Birds of the Končanica fish-ponds, Croatia

The paper presents the ornithofauna of the carp fish-ponds of Končanica and the surroundings. The research was conducted between the spring of 1985 and the autumn of 2001. The material comprises data on the registration and counting of individual species throughout the year. The investigation covered resident birds, summer visitors, winter visitors, passage migrants, regular vagrants and irregular vagrants. During approximately 3000 working hours, 170 bird species were recorded, of which there were 98 (57. 6%) species of breeding birds. The fish-ponds and the surrounding area are included in the migration routes of many bird species, particulary of the Anseriformes and Charadriformes. The European Threat Status is given for all the recorded species. Economic activities (agriculture, forestrv, hunting), ongoing inside and outside the area of the fish-ponds, endanger the ornithofauna to a certain extent. The Končanica fish-ponds and the surrounding area are an exceptionally valuable ornithological locality, and as a result, should be proclaimed a protected area.