Savas Kazantzidis

• PhD
• Hellenic Agricultural Organisation at Forest Research Institute

We studied nest site selection and breeding success of Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) in the Axios Delta (Greece) from 1988 to 1990. Both species nested above the middle of tamarisks and alders. Nest density varied each year from 333.3 nests/ha to 646.2 nests/ha for Blackcrowned Night-Herons...

The diets of the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and the squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides) were studied by analyzing nestling regurgitations collected during five breeding seasons (1988-1990 and 1994-1995) at a heronry in the Axios Delta (Northern Greece). In total, 267 regurgitations from little egrets, 247...

Heron colonies are dynamic components of wetlands. Therefore, their systematic monitoring is important for the management of both birds and wetlands. During the period 1988–2018, we counted breeding pairs of seven colonial breeding heron species at 65 colonies across 37 wetlands in Greece. We considered as annual variables of a population: (a) year...

We analyzed the Great Cormorant nesting population trend in Greece during the period 1988-2014 when at least 20 colonies were recorded. The number of colonies doubled over the study period reaching 14 colonies in 2014 from 7 in 1988. There was also a continuous increase in the number of nests: from 952 in 1988 to 9,256 in 2014, presenting an annual...

The European Robin (Erithacus rubecula Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most common European passerines. In Greece, it is found in small breeding populations in forests in high altitudes and in the winter, it is abundant mainly in lowland areas and in the cities. The migrating birds wintering in the country originate from north�ern Europe and mainly...

Simple Summary The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is a migratory species that overwinters in sub-Saharan Africa, migrating to Europe each spring to breed. Over the past four decades, turtle dove populations have declined by as much as 79%, making the species vulnerable to extinction. A major threat to the species is illegal killing (poa...

Coastal wetlands are considered as systems of high avian diversity and are usually used for livestock production throughout the world. In this study, the diversity and seasonal abundance of avian species were monitored for two years on a monthly basis in a coastal grazing land in Evros Delta (Greece). The effects of livestock (cattle) presence and...

Two of the most fundamental ecological questions about any species relate to where they occur and in what abundance. Here, we combine GPS telemetry data, survey data and expert knowledge for the first time to define two distinct flyways (the East Asian Continental and West Pacific flyways), migration routes and abundance for the Eastern population...

The Evros delta is one of the most important wetlands for wintering waterfowl in Greece and the most popular among waterfowl hunters. This study addresses hunting activity and harvest while also investigating the relationship between weather conditions and hunting activity to suggest ways of improving waterfowl management. We counted wintering wate...

Birds are hosts for several zoonotic pathogens. Because of their high mobility, especially of long‐distance migrants, birds can disperse these pathogens, affecting their distribution and phylogeography. We focused on Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which includes the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis, as an example for tick‐borne pathogens, to...

The Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus is a well-known bird species in Greece since antiquity as evidenced by many ancient texts. In recent times, the species was initially confirmed nesting in 1960, in a colony consisting of approximately 1,000 pairs at Evros Delta, northeastern Greece and a few years later at three more wetlands. Its nesting popula...

Context Mitigating wolf–livestock conflict is crucial for both wolf (Canis lupus) conservation and livestock farming. Wolf attacks at livestock gathering areas often result in surplus killing, severe economic losses and emotional distress for the farmers, and financial claims from compensation funds. They may also trigger retaliatory killing of wol...

The White-headed Duck (WhD) (Oxyura leucocephala) is a diving duck wintering in Greece, included in the list of the Endangered species (IUCN) and is a protected species in Greece (EU Bird Directive). Globally there are four populations. The migratory Eastern population breeds mainly in northern Kazakhstan and southern Russia and winters in western...

There are many factors that affect the composition and the diversity of the avian community in a forest, such as vegetation structure, season etc. Our aim was to study the avian community seasonal and spatial changes in a semi-natural, lowland woodland. The study area (29.1 ha) has a big variety of both local and exotic planted tree and shrub speci...

Threskiornithidae family is represented in Greece by Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Linnaeus, 1758 and Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Linnaeus, 1766. Their presence in Greece is reported by Aristotle (384-322 π.Χ.), however, the first documented nesting for Glossy Ibis refers to the Evros Delta in 1960 and for Spoonbill to the Evros Delta and Isma...

Blackcap and Subalpine Warbler are among the most common migratory species of the Sylviidae family. A total of 422 Blackcaps and 94 Subalpine Warblers were mist netted and ringed in northern Greece, during the period 2007-2018, to study their migration pattern and record their morphometrics. The majority of Blackcaps were male individuals (56.4%) w...

The migration corridors of Bewick's swan, which inhabits the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District , were identified in 2015-2017 using GPS-GMS transmitters. It was shown that even the individuals that inhabit the same region widely used different wintering sites. The birds that nest and molt in southern Yamal (Baydaratskaya Bay) were found to migrate...

Тo reveal the origin of the breeding sites of a new, growing, wintering population of Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus bewickii) in the delta of Evros River, Greece, in the August of 2015 and 2016 we deployed 14 GPS-GSM 30 g transmitters on adult swans moulting at the Baydaraskaya Bay, Yamal Peninsula, Russia. A total of 11 swans were tracked down to their wi...

Greece represents an important area for wild birds due to its geographical position and habitat diversity. Although the bird species in Greece are well recorded, the information about the chewing lice that infest them is practically non-existent. Thus, the aim of the present study was to record the species of lice infesting wild birds in northern G...

The Fennoscandian population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus (LWfG) is on the verge of extinction and migrates from northern Fennoscandia to Greece on a regular seasonal basis. For the first time, diet selection was investigated during two years at Kerkini Lake, a wintering site in Greece. The relative use of LWfG’s feeding habit...

Changes in the distribution and populations sizes of Great Cormorant in Greece in the period 1940-2016

Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) winter in Greek wetlands in high numbers, however, they were counted for the first time at their night roosting sites in January 2013. The counts were carried out mostly around sunset (one count at each roosting site). In total, 43,537 Great Cormorants in 34 roosting sites were recorded (mean number o...

The concentrations of six heavy metals (cadmium [Cd], chromium [Cr], copper [Cu], manganese [Mn], lead [Pb], and zinc [Zn]) were determined in liver and brain of nine species of waterfowl from the Evros Delta, one of the most important wetlands in Greece, to assess metal contamination and potential risk to waterfowl. Significant differences among s...

Nest-boxes are excellent substitutes for cavities and natural crevices in trees, offering ideal nesting conditions for birds. In many cases their use contributed in the conservation of threatened species and the increase of biodiversity. In Greece, nest-boxes have been installed mainly in large urban parks including the campus of Aristotle Universi...

Bird colonies are dynamic components of the wetlands and their systematic survey is a prerequisite for their management. Heron and egret colonies (family Ardeidae, Aves) in Greece have been surveyed since 2003 every five years, approximately. In total, in three national surveys, 62 colonies have been recorded in 36 wetlands (33 colonies in 2003, 49...

After almost 20 years of surveying the impressive increase in the number of Bewick's Swans wintering on the Evros Delta (Greece), from a first observation of 25 birds in February 1997 to a peak at 8,400 individuals during February 2016, there is much puzzlement about their breeding grounds and migration route. Tracking the migration of Bewick’s Swa...

Wild birds are common hosts of ticks and can transport them for long distances, contributing to the spreading of tick-borne pathogens. The information about ticks on birds and tick-borne pathogens in Greece is limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and species of ticks infesting wild resident birds (mostly small passerines) in...

Fecal lead (Pb) levels were investigated in the threatened European population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose (LWfG, Anser erythropus) and of the non-threatened Greater White-fronted Goose (GWfG, Anseralbifrons) wintering in two wetland areas in northern Greece in order to assess the potential risk from Pb exposure. Fecal, soil and food plant sa...

The Book contains findings of biodiversity research combined with cultural and social aspects of the Albanian Prespa National Park. The information provided by the book has been collected during the five years period of the Project 'Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Prespa - Support to the Prespa National Park in Albania', financed by the Ministry fo...

In 2012, Greece had 6,978 breeding pairs of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) in 13 colonies. This is the highest breeding population of Great Cormorants recorded in Greece since recording began. Breeding numbers increased by ca. 2,400 breeding pairs compared to 2006. For one colony breeding numbers were estimated from a count conduct...

Management Plan National Park Prespa in Albania for the years 2014-2024

Surveys of breeding Great cormorants were carried out by counting their active nests in their colonies during the nesting period (May – early June) or after the completion of breeding, in September. National surveys of colonially nesting ardeids, Spoonbills, Glossy ibises and cormorants were carried out in 2003, 2009 and 2012. In most Great cormora...

The importance of a grassland at the Evros Delta, Greece, regarding avian diversity, was studied. This grassland is amongst the most important grazing areas of the Evros Delta. It has an area of 2.81 km2 covered mostly by halophytes (37%), forbs (27%) and grasses (22%). 10 samplings in 4 line transects (3x900 m, 1x560 m), were carried out during 20...

Heron and egret colonies are widely distributed in the Greek wetlands. Among the seven colonially breeding heron species with 6097 nests in 44 colonies in 2009, Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) was the most widespread and Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) the most numerous. Twenty-five factors were for the first time co-evaluated in order to detect possibl...

Several species of rare coastal breeding gulls and terns occupy temporal nesting habitats along the Mediterranean coast. Three of these species, namely Gull-billed tern Gelochelidon nilotica, Sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis and Slender-billed gull Chroicocephalus genei are included in Greek Red Data Book as vulnerable, while the Mediterranean gul...

Karmiris, I., Platis, P. D., Kazantzidis, S. & Papachristou, T. G. 2011: Diet selection by domestic and wild herbivore species in a coastal Mediterranean wetland. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 48: 233–242. Knowledge of the diet selection by coexisting herbivores is of prime importance in order to draw guidelines for livestock management alongside wildlife c...

The diet of the Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) was studied with the analysis of pellets collected in the Evros Delta. In total, 141 prey items were identified in 86 pellets. In terms of numbers, the diet consisted of 66.7% mammals, 27.7% birds and 5.7% insects. Considering biomass, birds were the most important prey, while mammals made up 36.6%...

The aim of this study was to determine the diet composition of wintering waterfowl, and assess its variation among Greek wetlands. Digestive tracts (oesophagus, proventriculus and gizzards) of Gadwall Anas strepera, Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope, Eurasian Teal Anas crecca, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata, Northern Pintai...

ca to their breeding areas in Scandinavia and Siberia (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Stroud et al. 2004). However, knowledge about wader populations of the Mediterranean-Black Sea flyway is limited in relation to the other flyways (Stroud et al. 2004). Research and published information concerning waders' migration in Greece, is likewise limited. A few, ma...

Habitat use, abundance and changes in number of herons were studied in the Axios Delta during a year cycle. At least seven different man-made and natural habitat types were distinguished in an area of 99.06 km2; rice fields (44.5% of the study area), seacoast (20.6%), salt marshes (19.0%) and fresh water habitats (2.5%). Nine heron species were rec...

The foraging behavior of adult and recently fledged juvenile Squacco Herons (Ardeola ralloides) was studied during the breeding season at the Axios Delta, northern Greece. Adults were more efficient foragers than young birds and they had a 37% higher success per peck rate. The majority of adults captured some large prey items, while most juveniles...

At least 170 bird species were recorded during breeding and migration period at Tzena and Pinovo Mountains (Pella Prefecture, Macedonia, Greece). At the pseudoalpine grasslands, that cover the top of these two mountains (1800-2200 m. a.s.l.), at least 56 bird species were recorded (33% of the total bird species recorded in the wider mountainous are...

In order to establish an experimental feeding place for raptors and vultures at Tzena-Pinovo Mountain, northern Greece, a special method was applied and testified. Tzena-Pinovo Mountain is one of the richest areas for raptors in Greece. Three Vulture species including Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and two Aquila species breed or are present d...

The Little Egret (Egretta g. garzetta), a species of the Ardeidae family, (order Ciconiiformes), is one of the most typical wetland birds. Known in Greece from ancient times, it nowadays breeds together with other heron species in at least seven wetland sites. At the Axios Delta its population ranged from 274 to approximately 700 pairs during the t...

Data on the breeding biology of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) are compared between two internationally important Mediterranean wetlands for waterbirds: the Camargue in southern France and the Axios Delta, Macedonia, Greece. During the incubation and chick-rearing periods, Camargue Little Egrets fed mainly in freswhater marshes and secondarily in...

From 1988 to 1990, Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) used all available feeding habitats in the study area, i.e., saltmarshes, freshwater habitats and rice fields (breeding season primarily). Freshwater habitats were preferred during pre-breeding, breeding and post-breeding periods. However, foraging success there was generally lower than in other h...

Use of the coastal region, lower delta and upper delta is evaluated for waders, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds and larids. Within groups, apart from particular periods when the upper delta appeared of greater importance (in terms of population sizes and number of species), the other 2 zones concentrated the highest population and species richness....