LE GARZAIE IN VENETO
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LE GARZAIE IN VENETO
Risultati dei censimenti svolti negli anni 1998-2000
2002 Associazione Faunisti Veneti
Résumé
ABSTRACTIn 1998, following the achievement of greater coverage by the Associazione
Faunisti Veneti in the area covered by the region, a campaign to census nesting
herons in the Veneto was initiated. The enquiry, was carried out by 27 observers
between 1998 and 2000.
From the data gathered it can be shown that all the provinces of the Veneto have
nesting herons. Some such as those of Rovigo and Venice, having within their
territory the main regional wetland areas, showed the highest nesting heron
abundances. The other provinces however, all within the Venetian hinterland,
show a sparser distribution of heronries.
Overall, during the three years of the enquiry the following numbers of
nests/pairs were estimated: 3819 in 1998, 4195 in 1999 and 3941 in the year
2000. The nesting numbers could often only estimated because definitive
censuses in marsh areas with difficult access could not be done in a fully
comprehensive manner and it was inevitably necessary to fall back upon estimates.
In spite of these limitations, the figures presented in the following pages
represent the first up-to-date and exhaustive investigation of the heronries
found in the Veneto.
From the analysis of the data collected, the following mean levels of reproductive
populations were recorded in terms of pairs/nests: Night Heron (Nycticorax
nycticorax) 581; Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) 45; Cattle Egret (Bubulcus
ibis) 5; Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 2176; Great White Egret (Egretta alba) 6;
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 633; Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) 815. During
the three years of the census the Night Heron showed a decline from 654 to
484 nests whilst the Grey Heron increased from 533 to 726. The other species,
however, remained fairly stable or fluctuated either side of the mean values. Of
particular importance was the population of Purple Heron, that, with a mean of
815 nests, is of a very high value at national level.