Ornithocomplexes of some rural settlements of the Middle Volga region in the summer (on the example of Nizhny Novgorod Region)

Over the past two and a half decades (in different years), bird counts have been conducted in summer on7permanent routes in rural settlements of various natural and territorial complexes of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. In some of them, birdshave been countedfor several years. Almost everywhere, the route method with a non-fixed accounting lanewas used.A total of 113bird species (including rare ones) from 13 orders and 35 families were recorded. There are 10 species common to all localities. In most cases, the village swallowHirundo rusticaLinnaeus, 1758, and the field sparrowPasser montanus(Linnaeus, 1758) are the leaders in abundance, less often the white wagtailMotacillaalbaLinnaeus, 1758. No clear territorial differenceshave been identifiedbetween the bird populations of different natural and territorial complexes. Ornithocomplexes are heterogeneous in different characteristics both in space and in time. The bird population of rural settlements located among large woodlandsis characterizedby high species richness, including background species, maximum species diversity, and a low proportion of dominant species. In cluster analysis, theyare combinedinto a common group. Ornithocomplexes of settlements with complexly structured spaces surrounded by open landscapes combined with ravine-girder forests are close to them in terms of species diversity.