First Day Cover
首日封
Sobrescrito de 1.º Dia
SlovakiaNature Conservation: Great Bustard
Date of Issue : 14 October 2011
Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is our heaviest flying bird. It grows up to more than one meter with a wing span of up to 2.5 meters and the heaviest individuals can weigh up to 22 kg.
Since the mid-70´s, there has been a dramatic decline in their number mainly in Central Europe. Of the estimated number of 2 400 individuals around 1900, the number fell to 5 to 10 females in Slovakia in the 90´s of the last century. Since 1994, the bird has been nesting sporadically. After the break lasting a few years, the Great Bustard built its nests again in 2010, also thanks to the efforts of the nature protection and farmers.
Currently, the Great Bustard lives only in the Danube Lowland, where two protected bird areas – Lehnice and Sysľovské polia – were determined for the purpose of its protection. Sysľovské polia near Bratislava are crucial to winterizing of the western Pannonia population, which inhabits the border area of Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. About 400 Great Bustards winterize in this entire area.
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