THE MAGPIE IN THE CONDITIONS OF MODERN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE

In total, 51,913 birds of the Corvidae family were counted in the Omsk Region in 1979–2023, including 3,406 magpies (7 %) with an average long-term indicator of abundance of 2.95 individuals/km2 of counting routes. The total number of counted magpie nests was 4,301, including 1,554 fully completed nests with finished roofs that were intact by mid-February. The ecological optimum for this species is within the forest-steppe climatic region, where most family individuals nest. Young immature individuals are predominantly displaced from the forest-steppe to the steppe and forest climatic regions, where they stay in small groups within anthropogenic biotopes. The distribution of magpies depends on the degree of synanthropization of the territory (the number of people in the administrative districts of the region and the sown area of agricultural land): the higher it is, the greater is the number of magpies (p<0.05, r=0.78 and r=0.66, respectively) and fully prepared magpie nests with finished roofs (p<0.05, r=0.47 and r=0.40, respectively). The features of the annual cycle of magpies vary according to the age category of individuals. The greatest number of magpies throughout the year is observed in the forest-steppe climatic region (mainly due to sexually mature family individuals); while in August the forest (subtaiga) climatic region has the highest abundance (mostly due to immature non-breeding individuals). Wintering of magpies is confined to urban and rural settlements in forest-steppe and steppe/steppe climatic regions. The obtained spatial-temporal characteristics made it possible to make an ecological model of the magpie population in the Omsk region.