A significant decline in population numbers is experienced from the last decades of the 20th century.
The possible reasons of the decline are:
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Loss of nesting sites (the drastic decline in the rook population, the loss of steppe wood patches due to illegal lodging)
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Loss of breeding habitat (intensifying agriculture, the decline of authentic land management practices /e.g. grazing/)
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Electrocution, road-kills
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Predators at breeding colonies
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Mortality during migration, negative impacts on the wintering grounds.
