Khymyn M. Waterfowl of the Western Polissiia (modern state, problems of protection and used)

In the region of Western Polissia there are 47 species of waterfowl which are belonging to 21 genuses, 6 families of 5 orders, and in the period of our research – 45 species (39 species we registered 39 personally). Among them 18 breed there, 10 were registered on passage and 17 vagrants, 32 of them were recorded in winter. The abundance of the breeders of waterfowls in the region of Western Polissia is estimated at 25,000-30,000 pairs. The most numerous among them are the Coot Fulica atra (12,000-15,000 breeding pairs) and the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (8,000-10,000 b.p.), less numerous – are the Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (2,000-2,500 b.p.), Garganey Anas querquedula (900-1,200 b.p.), Little Grebe Podiceps ruficollis (500-800 b.p.) and Pochard Aythya ferina (400-600 b.p.). The number of rare waterfowl species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (2009) is insignificant: Goldeneye Bucephala clangula (50-70 b.p.), Gadwall Anas strepera (25-50 b.p.) and Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (8-10 b.p.). We have established the influence of water level in natural water reservoirs on the abundance of the breeding waterfowl (higher level of water causes the increasing in number of breeding birds). We made an assessment of the effect of overgrowth of the vegetations on the artificial water reservoirs on the abundance of breeding species: increasing of overgrowth area decreases the number of the Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, but increases the number of the Little Grebe and does not affect on the Coot). The current structure of the species composition of waterfowl birds among hunting trophies in the study area in 1979-2019 is: Mallard (43,8% of all shooted birds), Coot (41,1%), Garganey (5,3%), Teal (4,8%), Pochard (1,2%), other species are not in favor.