Distribution and numbers of Bewick's Swans Cygnus bewickii in the European Northeast of the USSR

Abstract

The Bewick’s Swan, Cygnus bewickii, has special conservation status in the USSR. As a result of scientific research in northeastern USSR it has been included in the Russian Red Data Book. In this study, the population size and distribution of Bewick’s Swans in the European Northeast of the USSR was recordedfor the first time. Main breeding grounds and moulting sites were identified and some features of Bewick’s Swan ecology were studied.