site.btaRecord Number of White-headed Ducks Recorded in Lake Burgas

A new record number in Bulgaria of the globally endangered white-headed duck has been recorded in Lake Burgas (on the seaside) as part of the regular monitoring conducted by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). The survey, carried out by Vladimir Mladenov, established the presence of 4,603 birds, the organization reported on Monday.

After last year’s monitoring at the same time also registered a record population of 4,163 individuals in the area, the current observation at Lake Burgas theoretically covers between 29% and 61% of the entire wintering European population of the white-headed duck.

The BSPB specified that this globally endangered species is experiencing a sharp population decline, with only 5,300 to 8,700 adult individuals remaining worldwide. The European wintering population is estimated at between 7,500 and 15,900 individuals.

Lake Burgas is the main wintering site for the species in Bulgaria and one of the most important in Europe. The observation confirmed its significance for this rare bird. “Over the past decade, the white-headed ducks in Burgas had reached critically low numbers, with only a few hundred wintering individuals. This was a trend observed throughout the species’ range,” the organization added.

In September, BSPB reported that nearly 38% of nesting bird species in Bulgaria have stable populations, while 22% are growing.