A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 1974 (Debrecen, 1975)

Természettudomány - Sterbetz István: Development of the Nesting Ornithofauna on Biotops used Pasture and Hayfield in the Eastern Hungarian Steppes (Puszta)

István Sterbetz DEVELOPMENT OF THE NESTING ORNITHOFAUNA ON BIOTOPS USED AS PASTURE AND HAYFIELD IN EASTERN HUNGARIAN STEPPES (PUSZTA) The present paper deals with the ornithofauna of the steppe-like regions of anthropogeneous, origin in Eastern Hungary. The oecological conditions of the living-cpace known as „puszta" are heterogeneous. Among its numerous biotop types it is only the grass-land with dry soil, used as pasture or meadiw, which has a steppe-like character. The examinition included the following areas with Solonietz soil: Hortobágy: 47°37'-21°47', Szarvas-Halásztelek: 46°52'-30°34', Csabacsüd: 4б°40'-20°17', Cserebökény: 46°40'-20°17', Kardoskút: 46°30'-20°28'. In the years 1946-1955 the five regions were used in the examined regions only as pasture. Due to the grazing horses, cattle and sheep (treading, eating, manure) a specific biotop was created, with a thin and low vegetation. The biotops were again examined in 1960-1971. The grazing had by then been stopped already for some years, the vegetation became more dense and higher. The utilization was by mowing. With the oecological conditions changed, the composition of the fauna was also transformed. The earlier grazing stage was charaterized by the following species

: Anas acuta, Vanellus vanellus, Charadrius alexandrinus, Burhinus oedicnemus, Glareola pratincola, Calandrella brachydactyla sp. hungarica, Galerida cristata, Alauda arvensis, Anthus campestris, Motacilla flava feldeggi. Species coming from the non-steppe parts of the puszta: Charadrius dubius, Limosa, Recurvirostra avosetta, Ooenanthe oenanthe, Motacilla alba. After the grazing was stopped, only the species Anas acuta, Vanellus vanellus, Limosa limosa, Galerida cristata, Alauda arvensis and Motacilla f. feldeggi remained on the earlier nesting area. Even in the transformed environment they regulray visited the intact spots of the earlier biotops. Basic fauna of the grazing biotop: Perdix perdix, Coturnix coturnix, Otis tarda, Emberiza calandra. Immigrated species

: Anas platyrhynchos, Anas acuta, Phasianus colchicus, Limosa limosa, Galerida cristata, Alauda arvensis, Motacilla flava, Motacilla f. feldeggi, Emberiza schoeniclus. The total number of species found on all biotops (grazing and mowinng) was 23, but only Perdix perdix, Coturnix coturnix, Otis tarda, Burhinus oedicnemus, Glareola pratincola, Alauda arvensis, Calandrella brachydactyla. Galéria cristata and Anthus campestris were included in the 44 species of the fauna lista of Eastern natural steppes as specified by Stegman (1955). The difference between the avifauna of the Hungarian puszta of anthropogeneous origin and that of the natural steppes of Eastern Europa and Asia is due to the small size of the Hungarian biotops. This accounts for the absence of the typical steppe species requiring large spaces. The high number of the strange fauna elements immigrated from neighbouring areas also reflects the mosaic-like oecological conditions of the Hungarian puszta. As far nature conservation is concerned, the fauna of the pastures is the more valuable one. In the grazing-lands there is only one species, Otis tarda, which ist most precious indeed, but its living-space includes the vegetation of cultivated areas too. 170