Bokotey A., Dzyubenko N., Zatushevskyi A.
Catalogue birds of prey specimens deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine. Chapter 1. (Circaetus, Hieraaetus, Aquila, Haliaeetus, Neophron, Aegypius, Gyps) // Catalogue of the digitized collections, deposited in the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Issue 5. Acarological, entomological & ornithological collections. – Lviv, 2025. – P.47-108.
DOI:
Key words: Circaetus, Hieraaetus, Aquila, Haliaeetus, Neophron, Aegypius, Gyps, collection, State Museum of Natural History NASU
The most vulnerable systematic group of birds, which has been constantly exterminated over several centuries as perceived pests of game management, comprises diurnal and nocturnal raptors. Since the emergence of game management practices, these birds have been regarded as undesirable elements of forest ecosystems and subjected to intensive killing. Such persecution has brought many species within the group to the threshold of extinction. Out of 35 species of diurnal raptors currently documented in Ukraine’s fauna, 20 have been listed in the Red Data Book (Fesenko & Bokotey, 2007). Unfortunately, this historical inertia remains strong, as poachers continue to target raptors, particularly large species (e.g., White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, and Spotted Eagles), often treating them as hunting trophies (Bokotey & Buchko, 2017). The “remarkable” statistics were published in the journal “Łowiec” at the end of the 19th century. Over the three years of 1885, 1887, and 1888, a total of 843 eagles, 15,152 hawks and buzzards, and 5,025 owls were exterminated in Galicia. This tradition of the systematic persecution has led to catastrophic range reductions and the near-total extinction of species, such as the Golden Eagle, Spotted Eagle, and other raptor species in the western region of Ukraine (Gorban, 1985; Bokotey, 1993; Bokotey & Sokolov, 1994; Sokolov & Bokotey, 1999). We have analyzed the changes in the species composition of birds of prey in the area near the village of Peniaky (Brody district, Lviv region) over the past 100 years. To do this, we compared the materials of the birds’ collection of the State Museum of Natural History (SMNH) with those of the museum catalog of birds (Dzieduszycki, 1880), and with those of our field research near Peniaky during 1992–1998. Out of 27 species of diurnal and nocturnal raptors recorded near Peniaky in the second half of the 19th century, we have recorded 16 species (59.2%). Only nine species have retained their historical patterns of occurrence (Sokolov & Bokotey, 1999). The greatest impact on raptor populations in the vicinity of Peniaky has undoubtedly been caused by anthropogenic transformations of their habitats. Significant changes include the drainage of the large Peniaky pond, the complete deforestation of mature woodlands, including "Pamiatka Peniatska", and the plowing of all virgin lands in the area. Such transformations have strongly affected the composition of the regional avifauna, particularly of raptors, because of their heightened sensibility to anthropogenic influences. Moreover, the large-scale elimination of raptors in the 19th century, as discussed above, has significantly influenced both the composition and population sizes of these species nowadays. The collection of diurnal raptor specimens at the State Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine comprises 347 specimens representing 29 species. Because of the extensive size of the collection, the catalogue will be presented in four sections.
- The first section includes representatives of the genera Circaetus, Hieraaetus, Aquila, Haliaeetus, Neophron, Aegypius, and Gyps, in total 123 specimens, belonging to 9 species.
- The second section includes representatives of the genera Pernis and Buteo, in total 60 specimens, belonging to 4 species.
- The third section includes representatives of the genera Pandion, Milvus, Circus, and Accipiter, in total 103 specimens, belonging to 9 species.
- The fourth section includes the genus Falco, comprising 61 specimens, belonging to 7 species.
In this first section, we present the data on species of genera Circaetus, Hieraaetus, Aquila, Haliaeetus, Neophron, Aegypius, and Gyps, comprising in total 123 specimens, belonging to 9 species. This collection was made between 1851 and 1939 by the efforts of the museum staff (by means of hunting and market purchases) and by the use of numerous donations to the museum’s founder, Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki. The species represented include: Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos L., 1758) – 47 specimens, Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina C.L. Brehm, 1831) – 20, White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla L., 1758) – 17, Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga Pallas, 1811) – 14, Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus Gmelin, 1788) – 8, Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus Gmelin, 1788) – 7, Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus Hablizl, 1783) – 7, Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus Linnaeus, 1766) – 4, Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus Linnaeus, 1758) – 2, Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca Savigny, 1809) – 1. A total of 103 specimens were collected from the present territory of Ukraine, 15 spec. – from the present territory of Poland, and 5 spec. – without any information on the collection sites. In Ukraine, the majority of specimens were collected in Lviv province (69), followed by Ternopil province (21), Ivano-Frankivsk province (9), Khmelnytskyi province (2), Volyn province and Vinnytsia province (1 spec. in each). In Poland, the specimens were collected in the Podkarpatskie Voivodeship (12) and Malopolskie Voivodeship (3). Among specific localities, the highest number of specimens was collected near the villages of Potorytsia in the Sokal Territorial Community of Chervonohrad District (13 specimens) and Peniaky in the Pidkamin Territorial Community of Zolochiv District, Lviv province (12 specimens). All species presented here are listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. In 2024, the entire collection was digitized as part of the project “Crisis Inventory and Leap to Digitalization of Museum Records,” implemented by the NGO Tustan, the Tustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, HeMo: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab, and the NGO "Center for Museum Development," with financial support from the European Union. For each specimen the photographs were taken from six perspectives: front, left and right sides, back, bottom, and in the most visually advantageous display pose. This catalogue was prepared as part of the research topic “Methodological Foundations for the Expert Evaluation of the Scientific Potential of Natural History Collections,” conducted by the Department of Applied Museology of the State Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, State Registration Number 0122U001440.
References
1. Бокотей А.А., Бучко В.В. 2016. Вплив полювання на стан популяцій
птахів у басейні Верхнього Дністра. Troglodytes. Праці ЗУОТ. Вип. 7.
С.140-151.
2. Бокотей А.А., Соколов Н.Ю. 1994. Історія визначення скигляків
Державного природознавчого музею НАН України у Львові. Беркут. Т.3, вип.
2. С.145-147.
3. Бокотей А.А., Соколов Н.Ю. 2000. Каталог орнітологічної колекції
Державного природознавчого музею. Львів. 164 с.
4. Łomnicki M. 1907. Przewodnik po Muzeum im. Dzieduszyckich we Lwowie.
Lwów. 133 s.
5. Соколов Н.Ю., Бокотей А.А. 1999. Зміни складу хижих птахів околиць с.
Пеняки за 100 років. Екологічні аспекти охорони птахів. Львів. С.83-84.
6. Фесенко Г.В., Бокотей А.А. 2007. Анотований список українських
наукових назв птахів фауни України (з характеристикою статусу видів).
Київ – Львів. 112 с.
7. Bokotey A. 1993. Great Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga breeding in
Western Ukraine. Birds of Prey Bulletin. 5. P.35.
8. Dzieduszycki W. 1880. Muzeum imienia Dzieduszyckich we Lwowie. Ptaki.
Lwów. 226 s.
9. Dzieduszycki W. 1895. Przewodnik po Muzeum im. Dzieduszyckich we
Lwowie. Lwów. 273 s.
10. Gorban I.M. 1985. Current data on Status of Eagles in the West
Ukraine USSR. World Working Group on bird of prey of the Intern. Council
for Bird Preserv. P.28-29.
