Birds

The Danube Delta - birds.

The Danube Delta, also known as the "Birds' Paradise" is visited by over 325 species of birds, of which 70 are not from Europe (China, India, Egypt). Aproximatevely 170 species are hatching, and of these, 130 are migrating: those which aren't hatching, are guests for the winter and pass through the spring and autumn. Depending on the geographic region, the birds belong to the following groups: Mediterranean, Siberian, Mongolian, Chinese, Arctic. It is in the Danube Delta that 60% of the whole population of small cormorant lives. And also 80% of the whole avifauna of Europe can be seen in the Danube Delta. Ten species are protected by law, some being known as nature's monuments, as they are on their way to extinction.

The protected birds can be grouped in 2 classes depending on the colour of their feathers;:
- white: the common and the curly pelican, the spoonbill, the small and large egret, the swan
- coloured: the gruide, the eagle.
There are three more species that taken into account for protection: the crane, the Danubian hawk and the field bird.

The greatest colony of pelikans in Europe is found in the Danube Delta. It is a protected species and is the symbol of Danube Delta.

It is a summer guest and lives in large colonies, they feed on fish, and have a very interesting way of catching fish in organized groups. During autumn it migrates to warmer areas.
In the pictures on the right there is a pelican poult, in autumn of 2002.

The picture on the right is taken in November 2002 in the Militarova flood patch, which is a famous place for birdwatching, as many species of birds find a rich meal here. On the left you can see a swan's poult on the Puiulet-Lumina channel in September 2002.

There are 2 species of cormorant in the Danube Delta: the small one and the big one. These birds eat a large amount of fish and sometimes they hunt along with the pelikans. The two cormorants are resting on a small rest of reed islet, somewhere on the Rotund lake.