Photo 1. Bearded tit caught at Jezero near Njivice (Photo by A. Radalj)A BEARDED TIT CAUGHT AND RINGED AT JEZERO ON KRK ISLAND

The Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus) is listed in Croatia’s
Red Book of Threatened Birds (IUCN threat category: EN breeding population)
as a rare species of Croatian ornithofauna. The population breeding in
Croatia is estimated to include no more than 60 nesting pairs. They spend
the winter all across Pannonian Croatia, while on the coast they have
been sighted along Neretva River, Krka River and Lake Vransko, as well
as farther south around Dubrovnik. Everywhere, however, their numbers
are low, and their visits irregular.

During the Ornithological Camp set up in autumn 2010
at Jezero near Njivice on Krk Island, Mr Andrej Radalj caught and ringed
a specimen of the Bearded Tit. This is the second year running that Mr
Radalj, ornithologist and external associate of the Public Institution
“Priroda”, has been systematically researching and ringing birds
at Jezero.

Up till now, a sighting of this interesting bird species,
which throughout its life lives mostly in wetland habitats covered by
common reed, has never been recorded on Krk Island. In the summer, the
Bearded Tit largely feeds on insects and other invertebrates living in
fens, while reed and rush seeds are its staple food during the autumn
and winter. Recently, there have been indications of the effect of climate
change (global warming!) on Bearded Tit populations, and their numbers
have been growing in some European countries. Studying the migratory system
of this species in Croatia is one of the protection measures listed in
the Red Book. Information concerning the bearded tit ringed at Jezero
is a welcome building-block in creating comprehensive knowledge of this
rare and intriguing bird, and it sheds new light on the importance of
Jezero as a bird habitat.

M. Randić i A. Radalj

Photo 2. Bearded tit (Photo by A. Radalj)