Ornithologist names birds endangered in Ukraine due to the war

War destroys not only human lives, but also has a detrimental effect on the nature of Ukraine. Explosions, land mines, emergencies at Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl NPPs, the undermining of the Kakhovka Dam, and the destruction of occupied protected areas and land on the front line are causing animals and birds to die or flee their homes.

Ornithologist Oleksandr Ponomarenko told the media how military operations affect bird populations. He also named the birds that are endangered in Ukraine because of the war.

Oleksandr Ponomarenko, a senior researcher at the Dnipro-Orillia Nature Reserve and ornithologist, noted that the war affects birds in different ways. "Those species that are common, such as sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, do not feel significantly affected because they have large populations and quickly adapt to changing living conditions," he said.

Rare species may suffer more, especially when it comes to protected areas in the occupied territories.

"These are species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, mostly birds of the wetland complex - gulls, waders, pelicans, etc. Therefore, the main risk of war concerns the Red Book birds, of which there are more than 90 species in the fauna of Ukraine," emphasized Ponomarenko.

A striking example is the Levant sparrowhawk, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Its range in Ukraine is only a part of Luhansk region. "We do not know what is happening in those territories, but I am sure that they are not protected now, and the Russians are definitely not worried about the ecological state of the occupied region," the ornithologist emphasized.

The expert assumes that due to the military actions, the Levant sparrowhawk has moved deeper into its range, further east, i.e., it has simply disappeared from the territory of Ukraine.

It is known that the Askania Nova reserve in the Kherson region was an important stopping point for migrating birds. According to biologists, 10-15 thousand gray cranes stopped there. However, Russian terrorists blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, destroying the nearby convenient places for birds to rest.

Oleksandr Ponomarenko emphasizes that in Ukraine certain ecosystems existed with the support of the law, but the Russians will definitely not comply with Ukrainian environmental legislation. "Biotopes as habitats with rare and valuable birds are likely to be destroyed," the expert suggests.

According to the ornithologist, the issue of the steppe crane population is complicated, as its main distribution area is the Azov, Black Sea, and Crimea.

"These territories are under occupation, there is no accurate data. Crimea is relatively calm, but I'm afraid to imagine what is happening in the protected areas of the Azov and Black Sea regions," Ponomarenko said.

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