STRUCTURE AND ECOLOGY OF BIRDS IN INTRA-MOUNTAIN DAGHESTAN
Aim. Results of bird counts carried out over the period 1996 - 2016 in Intra-mountain Daghestan have been analyzed. The species composition of birds was determined for the first time and the ecology of the avifauna of the research area was characterized. Methods. Based on the original and conventional methods, the ecological structure and the parameters of variation in bird population density in the Dagestan Mountain Region were determined. Results. The bird species composition and ecological structure of avifauna of the middle-mountain province of Daghestan are described for the first time. The variations in bird population density are identified and specific features of ecology are characterized for each of 11 bird communities with their full set of birds, which is of principal importance, because the scanty species add uniqueness not only to the pattern of a separate faunal community, but also to the avifauna of the studied region in whole. Main conclusions. The research has shown that a specific pattern of the avifauna of Intra-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. Analysis of the collected material gives an image of the species composition and territorial distribution of birds and also shows resource capacities of avifauna in Intra-mountain Daghestan.