2015Birds of Slovenia - Set

Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

With a body length of 45–51 cm, the great crested grebe is the largest grebe found in Slovenia. During the nesting season it has two black plumes on its head, which it can raise, and red-brown “sideburns” at the sides of its face. In the breeding season male and female great crested grebes perform a characteristic courtship display on the water. Facing each other, they lift themselves upright and from time to time dive under the water,
returning to the surface with weeds in their bill. They build their nests from aquatic plants. In most cases the nest is free-floating and is generally well hidden by reeds. When the parents leave the nest, they cover the eggs – of which there are usually four – with vegetation. Great crested grebes have one or two broods a year. In Slovenia the great crested grebe, which feeds mainly on fish, is a year-round resident and nests by many large bodies of
water – mainly standing waters in lowland areas.

Stock dove (Columba oenas)

The stock dove is the only European member of the Columbidae family to make its nest in holes in trees. It will also nest in hollows in rock. It mainly chooses tree trunks with holes made by the black woodpecker, which makes the stock dove vitally dependent on this species. It mainly builds its nest in woodland areas that are close to fields and meadows, since its diet largely consists of grains and seeds. It lays clutches of two eggs and can have two to three broods a year. In Slovenia the stock dove is a rare species and probably only a
summer visitor.

Black stork (Ciconia nigra)

With a body length of 90–100 cm, the black stork is slightly smaller than its cousin the white stork. The black stork is a shy bird that is highly sensitive to human presence and lives in woodland in the vicinity of small streams or ditches. It builds its large nest in old trees, usually oak, in lowland wooded areas, forests. Occasionally it will build a nest on a suitable rock. It has one brood consisting of three to five chicks. During the nesting season the black stork keeps itself hidden. Storks can fly long distances to search for food, particularly fish and also various amphibians. The black stork is a rare nesting bird in Slovenia and migrates to Africa in autumn.

Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

The Kentish plover is 15 to 17 cm long and can be distinguished from the little ringed plover, which also nests in Slovenia, by the dark patches on the side of the breast and, in the male bird, by a sandy-brown cap. Generally speaking it has less black on its body than related species. It nests on the coast, in areas safe from floods, on salty soil with scant vegetation. The nest is simply a hollow in the ground. The Kentish plover lays clutches of three eggs and has one or two broods a year. In Slovenia the Kentish plover nests in the area covered by the Sečovlje saltworks and on the muddy islands of the Škocjanski Zatok wetland near Koper. It is a rare summer visitor and its population in Slovenia numbers just a few dozen pairs.

White-winged snowfinch
(Montifringilla nivalis)

With a body length of 17–19 cm, the snowfinch is the largest passerine species in Slovenia. It inhabits inhospitable areas of rocky grassland and screes above the treeline; it is unconcerned by human presence. It likes to build its nest in crevices close to areas where the snow remains on the ground for a longtime and surrounded by steep rock faces. It lays clutches of four to five eggs and has one to two broods a year. The white-winged snowfinch feeds on insects and seeds. It remains in the mountains during the winter. In Slovenia the white-winged snowfinch is a rare year-round species that nests in parts of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke.

Janez Gregori