ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF HOODED CROWS ON THE EAST EUROPEAN PLAIN

To identify trends in the hooded crow distribution (Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758), the territory of the East European Plain (EEP) within the borders of the USSR in 1990 was divided into three approximately equal sectors: western, central and eastern. In each of them, the average long-term indicators of hooded crows abundance and numbers in the fi rst half of summer were calculated for natural zones, subzones and habitat groups. This allowed us to trace change trends in these parameters not only from north to south, but also from west to east. For calculations, we used information on the hooded crow abundance accumulated in the data bank of the ISEA of the SB RAS. An increase of almost 20 times in the average long-term zonal and subzonal values of the hooded crow abundance from north to south is shown. In the forest zone, except for the northern taiga, the abundance in sectors slightly increases from west to east, in the forest-steppe in the west and east it is approximately the same, but in the central sector it was almost 5 times less. In the steppe zone, on the contrary, the hooded crow abundance was maximum in the western sector, and three times less in the eastern one. In all natural zones, subzones and sectors, the hooded crow prefers cities and villages, where it is numerous. In the fl oodplains of large rivers its abundance is almost half, but even there it is numerous. The hooded crow is common in undeveloped dry lands and lakes. Pessimal habitats for hooded crow can be considered non-fl oodplain swamps, where it is abundance is minimal. On average, 60% of this birds are concentrated in undeveloped dry lands, the area of which is everywhere the maximum in comparison with other groups of habitats. About 30% of birds live in cities and villages. In the fl oodplains of large rivers and lakes, the number of hooded crows is minimal (4–9%). The total number of hooded crows on the EEP in the 1st half of summer is about 31 million individuals.