Structure and Distribution of the Bird Population in Inner-Mountain Daghestan
The results of bird counts carried out over the period 1996-2017 in Inner-mountain Province of Daghestan were analyzed. The bird species composition, average population abundance and ecological pattern of avifauna in one of difficult-to-reach mountain areas of the republic are described for the first time. Cluster analysis showed that population patterns of the most sampling areas were not only similar but also unique because of high heterogeneity of habitats and, consequently, faunal differences, emerging in mountains under a lack of humidification. It was suggested that a specific pattern of the avifauna of Inner-mountain Daghestan is provided not only by resident communities of typical mountain birds but also by nesting in mountains adapted populations composed of migratory birds of valleys.