O. Gy. Dely szerk.: Vertebrata Hungarica 20. (Budapest, 1981)

Horváth, L.: Communities of breeding birds in the peaty forest at Tabdi 69-74. o.

The Song Thrush, the permanent member of this community, nests here in considerable numbers (15 pairs), as compared to the size of the forest. In all probability the chemicals do not affect it since its food includes worms, snails and berries in the main part, so the poisoning and the lack of food do not influence its numbers. Concerning the subordinate members I found that, in the order of their characteristics represented in this community, the mass of the Yellow Bunting is low (5 pairs) in the Tabdi Forest as compared to those in forests of a similar type and size. On the other hand the Turtle Dove is a frequent breeding species (10 pairs) with respect to the size of the forest. I observed its increase also in other similar areas (e.g. in the marshy alderwoods between Ocsa and Inárcs) during recent years, the cause being a more effective nature conservation. The Blackbird breeds here in very low numbers (2 paris); this circumstance strengthens my experiences obtained in other places, namely that this species becomes more and more a denizen of human settlements and thus its wild stock decreases all over the country. Nevertheless, it does not wholly preclude the supposition that the conspicuously multiplying Song Thrush is a severe competitor. The Tree Pipit settles down merely in the drier parts of the forest, and in some few pairs only. The Chiffchaff breeds also in small number (2-3 pairs) in the Tabdi Forest. The Nightingale (4 pairs) lives in the moister parts of the forest. The Robin is not a characteristic bird of the plain forest, but according to my earlier experiences it can be found everywhere in smaller numbers. I found only one breeding pair in the Tabdi Forest. The Marsh Tit bred also in one pair only in one of the oak sections of the forest. The Nightjar is more frequent, having nester in three pairs. Two were in a lesser, disjointed part of the forest, between the railway and Tabdi village, in all probability because there is a pasture in the vicinity of the wood. The breeding of this species may be explained by the proximity of pastures and with the great number of oak trees growing there. The Cuckoo - the final subordinate member of this community - lays Its eggs in the nests of the silvicolous birds at Tabdi, in contrast to my experiences in the marshy alderwoods between the villages Ocsa and Inárcs where it was laying in the nests of birds which bred on the marshy meadows in the vicinity of the woods. Three species were found to be fosterparents: there were cuckoo eggs in the nests of two Blackcaps, of one Tree Pipit and in that of the single Robin. The reason of the differences between these two forest landscapes of similar character at Ocsa and Tabdi may be attributable to the forests between Ocsa and Inárcs being surrounded by contiguous, broad and long meadows. Whereas at Tabdi Forest there are no interconnected hayfields and these are narrower and much smaller. Accordingly, the meadow breeding brids suffer here less from the laying of eggs by cuckoos in their nests. The second breeding community is that of Locustella fluviatilis bearing the serial number 1/8 in my above cited paper (5). The breeding area of this community is according to my original definition, as follows: "marshy groves and laced forests with underbrush in the flood area along rivers and streams". The permanent member of this breeding community - with the River Warbler as the leading species - is the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

. The subordinate members are in the order of decreasing relation to the type of country and of their frequency, as follows: Garden Warbler (Syl via borin)

, Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina)

, Dunnock (Prunella modularis)

, Greenfinch (Chioris chloris

), Nightingale (

Luscinla megarhynchos

), Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur

), Hooded Crow (C

orvus c. comix)

. Spotted Flycatcher (Musclcapa striata

), Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinla)

. Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus

). Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates major

), Short-toed Tree Creeper (Certhia brachydactyla

), Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

, Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

. Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

, Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

, Red-backer Shrike (Lanius collurio) and Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)

. Of the subordinate species three are absent from the marshy forest at Tabdi, and it is very interesting to note that the same three species are missing also from the alderwoods of the Hanság, Ocsa. Consequently the marshy forests, surrounded by turfy meadows differ from the moist gallery woods by means of these three species. Thus the Dunnock is a common breeding bird of the gallery forests of the Danube, from the Szigetköz (a large western island in the river) to the Dunakanyar ("Danube's bend"); the Common Sandpiper breeds along the Rába River and in the Szigetköz on the Danube; the Thrush Nightingale breeds only along the upper reaches of the Tisza. Accordingly, the birds of the peaty forests and of the gallery woods must be united to form the true, "typical" checklist, that is to say, they are subgroups of the same forest landscapes and the reason of