Birds in rocky habitats of the Tatra Mountains (Carpathians): species diversity and multiple ecological relationships

Rocky habitats are regarded as biodiversity hot-spots. Along with high species diversity, diverse ecological relationships can be observed in these habitats. Large groups of bird species use rocks in various ways: as perching/roosting sites, breeding or foraging habitats, information exchange sites, display arenas or as sources of minerals and water. Because of the inaccessibility of these environments, their role and importance to animals has been underestimated. We evaluated the use of rocky habitats by birds in the Tatra Mountains (49°13′N; 19°57′E, Carpathians, central Europe). Rocky habitats were used by 29 bird species, eight of which used cliffs directly (i.e. for nesting, foraging or resting). The number of species recorded as using cliffs was correlated with the surface area of the cliff face. A total of 20 forms of rocky habitat use were recorded, in five behavioural categories: vocalization, foraging, perching, flight and nesting. Prevailing behaviours were flying by a rock face, circling above the face, and vocalization on a tree/shrub growing next to a rock. Rocks provide a nesting habitat for specialized petrophilic species and permit the existence of numerous ecological relations between species and habitats. The results of this study show that rocky habitats support the diversity of ecological relationships.