Pavel Zehtindjiev

• Prof. Dr.
• Professor at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (the agent of Lyme disease) in Ixodes ricinus ticks removed from wild birds and questing ticks was investigated. A total of 345 ticks from 75 infested birds belonging to 10 species and 274 questing ticks collected from the surrounding vegetation were examined by PCR for Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. Path...

The strong demand for energy pushes governments to find solutions in new technologies such as wind power. It is generally considered green, but many aspects of wind power impacts on biodiversity need deeper understanding. In the same time high tech GPS tracking of birds and available public data allow evaluation of spatial interactions between bird...

Stable isotope analysis provides valuable insights into the ecology of long-distance migratory birds during periods spent away from a specific study site. In a previous study, Swedish great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) infected with haemosporidian parasites differed in feather isotope ratios compared to non-infected birds, suggesting t...

Aim The increasing spread of vector‐borne diseases has resulted in severe health concerns for humans, domestic animals and wildlife, with changes in land use and the introduction of invasive species being among the main possible causes for this increase. We explored several ecological drivers potentially affecting the local prevalence and richness...

The competence of insect vectors to transmit diseases plays a key role in host-parasite interactions and in the dynamics of avian malaria and other haemosporidian infections (Apicomplexa, Haemosporida). However, the presence of parasite DNA in the body of blood-sucking insects does not always constitute evidence for their competence as vectors. In...

Lyme borreliosis (LB) and West Nile fever (WNF) are among the most common vector-borne human infections. Both infections involve birds in their enzootic transmission cycle. Currently, there is no available data on possible circulation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi s.l.) and West Nile virus (WNV) in wild birds in Bulgaria. Serum...

Mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellites were used to assess the influence of Pleistocene glaciations on the genetic structure and demography of the Savi's Warbler, a long-distance migratory passerine that occurs exclusively in reed beds. Phylogenetic and coalescent analyses indicated that Savi's Warblers split from its sister species c. 8 m...

Conservation of migratory birds requires knowledge of breeding and nonbreeding ranges and the connections between them. European turtle doves ( Streptopelia turtur ) are Palearctic-African long-distance migrants with wintering areas in the Sub-Saharan belt that are classed as vulnerable due to strong population declines. However, detailed non-breed...

Bird collisions in wind turbines are a fact and will be on the rise with the increase in the number of wind farms around the world. Existing bird control tools like radar, HD camera or human visual detections have a number of drawbacks each and have not been able to prove their efficiency up to the standards of wildlife protection national organiza...

Bird strikes with man-made structures and vehicles cost the lives of millions of birds globally. Despite of the perfect visual abilities of most bird species many of them are sensitive and often collide with operational wind turbines. For this reason, we set out to test and calibrate a custom-made sound capable of successfully deterring birds from...

Background: Ixodid ticks are widely studied due to their epidemiological and epizootic importance. It is of great value to know vertebrate host preferences of ticks in order to understand their ecological relationships and distribution. Earlier studies report birds as important hosts of Ixodid tick and a total of 136 ticks species have been frequen...

The study is an quantitative estimate of the wind turbine effect on migrating white storks. It is a good example how the satellite tracking data can be applied in the EIA studies. The obtained results allow planning of wind farm location as well as distances between the turbines.

Impacts of wind turbines including the barrier effect can be site specific and may not occur at each site . Therefore, turbine layout and facility location should be evaluated on a site-specific basis by an experienced wildlife biologist in conjunction with available information regarding local and migratory bird and bat species in, around or passi...

How blood parasite infections influence the migration of hosts remains a lively debated issue as past studies found negative, positive, or no response to infections. This particularly applies to small birds, for which monitoring of detailed migration behavior over a whole annual cycle has been technically unachievable so far. Here, we investigate h...

The great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus is a common migrant through the Western Palearctic. However, its migration strategy, especially the spatiotemporal pattern of accumulation and utilisation of energy stores en route, is poorly known. Using ringing data collected at distant stopover sites located from Central Europe to Asia Minor, we o...

Вятърните турбини се считат за "екологично чист" източ-ник на възобновяема енер-гия, но не без потенциално неблагоприятно въздействие върху околната среда и особено върху пти-ците. Тъй като директната смъртност след сблъсъци и изместването на пти-ците от дадена територия се считат за взаимно изключващи се ефекти, този преглед включва също публикува...

The results of the first comprehensive radar survey of the spring and autumn bird migration in Bulgaria in a key area of the migratory flyway Via Pontica are presented. The weather radar of Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority (BULATSA) located nearby the town of Aksakovo (Varna Region, NorthEastern Bulgaria) was used. The survey covered 1101 d...

Infectious diseases often vary seasonally in a predictable manner, and seasonality may be responsible for geographical differences in prevalence. In temperate regions, vector-borne parasites such as malaria are expected to evolve lower virulence and a time-varying strategy to invest more in transmission when vectors are available. A previous model...

Вятърните турбини се считат за „екологично чист“ източник на възобновяема енергия, но не без потенциално неблагоприятно въздействие върху околната среда и особено върху птиците. Тъй като директната смъртност след сблъсъци и изместването на птиците от дадена територия се считат за взаимно изключващи се ефекти, този преглед включва също публикуваните...

European Turtle Doves (Streptopelia turtur) are long‐distance migrants and have experienced a population decline of more than 78% since 1980. Their conservation depends on refined knowledge of breeding origins and population connectivity. Feathers collected at stopover sites, but molted at breeding grounds, provide an opportunity to assign birds to...

Immune response to pathogens such as avian malaria ( Plasmodium spp.) and related haemosporidian parasites ( Haemoproteus spp. and Leucocytozoon spp.) can lead to increases in energy demands of birds. Migrations are energetically costly for birds and require resources that could be otherwise invested in immune defence against pathogens. Here, we ex...

In SE Europe, the spatial and temporal distribution of nocturnal migration is hardly known. With the moon-watching technique the passage of 5603 nocturnal migrants was recorded during 419 observation hours at 29 sites spread over Bulgaria, SE Romania and northern Greece. Mean migratory traffic rate was 1400 birds.km–1.h–1in autumn and 900 birds.km–...

In SE Europe, the spatial and temporal distribution of nocturnal migration is hardly known. With the moon-watching technique the passage of 5603 nocturnal migrants was recorded during 419 observation hours at 29 sites spread over Bulgaria, SE Romania and northern Greece. Mean migratory traffic rate was 1400 birds.km–1.h–1in autumn and 900 birds.km–...

In SE Europe, the spatial and temporal distribution of nocturnal migration is hardly known. With the moon-watching technique the passage of 5603 nocturnal migrants was recorded during 419 observation hours at 28 sites spread over Bulgaria, SE Romania and northern Greece. Mean migratory traffic rate was 1400 birds.km-1.h-1 in autumn and 900 birds.km...

Slow development of renewable energy use in Eastern Europe is partly because of the lack of knowledge on the effect of wind turbines on birds often used for complaints against the renewable energy development in this geo – political region. Via Pontica (from Latin: Via Pontica, Black Sea Road) was an ancient Roman road in the province of Thrace, fo...

First experimental tracking of Red-breasted geese (Branta ruficollis).

First experimental study of bird malaria

The first aim of the study was to follow the development of parasitemia of naturally infected great reed warblers throughout the winter when they normally are at their African winter quarter where the transmission of the malaria parasites takes place. The second aim was to investigate the development of infections in juvenile birds during their fi...

Do the birds still follow the historical breeding range expansion or selection has forced them to take the direct route across the Black Sea? Reconstruction of the postglacial colonisation of present European area by the Paddyfield Warbler. Investigation on the speed and intensity in the morphogenesis concerning blood parasites of the species. Ph...

Experimental study of bird malaria in Kalimok Station , Ne Bulgaria

European Science Foundation for a travel grant (Ref.BIRD/01)

Ringing results from Bulgaria

Потенциални конфликти в плановете за управление и плановете за действие (ЕК – директиви) и икономическото развитие на тези територии

This investigation is a preliminary stage of the planed by Le Balkan-Bulgaria foundation complete following of the migration way of the Red-breasted goose using satellite transmitters. It is a part of the Bulgarian-French project for conservation and assessment of the ecosystems in Dobroja. Our experiment has been realised in order to make the use...

Time dependent bimodal program in the orientation behaviour of the� �European Paddyfield Warblers �(Acrocephalus agricola)

The directions, altitudes and individual MTR of 14676 nocturnal migrants were registered at 39 sites spread over Bulgaria, SE Romania, northern Greece and Black Sea coast of Turkey. Mean migratory traffic was 1600 birds*km-1h-1 in autumn and 900 birds*km-1h-1 in spring. Migration intensity was similar between E – W and N – S gradient. Mean dire...

Description of the activities and research at the Biological Station Kalimok

A monitoring of the spatial and temporal distribution of nocturnal migration in the Balkan region was carried out during the spring and autumn of 2000 - 2002. By moon watching (Liechti et al. 1996) the passage of 14676 nocturnal migrants was recorded during 1068 observation hours at 39 sites spread over Bulgaria, SE Romania, northern Greece and Bla...

Следват ли птиците все още пътя на своята историческа гнездова експанзия или селекцията им е вървяла към директно пресичане на Черно море

Directions of the autumn migration of three passerine trans-Saharan migrants in Bulgaria in orientation experiment

A total of 434 skylarks (Alauda arvensis) from Southern Italy (146) and the Netherlands (288) were screened for blood parasites of the three genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon using : polymerase chain reaction method (mt DNA) microscopy.

general information ENRAM meeting 2017

Case 1 The idea: calibration of Radar by visually identified bird species and number of birds: 1.Middle of November – no bird migration 2. Birds are counted by observer and by drones Case 2 The idea: Validation of The Radar by visually identified bird species and number of birds: 1.White stork migration: soaring diurnal migrating birds in flocks 2...

ENRAM AeroEcology conference Rome, Italy 2017

Verification of Radar data by simultaneous visual observations of the same birds. The first effective verification of weather radar system applied for bird migration study in Bulgaria.

Conclusions: No prevailing bird species exposed to the collision risk in SNWF The most abundant bird species such as white storks, pelicans and wintering geese are not present through the collision victims of SNWF. No Vulnerable bird species in the collision victims of SNWF up to this moment No bird species observed in SNWF which can be influen...

monitoring results

Visual observations were made in one year - 2005 – 38 days in spring and 89 days in autumn. Investigation was made at one observation point in hours from 7 AM to 7 PM with binoculars Nikon 10x50 and telescope Nikon 15-45. Birds were count one by one, or on groups with 5-th, 10-th or 100-th. For species determination Svensson 1999 Bird Guide was use...

Presentation of the research related to bird malaria in Kalimok Biological Station

Work on reintroduction of endangered bird species

През 1992 година Институтът по Зоология - БАН откри своя Биологична Експериментална База "Калимок" за развъждане на редки и застрашени видове птици. Тя е разположена в близост до рибарниците на с. Нова Черна, община Тутракан. Базата представлява масивна тухлена сграда на два етажа, където са поместени лаборатории, кабинети, складове и други помещен...

If the absence of the appropriate vector(s) is the limiting condition the infection will be successfully developed in experimental birds. P. relictum (GRW4 cyt.b lineage) in House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) P. ashfordi (GRW2 cyt.b lineage) in House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) and Song Thrush (Turdus philomelus)

High probability of the Plasmodium lineages ACCTAC1 and AFTRU5 transmission is Guinea, Ivory Coast and Ghana. The lineage BT6, found only in Italian nightingales, is transmitted with high probability in region from Ghana to west Nigeria, but the findings of this lineage in Scandinavian bluethroats and in rosefinches suggests transmission also in...

Изследвания върху причинителите на птича малария и сродните им паразити в България

Do migrants from the southern parts of the breeding area have a time advantage compared to those from northern areas, or the migratory state is an inside program of the same duration, determined by basic environmental factors, for both groups?

Each year millions of birds breeding in the high and temperate latitudes of the western Palearctic migrate to their wintering sites in Africa. About 900 millions migrants pass through the Balkan area during autumn season and almost 600 millions in spring, respectively. Ringing recoveries and available radar observations do not permit to compose an...

What are the predominant flight directions of nocturnal migration in the Balkan region? How does the intensity of nocturnal migration vary within the Balkan region

Хиляди видове маларийни паразити по птиците Висока патогенност, особено в комбинация с някои гостоприемници Знанието ни за районите на инвазия са ограничени до континенти Стотици линии идват в Европа с тропическите мигриранти Потенциална възможност за разпространение на тези видове паразити сред местните видове на умерените и северни ширини на Евро...

Няма установени значими за популациите на птиците отрицателни въздействия от изградените до момента ВЕП в България. Не е установен бариерен ефект на работещите ВЕП върху мигриращите птици в България Не е установено изместване или намаление на числеността на зимуващите червеногуши гъски или други защитени или масови видове птици Не е установена знач...

Индийските шаварчета все още следват пътя на историческата си гнездова експанзия и не летят директно над Черно море

What are the predominant flight directions of nocturnal migration in the Balkan region? How does the intensity of nocturnal migration vary within the Balkan region

Mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellites were used to assess the influence of Pleistocene glaciations on the genetic structure and demography of the Savi's Warbler, a long-distance migratory passerine that occurs exclusively in reed beds. Phylogenetic and coalescent analyses indicated that Savi's Warblers split from its sister species c. 8 m...

Breeding distribution of Ruddy shelduck in Bulgaria

aeåñòâî çà çàùèòà íà ïòèöèòå /www.bspb.org 469 Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/www.bspb.org Ðàçïðîñòðàíåíèå Distribution ×èñëåíîñò Numbers свидетелстват и някои отделни наблюдения (01.05.1976 г. по р. Крумо-вица до Крумовград-ЯНКОВ, 1991; 25.05.1988 г. в Русе-П. ЯНКОВ, J. BOSS, непубл. данни). След 1985 г. броят на наблюденията нараст...

Here, we quantify the land cover indexes in nonbreeding part of GRW range of Eastern Balkan population as an example how the available data in GIS and Corine Land Cover maps can be combined with data from Light logger tracking studies for complex understanding of ecological requirements of migratory species.

Species distribution in Bulgaria

Species distribution in Bulgaria

Acrocephalus schoenobaenus breeding distribution in Bulgaria

Species distribution in Bulgaria

Across their ranges, different populations of migratory species often use separate routes to migrate between breeding and non‐breeding grounds. Recent changes in climate and land‐use have led to breeding range expansions in many species but it is unclear whether these populations also establish new migratory routes, non‐breeding sites and migration...

Summary of the monitoring of impact of operating wind turbines in 2015

Summary of the results and conclusions on the wind farm impact on birds for 2016

Summary of the results and conclusions on the impact of operational wind turbines on birds in NE Bulgaria

Monitoring of the impact of Wind turbines on birds in Bulgaria

Докладa e оценка на карта и ГИС модел със зоните на риск за птиците при изграждането на ветрогенератори в България. Картата на риска за птиците е изготвена по задание на МОСВ от консорциум от фирми - ЕКОНЕКТ. Картата на риска за птиците обект на оценка в този доклад е основен документ определящ територии за развитие на вятърната енергия в България....

Институт по биоразнообразие и екосистемни изследвания - БАН (2011): Анализ на Екологичната оценка и Оценката за съвместимост на Националния план за действие за енергия от възобновяеми източници.

“Българска наука”, брой 96 (2017г.) ISSN: 1314-1031

Български учени от изследователската група за изследване на кръвните паразити по птиците с ръководител проф. д-р Павел Зехтинджиев от Института по биоразнообразие и екосистемни изследвания (ИБЕИ) към БАН за пръв път в света прилагат тази технология, за да разкрият произхода на маларията в популациите на българските птици, които зимуват в Африка.

The story is very interesting and indicative of our time marked by historical changes in Eastern Europe.The first reports of concentrations of migratory raptors on the western Black Sea Coast are reported by Alleon & Vian (1869, 1870) who have established an intensive migratory migration in the Bosphorus but they do not use the term Via Pontica. In...

The story is very interesting and indicative of our time marked by historical changes in Eastern Europe. The first reports of concentrations of migratory raptors on the western Black Sea Coast are reported by Alleon & Vian (1869, 1870) who have established an intensive migratory migration in the Bosphorus but they do not use the term Via Pontica. I...

Виа Понтика или Черноморският път е древен Римски път в провинция Тракия, следващ брега на Черно море. Започва от Константинопол и минава през Бургас, Варна, Калиакра и делтата на р. Дунав, наричан в древността Истрос. Днес с това име се обозначава един от най-важните маршрути на игриращите птици. Доц. Таню Мичев и проф. д-р Павел Зехтинджиев разк...

Otis tarda in Bulgaria current status

мустакато шаварче Acrocephalus melanopogon in Bulgaria

Ruddy Shelduck in Bulgaria

A. shoenobaenus

Kalimok IBA

Common) Grasshopper Warbler Kamezopu11 Ha 3acmpawenacm B 6bll2apuR B E6pona B c8ema npupogo3a~umen cmamyc C Hegocmamb4HO gaHHU 3aLJ.1umeH Ha mepumopuRma Ha LVJAama cmpaHa (35P, npuAolkeHue 3). Pa3Mep HO nonyAOf.4UJima: 0-5 gB. rHe3geHemo Ha 8uga 6 5bA2apUR He e goka3aHO, HO e 6b3MOikHO pa3MHOika-6aHemO Ha omgeAHU g6ooku. TengeHf.4UU Ha pa3npocmpaHe...

Acr. scirpaceus

Ha mepumopuRma Ha UR/Iama cmpaHa (35P. npu1101keHue 3). PaJMep Ha nonyAaqunma: 10 OOD-30 000 g8. TeHgeHquu Ha pa3npocmpaHeHuemo: Ha 4UCfleHocmma: cma6ufiHO cma6u11Ha Oco6eHocmu Ha paJnpocmpaHeHuemo C nemHucmo, HO He noBceMecmHo pa3npocmpaHeHue Ha noYmu Wl/lama mepumopUR 6e3 Bucokon/laHUHCkama 6e3fleCHa 30Ha. no-nflbmHO OCH08HO 8 no-Huckume u cpegHo...

A. arundinaceus

Mobile hosts like birds occupy a wide array of habitats in which they encounter various vector and parasite faunas. If the infection probability for vector-borne parasites varies among seasons and biomes, a migratory life can critically influence the infections of a host. The growing body of literature on avian blood parasites suggests that host mi...

Quantitative characteristics of bird migration over the territory of Bulgaria. In Bulgarian

Nocturnal bird migration over Europe is dominated by small passerines, with many of them migrat~ng long distanc~s to sub-Saharan Africa. Their migratory routes have been studied through ringing schemes for several decades. Nocturnal passage has been observed directly at numerous Sites by means. of radar, moon watching and passive infrared technique...

Autumn nocturnal migration of waterbirds(Anseriformes and Charadriiformes)in North-Eastern Bulgaria. Results of a moon-watch study on flight direction and density of nocturnal migration of wa-ders and waterfowl during 23 nights in autumn in NE Bulgaria are presented. Specific composition of possi-ble nocturnal migrants is analysed. The seasonal cha...