Response of the avifauna to technogenic environmental pollution in the southern taiga zone of the Middle Urals

The results of original studies and published data are used for evaluating the main responses of the avifauna of boreal forests to the combined effect of sulfur dioxide and heavy metals. It is shown that environmental pollution results in the reduction of species richness, biomass, and stability of the nesting bird fauna. In degraded areas, the structure of the bird community changes: (I) typical forest species are replaced by the species of open habitats, and (2) the proportion of species nesting in the upper tree layer decreases, whereas that of ground-nesting species increases.