Effects of cattle grazing on avifauna of the Axios river delta

This paper deals with the cattle grazing effects on breeding avifauna of the Axios river delta. Study area was the riparian and coastal rangelands to the east of the river course. Twenty nine plots were established in distances from 0 to 1000 m (every 250 m) away from 5 cattle stables. In these plots, the number of passerine birds which bred during the 1998 breeding season were counted. Rangelands are characterized by pathogenic soils with high salinity, where halophytic vegetation dominates. Soil conditions are the main factor that determine vegetation, while cattle grazing is mostly light to moderate and affects vegetation only secondarily. For one of the ground-nesting passerine species, the calandra lark (Melanocorypha calandra), the number of pairs increased as we moved away from the stables. This species is protected by law. In general, the passerine birds that breed in rangelands of Greek wetlands include species protected by law and/ or species with declining populations at the European level and should be taken into account in planning of the management of these areas.