The first interregional scientific ornithological conference

Birds of Central Russia forest-steppe

  

 

The First Interregional Scientific Ornithological Conference “Birds of the Central Russian Forest-Steppe” dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Kursk Branch of the Russian Bird Conservation Union and the 120th anniversary of the beginning of scientific research in the Central Chernozem Nature Reserve. Village Zapovedny Settlement, Kursk Oblast, February 21–22, 2026

 

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to participate in the ornithological conference "Birds of the Central Russian Forest-Steppe". The conference aims to address issues related to the history of ornithological research in the region, the study of fauna composition, bird distribution, population ecology, bioacoustics, and breeding biology, phenology, the status of rare and endangered bird species in the Central Chernozem and adjacent regions of Russia.

The Central Russian Forest-Steppe is an ancient zonal formation characterized by a unique landscape type, favorable climate, a high proportion of rich chernozem soils, relatively homogeneous vegetation cover, and high, very prolonged anthropogenic pressure.

The conference will also focus on amateur ornithology and the use of citizen science data, bird photography, and issues of environmental education. We also propose to discuss the current population status of one species—the Corn Bunting—and invite colleagues to publish the results of their recent research on this species in the "Conference Bird" section.

A meeting is planned to discuss the relevance of launching a regional electronic periodical, "Birds of the Central Chernozem Region of Russia and Adjacent Territories." The final program will be formed based on proposals from participants indicated in the registration forms.

The event will feature the unveiling of a memorial plaque to the renowned Soviet and Russian ornithologist and conservationist, Professor V.M. Galushin, who for three years (1972-1974) led the ornithological expedition of the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute, studying the fauna of birds of prey in the Central Chernozem Nature Reserve.

During the conference, the results of the internet photo contest "Birds of the Central Russian Forest-Steppe," which will be announced on November 1, 2025, will be summarized.

Conference Organizers

Central Chernozem Nature Reserve, Kursk Branch of the Russian Bird Conservation Union, Kursk State University.

Organizing Committee

A.A. Vlasov, O.V. Ryzhkov, E.A. Sklyar, A.Yu. Sokolov, D.A. Sviridov, E.A. Vlasov, V.I. Mironov, N.I. Degtyarev, S.G. Dolzhenkov, L.N. Kharchenkova, P.G. Soshin.

Dates and Venue

February 21–22, 2026, Zapovedny settlement, Kursky District, Kursk Oblast (the estate of the Central Chernozem Nature Reserve).

Conference Themes:

  1. History of bird studies in the Central Russian Forest-Steppe.

  2. The avifauna of the Central Chernozem Region: current state, composition, and dynamics.

  3. Population ecology, bioacoustics, and breeding biology of birds.

  4. Phenological events in the life of birds.

  5. Study of rare and endangered species. Birds of the Red Data Books.

  6. Birds of technogenic and agricultural territories.

  7. Grassland conservation regimes and meadow-steppe birds.

  8. Avian symbionts of the region.

  9. Citizen science. Amateur ornithology. Bird photography.

  10. Educational aspect: birds in environmental education.

  11. Conference Bird. Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra) – current status of the species in the Central Chernozem Region of Russia and adjacent areas (distribution, abundance, ecological features).

Working language of the conference:

Russian

Participation format:

The conference is planned in a hybrid (in-person/remote) format, with presentations by remote participants organized via the Yandex.Telemost platform. The number of online speakers will be determined by the organizers after the submission deadline. The conference will include excursions to the Streletsky section of the Central Chernozem Nature Reserve and the Nature Museum of the Reserve. Detailed information will be provided in Information Letter No. 2. A collection of materials (pre-print, in hard copy) is planned to be published by the start of the event and will be included in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI).

Participation fee

  • Remote participation without receiving the hardcopy collection: 300 RUB (covers publication, regardless of the number of authors).

  • Remote participation with the collection (1 copy) mailed by post: 500 RUB.

  • Online participation with the collection (1 copy) mailed by post: 500 RUB.

  • In-person participation with the collection: 1000 RUB.

The participation fee includes:

  • Preparation and editing of the collection layout.

  • Publication of the collection of materials and the conference program.

  • Placement of the electronic collection of articles in the RSCI.

  • Participation in the plenary session.

  • Coffee breaks and lunch (for in-person participants).

Payment methods:

  • Electronic transfer via a fast payment system in your online bank to phone number +79191757481 (Sberbank, recipient Evgeny Aleksandrovich S.). A QR code can be used.

  • Card-to-card transfer (Sberbank). Recipient's card: 2202 2022 2829 7648 (recipient Evgeny Aleksandrovich S.)

Key dates:

  • October 1, 2025 – Deadline for preliminary registration.

  • November 1, 2025 – Deadline for submission of materials for publication.

  • By December 1, 2025 – Mailing of the second information letter.

  • By January 31, 2026 – Mailing of the conference program.

  • February 21–22, 2026 – Conference dates.

To participate in the conference, you must:

  1. Fill out the registration form by October 1, 2025, via the link: https://forms.yandex.ru/u/688a81d790fa7b0c28601977. Data for the main author and all co-authors should be filled in one form.

  2. Send materials for publication and a payment confirmation document (receipt, screenshot) by November 1, 2025, to the email address birdskursk@yandex.ru with the subject line "Конференция" (Conference). Formatting rules are provided below.

Information Letter No. 1 and current conference updates will be posted on the Central Chernozem Nature Reserve website: http://zapoved-kursk.ru/, on the VK page "Птицы города Курска" (Birds of Kursk City) https://vk.com/birdskursk, and on the official website of the Russian Bird Conservation Union in the "Events and Conferences" section: https://rbcu.ru/news/conf/. For prompt communication with the organizing committee, access to information, and conference materials, we invite all interested participants to join the dedicated Telegram group: https://t.me/+5-YINYV3muRmYjhi.

The Organizing Committee would appreciate it if you could inform your colleagues about this conference.

Contact information:

Material Formatting Guidelines:

  • Materials (including tables, figures, and bibliography) up to 6 A4 pages in length should be submitted electronically. Please send the text and illustrations as separate files, with the lead author's surname in the file name.

  • Font: Times New Roman, size 14, single spacing, margins 2 cm on all sides, paragraph indent 1.25 cm. Use a decimal point (e.g., 12.5).

  • Abbreviations must be spelled out upon first use in the text. Latin names of species and genera must be italicized.

  • Illustrations must be in black and white (bitmap), submitted as separate files in *.JPG or *.TIF format with a resolution of at least 300 dpi (color or grayscale images are not accepted!). Indicate the placement of figures within the text (the editorial board reserves the right to adjust the layout of illustrations during typesetting). Tables must be in portrait format.

  • The first line should be the UDC (italic, left-aligned). The next line is the title of the report (UPPERCASE, bold, centered). The next line should contain the author's initials and surname(s) (bold, centered). The next line is the organization name and email address (italic, centered). The following lines contain the main text (justified, automatic hyphenation, paragraph indent 1.25 cm). Leave a single blank line before the main text.

  • Literature citations should be in parentheses (Author, year). The bibliography should be placed at the end of the material in alphabetical order (font size 13).

  • Please note: the letter "ё" must be used where necessary; the text must not contain empty lines or extra spaces.

Materials must be thoroughly edited by the authors.

The collection of materials is planned to be published by the start of the conference. If it is not possible to publish it by then, it will be mailed to the authors at a later date. The collection will be indexed in the RSCI.

For a sample of abstract formatting, please see the first information letter.

Submitted by Michael Romanov

Modified: Sept. 9, 2025, 12:14 p.m.

Materials

Conference announcement

General information

The first inter-regional scientific ornithological conference “Birds of the Central Russian forest-steppe”, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Kursk branch of the Russian Bird Conservation Union and the 120th anniversary of the beginning of scientific research on the territory of the Central Chernozem Reserve

Dates: 21.02.2026 – 22.02.2026.

Place: village Zapovedny, Kursk region, Россия.

Organizers: Central Black Earth State Nature Biosphere Reserve named after Professor V.V. Alekhine, Kursk branch of the Russian Bird Conservation Union, Kursk State University.