dynamics

The article refl ects data on year-round studies of the urban mallard population in Saratov, allowing the assessment of the condition and the study of the factors infl uencing its formation. An estimate of the mallard population in the winter periods of 2020–2023 is presented. It is shown that the number negatively correlates with frosts and precipitation, and there is a statistically signifi cant positive relationship between the number of people feeding ducks and the number of mallards.

The abundance dynamics of Falco vespertinus is considered on the basis of our field surveys carried out within the Saratov region and adjacent territories in 2011–2016 and analysis of the literature data. It is shown that F. vespertinus is now presented by stable populations in the spacious territory of the Trans-Volga part of the region. However, some reduction of its abundance was registered here for the last several decades of the 20th century. Currently, the falcon populations in the Volga right-bank region can be characterized as mosaic, and the F.