Analysis of Faunistic Similarities of Communities of Raptors in Some Habitats of the Altai Territory and the Republic of Altai

In this paper, we tried to conduct a comparative analysis of raptors’ breeding groups inhabiting different habitats of the Russian part of the Altai region: the Ukok plateau, the gorge of the Ulandryk river, the valley of the middle reaches of the river Anui and the Kasmala belt pine forest. Data on the species composition of breeding groups are taken from our published works and other researchers. We conducted a comparative analysis of nesting groups using Jaccard and Sörensen’s faunistic similarity coefficients. Since we had to compare more than two nested groups, Mountford cluster analysis was used to order the similarity coefficients. The results of the study of the Jaccard and Sörensen coefficients turned out to be very similar. The most commonality of nesting groups of birds of prey and owls characterises the valley of the Anui river’s middle reaches, and the Kasmala belt pine forest. More essential differences are characteristic of the raptor communities of the Ukok plateau and the gorge of the river Ulandryk. The breeding groups of birds of prey and owls of the Kasmalinsky belt forest and the Ulandryk gorge are characterised by the maximum differences. These differences can be explained by the specifics of the physical and geographical conditions and vegetation cover of different habitats.