FACTORS INFLUENCING THE OCCURENCE OF GREAT WHITE EGRET (EGRETTA-ALBA), MALLARD (ANAS-PLATYRHYNCHOS), MARSH HARRIER (CIRCUS-AERUGINOSUS), AND COOT (FULICA-ATRA) IN THE REED ARCHIPELAGO OF LAKE VELENCE, HUNGARY

Landscape ecology became a useful discipline in the design of nature c onservation. In the present study we analysed the occurrence patterns of the Great White Egret (Egretta alba) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), and the Coot (Fulica atra) in the reed archipelago of Lake Velence (24km(2)), Hungary, in 1994. We relat ed the presence/absence of the species to three landscape ecological v ariables and three vegetation characteristics of the reed islands, and built logistic regression models. We found that area proved to be the most important factor determining the occurrence of all the four spec ies. In addition, the isolation and vegetation characteristics were in cluded into to models of the Great White Egret, and isolation to model s of the Marsh Harrier and the Coot. We concluded that the survival of the four species at Lake Velence requires the preservation of large r eed islands.