Features of the summer distribution of birds in Central Altai

The results of bird route surveys over the territory of the Central Altai during the summer seasons in 1968–2001 were analyzed. Hierarchic classifications of species by the similarities of residence and distribution were compiled on the basis of a multivariate factor analysis. The basic environmental factors that determine the non-uniformity of bird distribution were revealed. It was demonstrated that the classifications of bird species in the central Altai province and in the Altai physiogeographic mountainous region are, in general, similar in structure. The provincial specificity of distribution intensifies with an increase in the altitude of the territory.