Gli uccelli del Parco Regionale della Maremma e aree limitrofe (Grosseto, Toscana, Italia).

The Parco Regionale della Maremma (Maremma Regional Park) is a protected area of 8902 ha in the central coastal sector of the province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany. The existing habitats include the mouth and final stretch of River Ombrone, as well as the Palude della Trappola wetland; the Monti dell'Uccellina hills with the highest elevation point recorded in the area (417 m a.s.l.) and an extensive area where agriculture and free-range livestock coexist. Inside the protected area, 6 sites are included in the Nature 2000 Network; among these 4 are classified as ZSC (Special Conservation Zone, according to EU Habitat Directive 92/43/CE) and 5 as ZPS (Special Protection Zone, according to EU Birds Directive 2009/147/CE). A scanty road network linking isolated human settlements intersects the area. The dominant vegetation is represented by a scrubby forest of Mediterranean sclerophylls. In this paper, we present a checklist of the bird fauna of the Maremma Regional Park, as recorded from the date of establishment of the protected area (Tuscany Regional Law n.65 of 5 June 1975) until 31 December 2018. The observed species are 295, i.e. 62.1% of the species known for Tuscany and 52.5% of those known for Italy, as a whole. Of these species, 84 were recently assigned the Confirmed or Probable Breeding status (2008-2018), 88 are considered of Community Interest (Annex 1 EU Birds Directive 2009/147/CE), and 33 breeding species are classified as SPEC 1-3 (Species of European Conservation Concern). With the wetland sites "Bocca d'Ombrone" and "La Trappola" included in the Macrozona "Maremma Grossetana", the Maremma Regional Park is considered as a wetland of international importance for the wintering of Anser anser and Mareca penelope; besides, it is an important national area for Mareca strepera, Anas crecca, Anas acuta, Spatula clypeata, Ardea alba, Platalea leucorodia, Phoenicopterus roseus, Recurvirostra avosetta, Pluvialis apricaria, Calidris alpina, Vanellus vanellus, Gallinago gallinago, Numenius arquata, Tringa erythropus and Tringa totanus. The protected area is an important breeding site under the Directive 2009/147/CE for species nesting in wetlands, fallows, dry and brackish pastures, shrub-like areas on rocky outcrops, woodland edges, partially flooded habitats and sandy littoral zones, as for example, with low number of pairs, Pandion haliaetus (1 pair), Burhinus oedicnemus (7-8 pairs), Charadrius alexandrinus (1 pair), Caprimulgus europaeus (25 pairs), Coracias garrulus (13-15 pairs), Lanius collurio (1-5 pairs), Lullula arborea (10 pairs) and Anthus campestris (6-7 pairs). In 2015, for the first time, Ardea cinerea started nesting in a heronry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]