1. Herons in Europe Loic Marion, Paula Ulenaers and Janine van Vessem This chapter discusses the heron populations of European countries west to the Ural Mountains and the Great Caucasus of Russia (Fig. 1.1, Table 1.1). The chapter includes all of Turkey. The small countries of Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino and Andorra are not mentioned because they lack breeding herons. The present chapter covers coastal Mediterranean populations at the country level because these populations are evaluated more fully in Chapter 2. Heron populations of Europe are among the best known in the world, and population status and trends for many species are relatively well understood. The Heron Fauna Europe has nine heron species (Table 1.1). A north-south gradient in heron diversity occurs from Scandinavia and the British Isles to the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas. Historically herons have been recolonising Europe from Caspian and Mediterranean areas, which were the last places in Europe favourable to herons during the last glaciation (Harrison 1982). The Grey Heron is the most widespread, found in 34 out of 38 countries, followed by the Eurasian Bittern, Little Bittern, and Black-crowned Night Heron, Ranges are discontinuous for almost all species. Eurasian Bitterns seem more regularly distributed, while most Grey Herons are localised in five countries and nearly all Cattle Egrets in two. A vast majority of Great White Egrets and Purple Herons are in Russia, where information is the poorest. France, Italy, Russia and Turkey are the only countries that support all European species. No European heron is globally threatened. Some have been recognised as being of conservation concern within Europe, one as declining, two as vulnerable, and two (provisionally) as vulnerable (Tucker and Heath 1994). Overall in Europe, herons number around 462.000 to 722.000 breeding pairs (Table 1.1). The Grey Heron is the most abundant (28% of total), followed by the Cattle Egret (15%), Purple Heron (13%), Little Bittern (12%), Black-crowned Night Heron and Little Egret (10% each), Eurasian Bittern (5%), the Squacco Heron and the Great White Egret (3% each). Heron Conservation Copyright © 2000 Academic Press ISBN 0-12-430130-4 All rights of reproduction in any form reservedHeron Conservation 2 “ueaueuaypayy ay) pue adoung ul seaze UOJaY JueLodLy} TTBHerons in Europe 3 Russia supports 29% of European heron populations, followed by Spain (12%), France (8%), Ukraine and Italy (7% each), and Portugal, Turkey and Romania (5% each). The other 30 countries represent less than 2.3% each. Overall heron population size is not well related to size of country as densities are high in some of the smaller countries, There are 34.6 breeding pairs of herons per 100 km¥ in Portugal, 26.5 in the Netherlands, 25.7 in Moldova, 15.8 in Denmark, 15.6 in Spain, 14 in Hungary, 12 in Italy, 11.5 in Romania, 8.6 in France, 8.5 in Croatia, 7.8 in Belgium, 6.3 in Ukraine, 5.9 in Bulgaria, 4.5 in the United Kingdom, and only 1.0 in Russia. Environmental Conditions Climate and geography, and the resulting presence of scattered favourable sites, explain much about heron distribution in Europe. Climate, which varies from arctic Key to Fig. 1.1 27 Italy—North coast of the Adriatic Sea 1 Russia—Volga Delta including Laguna di Marano, Venetian 2 Russia—Manik Gudilo Lagoons, Po Delta complex, 3 Russia—South-east coast of Azov Comacchio Sea 28 Italy—Rice field area (Pianura Padana) 4 Ukraine—Ozero Sivash and of the Po River floodplain Karkinitsk 29 Italy (Sardinia)—Wetlands near 5 Ukraine—Mouth of Dnepr and Oristano adjacent lagoons 30 Italy (Sardinia)—Stagno di Cagliari 6 Ukraine—Dnestr Delta 31 France—Camargue Delta complex 7 Romania—Danube, Danube Delta, 32 France—Mouth of the River Aude and Dobrogea including Razelm and Sinoie Vendre marshes Lakes, Braila 33 France—Garonne River floodplain, 8 Turkey—Kizilirmak wetland complex Moissac and Toulouse floodplains 9 Turkey—Kurbaga Lake and Sultans 34 France—Ponds of Dombes marshes 35 France—Ponds of Brenne 10 Turkey—Goksu Delta 36 France—Lake Grand-Lieu, Guerande, 11 Turkey—Eber/Aksehir complex Briere, Poitevin, Brouage and Seudre 12 Turkey—Manyas Lake, Lake Izuik, marshes Sarabar Braji 37 Spain—tbro Delta 13 Israel—Hula swamp and fishponds 38 Spain (Mallorca)—S' Albufera de 14 Egypt—Nile Delta complex Mallorca 15 Greece—Lake Vistonis and Porto 39 Spain—Albufera de Valencia Lagos lagoons, Evros Delta 40 Spain—Pantano del Hondo 16 Greece—Kerkini Reservoir 41 Spain—Guadiana River and 17 Greece—Axios, Loudias and Aliakmon floodplains, Volongo, San Betino, Tajo Delta River floodplain 18 Greece—Amvrakikos Gulf 42 Spain—Guadalquivir Delta 19 Greece—Lake Mikri Prespa 43 Portugal—Paul de Boquilobo 20 Montenegro—Skutari Lake 44 Portugal—Ria Sado 21 Croatia—Kopacki Rit, Ludasko Lake 45 Morocco—Loukos marshes 22 Croatia—floodplain of the Sava, Lonja 46 Morocco—Moulouya River mouth and Strug Rivers, Crna Mlaka 47 Algeria—Wetland complex of El Kala 23 Hungary—Lake Kis-Balaton 48 Tunisia—Ichkeul 24 Austria—Lake Neusield 49 Tunisia—Sebkha Kelbia 25 Poland, Russia—Zalew wislany 50 Tunisia—Kneiss Islands and Sfax- 26 Netherlands—Dutch Wetlands Gabes coastlineHeron Conservation 4 {6861 ‘10229 PUP HOdIy., 2661 "NUEAIUNIN, BEET OOD PUE HPO» ZEET ‘NAICS HET “ICY UDI jc UAU09 “S204 "BROGOIEG., T66T ‘0 wuuod S180 BueYSzaf9, N09 id Ue, wINOd “siad 'sezeng. aZe +7961 ‘StoIne4Nd, EHEET “UOURH, ‘S90 °S jx 686T ‘OHUYDSHD luo] pue nue=quny uuioa “siad pue ROYPAIGEES. EPBET 128! ‘ss UUO2'S300 "OUP Ze ‘odio: L667 Mee 166) “aye pue ease, “uuo> ue saujeH,“Se!0ads L240 ay. 30} (LE "uassay UeA pue s10Ue 1woSeH pur (y66T) Weal} Pue saxon) WO.) pue '3O ‘37 "IMO “HAD 40} (POET) @SEqeIeG Puig ueadoun3 wos} axe S2OUOseyeL yROTN, a oT al 1S 0 OT mn ‘o0et-000% 0009-0005 0005-00 ——.009-00% xOOS2-O0ET —«000%-00ST —«008T-000T «00002-0009T euenin (00S-0£) —(0000T-000T) ——-ODE-0O0T (9000T-0006) (s-1) (0001-0008) (00-001) (0005-0002) (0008-9002) foun, os-or OS01-088 — PURHOZUAS 000s-.0007 = apams O0f2-0061 —x0TZz-O8VT_——xZZ8-TLT 00069-00025 009/-988E <002T —-»008T-OEPT weds 05-02 ors) 00s-00P ——_etanois ov-.008 .00€-00 ss ort 0L-208 Ooz~GS1 HEROS (00005-00001) .000ST-0000T 0006-0088 05-06 —0009-00Sr G05 TI-0000T 00006-0000") 90052-00002 essng (00002-00000 —_.000-0008 30972 se 0002-002T Ooe-0st 0521-008 ~—=«00E-O00T —__eyuewioy 0008 pueyeat “doy (an 001-008 002-001 «GS-1 «00082-00062 0003-0008 081-001 «008-002 teaMOg oovt-001t 0/-00% 001-08 zt 0068-0002 puejod .<000 01-0008 ‘femon GLZ-GLL AOE a6 ——-Q0E-S1Z 000 TT-9000T —sPuEHOLRON 002-051 oooz-po0t ~—-000s-0sE 08-05 08-005 0-0 OST-001 0002-002 __eAOPIOW 10 Banoquioxm osz-002 os-or e0008-00St —_elwenynry OT wersuanyoort oost-oott ewe 2000¥2-0007T 009-005 269 0002-00091 009-08 2951S ‘Aiea oogr-000r 00-002 Oov-05e 0001-008 = 009T-00zT eum 065-067 wl LE-002 wI-O — wOEZT-G90T OvT-sor 009-046 0901 0E-0c Ob-aST 00021 Auewue9 nOLTe wh T-89 008 G86 St 8261 £8992 ould puejuig eqns (ro suewued 06-0 028-008 a Sel “doy "49979 (os-0E) 0002-0001 ooor-069 81-08 0s2-06T lz, lel neo) (0s-00) (0002-002) 00ST-008 0082-0002 ‘oot-005 ort oooe-00g = even ele ore ez oose-ooze = unidjog 021-056 ooe-001 o0s9-,00sy smejeg (ost-oon) (ost-oon) 91-01 9g 08-04 056-016 eunsny ort 008-001 0-05 so o0s1-005 cat) os-01 0-002 eqweany aa a HNOG HDS Es mn aM9 nd HAD, sojads “ajqeyiene SounBy OU aJeyM PayeuUnsa :sjayde4g “ayenjony ssequunu Uaym uaAls WNWIxeW pUe WNwWIUIL :suled Bu_SeU Jo JequINU a1e sauNsIy "UeEueLO}Pay 84} PUe adouny ul sudsay JO SNIEIS = TT OIGELHerons in Europe 5 to warm temperate, is the most fundamental factor. Except for the Grey Heron and Eurasian Bittern, Palearctic herons primarily occur in temperate and tropical areas (Harrison 1982). Northern Scandinavia is arctic and does not support herons. Most of Europe is temperate; the Atlantic and the Gulf Stream influence Western Europe. Although relatively warm, its oceanic climate produces frequent rains in spring, unfavourable for sensitive species (Voisin 1991). Middle and Eastern Europe and Spain have a continental climate, with a favourable hot and dry spring and summer. In winter, the northern part of Europe becomes unfavourable to herons, as temperatures fall frequently to -20°C in the north-eastern countries, where rivers, lakes and even the Baltic Sea freeze, Winter is usually somewhat more temperate on the plains of central Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, while snow is heavy in the Alps. The resulting diversity of habitats ranges from tundra and boreal forests to temperate and Mediterranean habitats. The long coastline bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the North, Baltic, Barents, Mediterranean, Black, Azov and Caspian Seas supports many estuarine and coastal wetlands. Europe also has many rivers including several great rivers with marshy deltas or estuaries (Vista, Pechora, Volga, Don, Dnepr, Dnestr, Danube, Po, Ebro, Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Tajo, Rhéne, Loire, Rhine). The greater portion of Europe is a plain, covering a large area of Russia, the Baltic states, and half of Scandinavia. This plain narrows toward the west, along the Baltic and the North Seas, before enlarging again in the north-western part of France and the British Isles. This extensive plain, 0-400 m MSL, is bordered in the north by the Norwegian mountains, in the east by the Urals, and in the south by a series of Alpine mountains that circle the Hungarian plain and extend to France, where they are prolonged to the west by the Massif Central and the Pyrenees. In Russia, a large band of this plain, from the Dnestr to the Ural (2000 km by 600 km), is now almost entirely ploughed, while the other part is a mosaic of forests, meadows and crops. European mountain habitats are largely unfavourable to herons, as is the desert steppe covering 450 000 km’ that borders the northern Caspian Sea, around the Volga Delta. Changing Status Data available This chapter is based on published data, personal investigations of the authors, and the results of a questionnaire sent to local correspondents for recent data, except for some southern countries (Moldova, Slovenia, Greece, Turkey, Spain, and Portugal). When no data were available (half of the figures of Table 1.1), we used the estimates of the European Bird Database (from Tucker and Heath 1994). Some of these may not be very accurate, but at the moment they are the best available. Their estimates give the minimum and the maximum population size for each country, and the recent trend of size and range, with an estimate of the reliability of data. For other sources of data, we have also adopted a minimum and a maximum population size per species and per country. When populations are stable or are regularly decreasing or increasing, we have considered the most recent accurate data (generally post 1985) both for the minimum and the maximum, while when