed in the following regions: Zala Hills, Outer Somogy, Gerecse, Velencei Hills, Mezőföld, Gödöllő Hills, Tápió, Bükkalja, Taktaköz, Körös region. The annual population indices showed marked fluctuation with stable long term population trend in Hungary. The national monitoring and protection project of the European Bee-eater revealed the most important fac- tors endangering the nesting populations, these are weed invasion and the collapse of vertical banks, mining carried out in the nesting period and direct human-caused disturbance (e.g. shooting, tourism). Keywords: Merops apiaster, Hungary, breeding population, migration, conservation Összefoglalás A gyurgyalag (Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758) „méhész madárként” és hatékony ökoszisztéma mérnök fajként is ismert. 2013-ban „Az év madarának” választották Magyarországon, ezen alkalomból jelen írás összefoglalja a gyurgyalag földrajzi elterjedésére, állománynagyságára, fészkelésére, táplálkozására, szétter- jedésére, vonulására, intra- és interspecifikus kapcsolataira, valamint természetvédelmi helyzetére vonatkozó lé- nyeges ismereteket, kitekintve más országok fontosabb kutatási eredményeire is. 1992 és 2013 között, az MME „Ritka és Telepesen fészkelő Madarak Monitroingja, RTM” program keretében 5897 darab, 2,5×2,5 kilométeres UTM négyzetben mértük fel a költőpárok számát. Felméréseink alapján készült eddigi legpontosabb becslés sze- rint a gyurgyalag hazai fészkelő állománya évente 10 600–19 600 pár volt 1992 és 2013 között. A legnagyobb költőtelepeket a következő régiókban figyeltük meg: Zalai-dombság, Külső-Somogy, Gerecse, Velencei-hegy- ség, Mezőföld, Gödöllői-dombság, Tápióvidék, Bükkalja, Taktaköz, Körös vidéke. A trendanalízis eredménye alapján a hazai költőállomány a vizsgált időszakban stabil volt. Az országos monitoring és védelmi program ál- tal feltárt leggyakoribb fészkelést veszélyeztető tényezők a következők voltak: a partfalak benövényesedése, a függőleges partfalak ledőlése, fészkelési időszakban végzett bányászat, valamint a közvetlen emberi zavarás (pl. vadászat, turizmus). Kulcsszavak: Merops apiaster, Magyarország, költő populáció, vonulás, védelem 1 Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of West Hungary, Szombathely, Károlyi Gáspár tér 4., 9700 Hungary, e-mail: [email protected] 2 MME/BirdLife Hungary, Budapest, Költő utca 21., 1121 Hungary, e-mail: [email protected], karcza.zsolt@ mme.hu 3 Department of Zoology, Bird Collection, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Baross u. 13., 1088 Hungary, e-mail: [email protected] 4 Institute of Environmental Sciences, College of Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza, Sóstói út 31/b, 4400 Hungary, e-mail: [email protected] Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/6/17 5:12 PM 2 ORNIS HUNGARICA 2013. 21(2) Introduction Hungary (Báldi et al. 2001), as well as in the Second Appendices of the Bern and Bonn The 27 colorful and morphologically uni- Conventions (Heath et al. 2000). The Euro- form species of the Meropidae family is di- pean Bee-eater was selected for the title ‛The vided into three genera (Dickinson & Rem- Bird of the Year’ for the first time, by BirdLife sen 2013). The three species belonging to Hungary in 1979 (Kállay 1978). The national the Nyctiornis (2 species) and Meropogon monitoring and protection project for the Eu- (1 species) genera are confined to the far ropean Bee-eater started due to insufficient East, from the Himalaya mountains to Su- nesting and distribution data of the species. lawesi, while the 24 species of the Merops Nature conservation conflicts arose from the genus can be divided into two biogeographi- bee-eaters’ nesting site preference and con- cal and ecological species clade on the ba- sumption of Western Honeybees (Apis mel- sis of phylogenetic analysis (Dickinson lifera). The Hungarian European Bee-eater 2003). One of them consists of the resident monitoring and conservation program was species that are breeding in Africa, while launched with the following goals: the species of the other clade are obligato- – to survey the number and distribution of ry migrants and breed in Africa and Eura- breeding pairs, sia (Marks et al. 2007) and one species even – to identify the risk factors for breeding in Australia. The Persian Bee-eater (Merops and nest sites, persicus Pallas, 1773) belongs to the lat- – to reduce the degradation of nests and ter clade, and occasionally nests in South- breeding sites, East Europe (Cramp 1998), however, the – to change people’s attitude towards the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster Lin- species and the natural environment naeus, 1758) is fairly common, widespread (Gyurácz 1998a, Gyurácz et al. 2004). and regular, colonial breeder in Europe (Fry Between 1992 and 2013, the number of 1984, Cramp 1998). This species has been breeding pairs were surveyed in 5897 breeding in Hungary and the surrounding 2.5×2.5 km UTM squares in the frame of area since the middle-Pleistocen (Udvardy Monitoring of Rare and Colonial Breed- 1969, Mlíkovský 2009). The area of the spe- ing Birds Programme (Ritka és Telepesen cies is extended northwards in Europe, and Fészkelő Madarak Monitoringja, RTM) it appeared in areas like the north of Hunga- (minimum in 1992: 29 squares, maximum ry during the last centuries because of the in 2002: 806 squares) (Figure 1). From the milder winters and warmer average spring 5897 UTM squares there were 1136 pieces, temperatures caused by global climate which were surveyed at least in three dif- change (Kinzelbach et al. 1997). It has still ferent years and which UTM squares were been expanding in Northern Europe in the used for estimating trends for the period of last decade (Vagg & Hepworth 2006). 1992–2013 by TRIM software (McCullagh In Hungary, the European Bee-eater has & Nelder 1989, Pannekoek & van Strien been protected since 1954, it became a strict- 2001, van Strien et al. 2001). ly protected species in 1984. Furthermore it The results of the more than twenty years is listed in the National Red Book (Banko- long monitoring and protection program vics et al. 1989), in the list of the 71 most and the fact that in 2013, once again the Eu- endangered terrestrial vertebrate species of ropean Bee-eater becameUnauthenticated ‛The Bird of the Download Date | 7/6/17 5:12 PM J. Gyurácz, K. Nagy, T. I. Fuisz, Zs. Karcza & T. Szép 3 Figure 1. Distribution of 2.5×2.5 km2 UTM squares in Hungary where number of breeding pairs of European Bee-eaters was surveyed (including zero observation) during 1992–2013 1. ábra A felmért 2,5×2,5 km2-es UTM négyzetek eloszlása Magyarországon 1992–2013 között Year’ in Hungary (Bagdi 2013), gives an South Africa (Fry 1984). The northern bor- excellent opportunity to summarise the in- der of the area coincides with the 21 °C iso- formation about the distribution, population therm of July, but exceptionally some birds size, behaviour and the nature conservation expand to the 17 °C isotherm of July (Fry status of the Bee-eater population breeding 1984, Krištín & Petrov 1997). in Hungary. Though this review focuses on In Europe, the data gathered on its distri- the Hungarian population trends, but also bution changes revealed the northward ex- summarises the major research results from pansion of the European Bee-eater from the other countries as well. 1920s and 1930s and its westward expan- sion from the second half of the 1940s (Fry 1984, Cramp 1998). The European Bee-eat- Geographical distribution er appeared as nesting species due to this area expansion and even its occasional nes- The current area of the European Bee-ea- ting was recorded in further northern re- ter expands from North Africa through the gions like in Northern France, the Nether- Iberian Peninsula, Southern Europe, the lands, Denmark, Britain, Finland and Russia Carpathian Basin, Eastern Europe, Small- (Krištín & Petrov 1997, Cramp 1998). and Mid-Asia to Kashmir due to postgla- The European Bee-eater was an uncom- cial dispersal (Cramp 1998, Snow & Perrins mon bird until the middle of the twentieth 1998). A few smaller population breeds in century in Hungary, onlyUnauthenticated the nesting of a Download Date | 7/6/17 5:12 PM 4 ORNIS HUNGARICA 2013. 21(2) few sporadic breeding pairs were published Gönye 1935, Wagner 1935, Merán 1947, in journals including ornithological sources Dorning 1949, Sőregi 1955, Bécsy 1966, (Aizenpreisz 1929, Máry 1929, Réz 1929, Farkas 1967, Buschmann & Mester 1988, 1932, Sőreghy 1934, Porgányi 1935, Schenk Kárpáti 1989). In Hungary, its nesting was 1935, Páldy 1935, 1939, Radványi 1939, only proven in the area bordered by the Da- Vertse 1939, Sághy 1942a, 1942b, Thóbiás nu be, Drava rivers and Balaton Lake before 1943, Keller 1949, Breuer 1950, Molnár 1940 (Radványi 1936, Keve 1949), and it 1950, Dorning 1955, Sághy 1955, Bókai expanded to the northwestern part of Hunga- 1957, Randik 1957, Vásárhelyi 1957, Be- ry (Keve & Udvardy 1951) after 1940.