page_title: Carska Bara
section_title: Fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Carska Bara / Biology / Fauna
caption_attribution_description: Српски / srpski: Ово је фотографија заштићеног природног добра у Србији под шифром: РП09This is a a photo of a natural area in Serbia with ID: РП09 Carska bara
context_page_description: Carska Bara is the largest individual bog in Serbia, in the municipality of Zrenjanin. Along with the neighboring pond of Stari Begej it forms the Special nature reserve "Carska Bara".
context_section_description: In Carska Bara and nearby Begej river there are 24 different species of fish. The muddy waters are ideal for northern pike. There are also colonies of zanders, which thrives in different waters (clearer, rocky, sandy). They remained from the period before 1964, when the Old Begej was a "live river", used for navigation. After being transformed into the oxbow lake, the population of zander remained in it, adapting to the new environment.
  Amphibians (fire salamander, edible frog) and reptiles (sand lizard, European pond terrapin) are also abundant. Despite being a marshland, in Carska Bara there is a noticeable absence of mosquitos which local biologists attribute to the large number of frogs. Both frogs and tadpoles are feasting of mosquito larvae, while those who manage to hatch are prayed upon by the frogs and 18 species of dragonflies.
  There are also numerous frogs and snakes. Terrapins are strictly protected and considered the "cleaners" of the bog, as none of the other animals (birds, snakes) are not eating dead fish.
  Carska Bara is the best known for its abundant bird life, the first ornithological exploration of which began in the late 19th century. There are 240 bird species recorded in the area. There are thriving colonies of herons (grey heron, little egret, black-crowned night heron) and cormorants (including pygmy cormorant). Other species include buzzards, Eurasian sparrowhawks, common spoonbills, western marsh harrier, Montagu's harrier, red-breasted goose, osprey, greylag goose, stork and woodcock etc. Some 110 bird species are migratory.
  Herons are considered the most important for the ecosystem. They nest in large colonies which are periodically moved from one locality within the reserve to another, based on the abundance of fish and its successful spawning. The number of herons vary greatly from season to season. By the late 20th century, their number differed from several hundred nests to over 10,000. All 10 species of herons living in Serbia can be found in Carska Bara, so herons became a symbol of the wetland. Some 50,000 greater white-fronted geese spend December-January each year in Carska Bara on their voyage from Siberia to the South Europe, via the Carpathian Mountains. Other birds include swans, white-tailed eagles, ferruginous ducks, 8 species of herons, gulls and pelicans, while the cormorant colonies have 3,000 members. It is suggested that such a large number of birds actually prevents the bog from freezing during the winter. Swans in the reserve show aggressive behavior, attacking nests of all other birds, except for the migratory greater white-fronted geese.
  Numerous birds, including kingfishers and cormorants, try to feed on the nearby Ečka fishponds. Cormorants are especially causing lots of damage to the fish population, so the birds are being chased away from the fishponds with the gas cannons. It was estimated that only cormorants would eat over 2 tons of fish daily, if not chased away. The cormorants colony in Carska Bara has been described as the "horror movie set", with the trees dried from their droppings, with the strong smell of ammonia spreading around.
  White-tailed eagles are on top of the food chain in the wetland. They are also the largest birds, with a wingspan of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and weight of 7.5 kg (17 lb). They are known to pray on herons.
  Variety of mammals include otters, European ground squirrel, wildcats, bank vole and also wild hog, roe deer, red fox, European brown hare, muskrat, bats, hedgehog, mole, weasel, hamster, European polecat, etc. The otters are under the strict protection. Wild hogs are also protected but in time their number increased a lot as they have no natural enemies in Carska Bara. They began to roam outside of the reserve, causing massive damage to the crops, especially in the Belo Blato village. Residents sued the state for damages, but lost. Instead, the state granted them permission to kill a certain number of animals, if caught in their fields.
caption: Sunset
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