Protection status: 47.50% of territory is covered by Kolkheti Protected Areas.
Species of concern
White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Waterfowl, Seabirds. An area is used by over 100000 waterbirds and over 100000 seabirds during their wintering and migration. 50-100 Dalmatian and White Pelicans are wintering at the SPA (Javakhishvili et al. 2014). Both species are included on the red list of Georgia, Dalmatian Pelican as Endangered (EN), White Pelican – Vulnerable (VU). Dalmatian Pelican is also classified on the IUCN red list as Vulnerable (VU).
Description of the site
Rioni Delta SPA is located in the western part of Georgia on the sea level. This site includes Rioni River Delta, Black sea and the sea coastline. Sea holly (Eringium maritimum), Sand Sedge (Carex colchica) can be found on the coastline (Kvachakidze 2010). See the bird list below for Avifauna.
Monitoring
Water Birds
Method: Direct count
Period: Winter
Needed Equipment: 20X60 magnification spotting scope; 8X or 10X magnification binoculars; GPS.
Description: Water Birds should be directly counted during the winter, with 10 days interval in Rioni Delta. Date, weather conditions and number of birds should be recorded. Count data should be recorded in the database. Counts on Rioni Delta SPA should be coordinated with Churia and Kolkheti SPAs. Counting points see Map 1.
Counting point 1: 42.213655°/41.629597°
Counting point 2: 42.175805°/41.643362°
Birds recorded in the area 104
| Scientific name | English name | Status in Georgia | IUCN | Red List of Georgia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelecanus onocrotalus | Great White Pelican | M;WV | LC | VU |
| Pelecanus crispus | Dalmatian Pelican | M;WV | VU | EN |
| Phalacrocorax carbo | Great Cormorant | M;WV | LC | |
| Phalacrocorax aristotelis | Shag | Cas | LC | |
| Microcarbo pygmaeus | Pygmy Cormorant | M | LC | |
| Ardea cinerea | Grey Heron | YR-V | LC | |
| Ardea purpurea | Purple Heron | M | LC | |
| Ardea alba | Great White Egret | M | LC | |
| Egretta garzetta | Little Egret | M | LC | |
| Bubulcus ibis | Cattle Egret | M | LC | |
| Ardeola ralloides | Squacco Heron | M | LC | |
| Nycticorax nycticorax | Black-crowned Night-Heron | M | LC | |
| Ixobrychus minutus | Little Bittern | M | LC | |
| Botaurus stellaris | Great Bittern | M | LC | |
| Platalea leucorodia | Eurasian Spoonbill | M | LC | |
| Plegadis falcinellus | Glossy Ibis | M | LC | |
| Ciconia ciconia | White Stork | M | LC | VU |
| Ciconia nigra | Black Stork | M | LC | VU |
| Phoenicopterus ruber | Greater Flamingo | Cas | LC | |
| Cygnus olor | Mute Swan | M;WV | LC | |
| Cygnus cygnus | Whooper swan | M;WV | LC | |
| Cygnus columbianus | Tundra Swan | M;WV | LC | |
| Anser anser | Gray Lag Goose | M | LC | |
| Anser erythropus | Lesser White-fronted Goose | MWV | VU | EN |
| Anser albifrons | Greater White-fronted Goose | MWV | LC | |
| Tadorna tadorna | Common Shelduck | MWV | LC | |
| Tadorna ferruginea | Ruddy Shelduck | MWV | LC | VU |
| Anas platyrhynchos | Mallard | MWV | LC | |
| Mareca strepera | Gadwall | MWV | LC | |
| Mareca penelope | Eurasian Wigeon | MWV | LC | |
| Anas crecca | Common Teal | MWV | LC | |
| Spatula querquedula | Garganey | M | LC | |
| Anas acuta | Northern Pintail | MWV | LC | |
| Spatula clypeata | Northern Shoveler | M | LC | |
| Netta rufina | Red-crested Pochard | MWV | LC | |
| Aythya fuligula | Tufted Duck | MWV | LC | |
| Aythya marila | Greater Scaup | MWV | LC | |
| Aythya ferina | Common Pochard | MWV | VU | |
| Aythya nyroca | Ferruginous Pochard | M | NT | |
| Melanitta fusca | White-winged (or Velvet) Scoter | WV | VU | EN |
| Bucephala clangula | Common Golden-eye | MWV | LC | |
| Mergus merganser | Common Merganser | MWV | LC | |
| Mergus serrator | Red-breasted Merganser | MWV | LC | |
| Mergellus albellus | Smew | MWV | LC | |
| Pandion haliaetus | Osprey | M | LC | ? |
| Haliaeetus albicilla | White-tailed Eagle | YR-V | LC | EN |
| Haematopus ostralegus | Eurasian Oystercatcher | SVM | NT | |
| Himantopus himantopus | Black-winged Stilt | BB | LC | |
| Recurvirostra avosetta | Pied Avocet | YR-R | LC | |
| Charadrius hiaticula | Common Ringed Plover | M | LC | |
| Charadrius dubius | Little Ringed Plover | BB | LC | |
| Charadrius alexandrinus | Kentish Plover | BB | LC | |
| Eudromias morinellus | Eurasian Dotterel | M | LC | |
| Charadrius asiaticus | Caspian Plover | Cas | LC | |
| Charadrius mongolus | Lesser sand Plover | Cas | LC | |
| Charadrius leschenaultii | Greater Sand Plover | Cas | LC | |
| Pluvialis squatarola | Grey Plover | M | LC | |
| Arenaria interpres | Ruddy Turnstone | M | LC | |
| Calidris falcinellus | Broad-billed Sandpiper | M | LC | |
| Calidris ferruginea | Curlew Sandpiper | M | NT | |
| Calidris alpina | Dunlin | M | LC | |
| Calidris temminckii | Temminck's Stint | M | LC | |
| Calidris minuta | Little Stint | M | LC | |
| Calidris canutus | Knot | M | NT | |
| Calidris alba | Sanderling | M | LC | |
| Phalaropus fulicarius | Red Phalarope | Cas | LC | |
| Phalaropus lobatus | Red-necked Phalarope | M | LC | |
| Xenus cinereus | Terek Sandpiper | M | LC | |
| Tringa totanus | Common Redshank | YR-R | LC | |
| Tringa erythropus | Spotted Redshank | M | LC | |
| Tringa nebularia | Common Greenshank | M | LC | |
| Tringa stagnatilis | Marsh Sandpiper | M | LC | |
| Tringa glareola | Wood Sandpiper | M | LC | |
| Tringa ochropus | Green Sandpiper | YR-R | LC | |
| Actitis hypoleucos | Common Sandpiper | BB | LC | |
| Calidris pugnax | Ruff | M | LC | |
| Numenius arquata | Eurasian Curlew | M | NT | |
| Numenius phaeopus | Whimbrel | Cas | LC | |
| Limosa limosa | Black-tailed Goldwit | YR-V | NT | |
| Limosa lapponica | Bar-tailed Godwit | M | NT | |
| Larus ichthyaetus | Pallas's Gull | WV | LC | |
| Larus ridibundus | Common Black-headed Gull | YR-R | LC | |
| Hydrocoloeus minutus | Little Gull | MWV | LC | |
| Larus melanocephalus | Mediterranean Gull | MWV | LC | |
| Larus argentatus | Herring Gull | Cas | LC | |
| Larus armenicus | Armenian Gull | YR-R | NT | |
| Larus michahellis | Yellow-legged Gull | YR-R | LC | |
| Larus cachinnans | Caspian Gull | YR-R | LC | |
| Larus fuscus | Lesser Black-backed Gull | WV | LC | |
| Larus marinus | Greater Black-backed Gull | Cas | LC | |
| Larus canus | Mew Gull | MWV | LC | |
| Larus audouinii | Audouin's Gull | Cas | LC | |
| Rissa tridactyla | Kittiwake | WV | LC | |
| Stercorarius pomarinus | Pomarine Jaeger (Skua) | YR-V | LC | |
| Stercorarius parasiticus | Parasitic Jaeger (Skua) | YR-V | LC | |
| Stercorarius longicaudus | Long-tailed Jaeger (Skua) | YR-V | LC | |
| Gelochelidon nilotica | Gull-billed Tern | YR-V | LC | |
| Thalasseus sandvicensis | Sandwich Tern | WV | LC | |
| Sterna hirundo | Common Tern | BB | LC | |
| Sternula albifrons | Little Tern | BB | LC | |
| Hydroprogne caspia | Caspian Tern | SVM | LC | |
| Chlidonias leucopterus | White-winged Tern | BB | LC | |
| Chlidonias niger | Black Tern | BB | LC | |
| Chlidonias hybrida | Whiskered Tern | BB | LC |
Photos and maps
Abbreviations
Seasonal status at a site
- YR-R
- Year-round resident; breeder, present throughout the year
- YR-V
- Year-round visitor; non-breeder, present throughout the year
- BB
- Breeding bird; breeder, absent during the non-breeding period
- SV
- Summer visitor; non-breeder, present in spring and summer
- WV
- Winter visitor; non-breeder, present in late autumn, winter and early spring
- M
- Migrant; bird of passage, present mainly in autumn and spring
- Cas
- Casual (vagrant) species
- ND
- No data
IUCN Red List
- CR
- Critically Endangered
- EN
- Endangered
- VU
- Vulnerable
- NT
- Near Threatened
- LC
- Least Concern
Other
- SPA
- Special Protection Area for birds
- IBA
- Important Bird and Biodiversity Area
- RLG
- Red List of Georgia
- Annex 1
- Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), Annex I