Wingless Greater Greater. Toadstools. Description of appearance
Type: Chordates Class: Birds Order: Grebes (Podicipediformes) Family: Grebes Genus: Grebes Species: GrebesHow to find out
(Podiceps cristatus), - the largest of all grebes, weighs from 650 to 1400 g. Above, the crested grebe is brownish-black, below it is white, sides with a rusty-red tint, two white stripes across the wing.
Especially characteristic of the chomga are her chestnut-red collar on the neck and two bunches of feathers on the head (ears). In a winter outfit, these bunches become shorter, and the collar disappears altogether.
Where dwells
The great grebe is very widespread. It breeds in Australia, New Zealand, in Africa south of Sakhara, in Europe south of 60-63 ° north latitude and in Asia south of Tyumen, Omsk, Achinsk, Lake Khanka. In the north of the range, this bird is migratory, in the south it has settled. Most of the birds flying southward overwinter in southern parts of Europe and Asia.
Lifestyle and biology
For nesting, the Greater Grebe chooses more or less extensive stagnant and slow-flowing bodies of water with developed aquatic vegetation well-warmed by the sun and with a sufficient number of fish.
An important condition for habitation is the presence of quiet open reaches where the bird could hunt for fish, and adjacent thickets of reeds or reeds, where it could hide a nest and hide from danger.
In spring the Grecian Grecian flies to the nesting places when the reservoirs are free of ice cover and when conditions favorable for life come. In the south of our country, this is observed at the end of March, in the northern regions of the range - at the beginning of May.
Soon after arrival, the birds begin very characteristic mating games. At the same time, the birds swim towards each other, unfold the feathers of the collars, move their heads and, having swum close, seem to stand against each other in the water, exposing their chest and belly; sometimes the male "stands" in this way on the water above the female. At the same time, the Grebes scream a lot.
Greater grebe nests, as a rule, in separate pairs, but sometimes forms large colonies on large lakes. The nest fits on the water; usually it is buoyant, less often resting on the bottom. It is most often located among rare thickets of reeds or near a channel so that on the one hand it is protected from the action of waves and wind, and on the other hand it is available for birds to swim up.
It is a heap of dead vegetation, mainly reeds and reeds. The nest is semi-submerged and wet, with a fairly flat tray. The underwater part of the nest has a water temperature, and the surface part is higher, up to 7.5 ° above the temperature environment... This is when there is no bird on the nest.
Socket dimensions: diameter. nests 42-65 cm, nest height 42-65 cm, above-water height 3-5 cm, tray diameter 18-22 cm.
After the completion of the nest building, egg laying begins. The bird rushes at intervals of 48 hours. Oviposition lasts from mid-April in the south of the country to mid-May in the north of the breeding area. A full clutch consists of 3-4, less often 5-7 greenish-yellow eggs without a pattern (Table 1). Egg sizes: 48-63x32-41 mm.
The male and the female incubate for 28 days, starting from the laying of the first egg. Leaving the nest in case of danger, the birds hastily cover it with the material from which it is made.
In June, chicks hatch, and not simultaneously in the same nest. As a result, there is a different age of chicks in broods. Chicks leave the nest immediately after they dry out a little. Both parents share the care of the chicks.
First, they feed them on insects and their larvae and other aquatic invertebrates, and later, when the chicks grow up, on small fish. In this case, at first, the chicks feed from the beak, and then the food is placed on the water, from where the chicks take it on their own, learning to dive.
The great grebe, like its other relatives, is interesting in a peculiar way of protecting chicks from feathered predators, which are always enough in its habitats.
Unlike ducks and coots, the grebe, together with downy chicks, swims far away from the reed thickets to the middle of the reach and does not show concern when a swamp harrier or other predator appears.
Only with the explicit intention of the latter to attack the brood does it dive, showing itself after a while for several tens of meters to the side. Chicks also dive with her, but not independently, but having previously climbed onto the mother's back and hid in her plumage.
Chicks get so tightly stuck among thick feathers, sticking out only the tip of their beak, that the bird calmly dives with its precious load, not fearing to lose it under water. Predators, apparently, know from experience the elusiveness of grebe broods and usually do not try to chase them. There are observations that toadstools can even fly with chicks on their backs.
At about one month old, the chicks begin to fly. At the age of 2.5 months, shortly before departure, the broods break up, and the young begin to lead an independent lifestyle.
Big toadstool has two molts per year: incomplete premarital (spring) and full postnuptial (autumn). The prenuptial covers all small plumage, takes place in February - March; in late March - early April, adults have a completely ready-made marriage dress. The postnuptial plumage covers all plumage, including the flight feathers, which are replaced quickly and simultaneously. It runs in August - September.
Unlike other grebes, the main food of the Grebe is fish, especially in autumn and winter. In addition, amphibians, insects, crustaceans, molluscs, as well as plants obtained in the water are eaten. Chicks are fed mainly by insects.
Toadstool is a rather unusual bird that resembles a duck in appearance and behavior. It inhabits almost the entire territory of Eurasia, while it is most often found on small lakes or ponds. This duck got its specific name due to the poor quality of meat, which has a pronounced fish smell and a disgusting taste. Although some craftsmen manage to cook even such a bird, which explains the popularity of hunting for it.
Description of the breed
Toadstool has several other names - great crested grebe, crested crested grebe, crested duck. She received all these names for her unusual appearance and behavior.
This species has the following characteristics:
In spring, an unusual plumage forms on the duck's head in the form of two black tufts, which somewhat resemble ears. At the same time, a red collar appears around the neck. By the onset of cold weather, these characteristic signs disappear.
Bird lifestyle
The grebe, depending on the habitat, can be either a sedentary bird (central Europe) or a migratory bird (eastern and northern Europe). It is a freshwater bird that can be found in small bodies of water or wetlands. She most often chooses an area with a variety of vegetation on land.
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Under favorable conditions for nesting, these birds arrive already in February, but most often in March – May, when the air temperature rises to the required values. They fly off for wintering mainly in November, but sometimes they can stay until the onset of frost.
Most often, toadstool can be seen precisely on the surface of a lake, pond, or even under water, since these birds love to dive. At the same time, they press their wings to the body, often touch them with their paws, their neck is constantly moving. Toadstool can dive on average for 15-40 seconds, but cases have been recorded when this bird was in the water column for about a minute. The immersion depth is 1-4 m. Being under water, toadstools can travel long distances.
This peculiar duck very rarely comes ashore, reluctantly flies. Unusual feet of toadstools are completely unsuitable for movement on land. Therefore, birds leave the reservoir only for short periods of time. When walking, they look very awkward.
Toadstool takes off hard, runs for a long time in water, helps itself with wings. Despite this, the birds keep well in the air and can move a considerable distance.
What does the crested grebe eat?
The poultry diet includes the following foods:
- small fish;
- shellfish;
- insects that live in the reservoir, their larvae - dragonflies, water bugs and beetles, stoneflies;
- small amphibians;
- crustaceans;
- aquatic vegetation.
The diet of a toadstool mainly consists of animal feed. Some studies show that plant foods enter the stomachs of birds by accident. Also, in the digestive system, birds found small stones that play the role of gastroliths. They stimulate the digestion of rough food and improve its digestibility.
In search of food, a toadstool can completely submerge in water and stay there for a long time. With the help of a long beak, it gets food in the most inaccessible places. Toadstool almost never leaves the reservoir, therefore, mainly its diet consists of products that it can get in the water.
Breeding features
In the spring, the nesting period of grebes begins, which is preceded by a kind of mating games. This ritual is accompanied by the following actions:
- ducks swim towards each other, while their feathers are fluffy. They shake their heads all the time. After a kind of flirting, the birds swim close;
- the male and female rise up in the water, while their postures resemble a penguin's stance. After that, they offer algae to each other in their beak;
- the whole process of mating games is accompanied by shouts of "croix".
Birds mate on land, after which they search for a suitable territory for laying eggs and begin to build a nest. Toadstools are not aggressive.
They can nest near other birds of their own species and representatives of other breeds.
Nesting process of toadstools
When a pair has formed, the birds begin to build an unusual nest, which is located on the surface of the water on a small island of peat or vegetation. At the same time, toadstools pave it out of dry leaves and cane stalks.
The diameter of the nest is 80 cm. At the same time, its height is about 60 cm. A small depression is placed inside the nest, where the female lays from 3 to 5 eggs. At first they are white, but due to decaying plants they quickly turn brown.
A feature of the nests of these birds is that they constantly move along the surface of the water and are most often flooded. Toadstools' eggs are additionally heated by gases that form during the decomposition of vegetation. This facilitates hatching of most chicks, despite the fact that both parents can leave the clutch for a long time. At the same time, the birds always cover the nest with leaves, which also disguises it from predators.
The first chicks hatch approximately 24 days later. There can be an interval of one to three days between hatching of ducklings. The first chicks are fed and nursed by the male, which enables the female to incubate other eggs.
Daily ducklings are covered with down. They quickly leave the nest and hide in the feathers of matter on her back. In this form, with chicks, the female can even dive under water.
Young toadstools are on the back of their parents for about two months. Their survival rate in the first weeks of life is quite low and ranges from 40 to 60%. unusual bird, which is inherent in a peculiar way of life.
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Video: The last summer of the Moscow Greyhound
People usually call toadstools mushrooms of a dirty gray color with a long stem. Very graceful water birds were also named for their resemblance to them. Big and small toadstool resemble the most poisonous mushroom. has a dirty gray. crowned with a head with a black-red collar (two bunches of black feathers), which makes this representative of the birds very similar to the famous forest mushroom.
Description
A large bird has narrow and short wings, while the muscles that set them in motion make up only ten percent of the total weight (in a seagull, for example, they are 2 times heavier). The flight is fast, but not at all maneuverable: the bird, unlike the same gull, cannot boast of aerobatics - it flies exclusively in a straight line.
Landing and takeoff for her, as if for an airplane, is by no means an easy task. True, here the comparison with a seaplane is more appropriate. The bird does not dare to land on a hard surface, since it does not know how to extinguish speed, due to which it would hurt itself strongly on the ground. It should be noted that water significantly softens the landing, which looks like an elementary fall.
Habitat
The toadstool lives in the eastern hemisphere of our planet. In the southern regions they are sedentary, in the northern ones they are migratory.
Birds arrive in April. Young grebes occupy only new nesting sites. But the old people mainly settle on the old. Each pair has a large nesting area - several hundred meters in a circle. And his spouses jealously guard him. At the same time, if there are few good nesting places, the birds get along normally in the colonies. For example, once in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov on Dolgy Island (this is a narrow strip of land 1.8 km long with a maximum width of 20 m), zoologists counted 165 nests.
Nest
Toadstool is a bird whose nest is mainly located in such a way that all growing vegetation - reeds, reeds, sedges - protects it from wind, prying eyes and waves. Also, there must certainly be free access for a bird swimming up to it.
Sometimes work on the construction of a nest in birds alternates with lecturing. It usually precedes construction. The toadstool bird (its photo is presented in this article), having laid the next part of the building material, begins the courtesy ceremony. So, swimming towards each other, they simultaneously lower and then raise their heads. Then, pushing out the chest, they rise sharply above the water, while each repeats the movements of the other, as if in a mirror. Periodically, such wedding rituals are performed with a stalk in the beak. Looking at these birds with their graceful feather collars, one recalls the grandiose movements of the ballet soloists - they move very gracefully and synchronously.
Reproduction
Grebe is a bird that lays 3-4 greenish-white testicles in May. They very quickly turn olive brown from the rotting plants located in their nest. The females also contribute to this, covering their clutch with plants if they leave the nest for a short time. It should be noted that the female and the male hatch eggs. Chicks already appear in June. They are wonderful swimmers from birth, and their parents teach them to dive.
It also happens very interestingly - one of the adults slowly swims past the babies, holding food in its beak, then again. And the kids, in turn, try to snatch the fish. Next toadstool dives with her, inviting children to do the same. But young people do not dare to follow the example of their parents. In this case, one of them puts food on the water and cries out from a distance: "Kwong-kwong!"
Chicks throw themselves in a crowd, and only the best swimmer can receive their well-deserved reward. It is touching to watch how the kids, tired of a long swim, crawl onto their parent's back to rest, after which she, diving, is freed from her precious burden.
Toadstool (bird): food
Parents of striped chicks feed on worms, insects, fish. At the same time, they themselves do not refuse crustaceans, frogs, mollusks, but, of course, preference is given to fish. Be sure to note one interesting feature: Toadstools have a lump of feathers in their stomachs. Toadstool is a bird that collects them on the water, and also plucks them out. This is explained by the fact that they live on bodies of water with muddy soil.
Here you cannot find pebbles that other birds swallow to improve grinding of food in their stomachs. Although some bird watchers disagree with this common statement. They believe that the feather ball is a kind of sieve that retains the bones of the fish. But whatever opinion turns out to be correct, the chicks from the first days of life receive these feathers from their parents with food.
Young toadstools become independent at the age of 2.5 months. They have brown plumage at this time, and also have not very clear stripes on the neck and head. Their adult attire will appear a little later. It should be noted that birds are especially smart in spring. Two tufts of horns (or ears) on the head and a collar on the red neck form elongated feathers. The top of the ears and the edges of the collar are black. Wings and back with transverse white stripes - dark brown. And the bottom of the body is brilliant white.
Human value
Due to its satin plumage, the toadstool bird, a photo of which can be seen in this article, drank grief. So, in the nineteenth century, muffs, hats, trimmings for ladies' clothing, boa began to be made from the skins of these birds.
It is interesting that the fishery of a bird's feather sometimes increased, sometimes it fell. For example, in the seventies of the last century, about 100 thousand bird skins were delivered from one to the Moscow market every year!
A huge number of toadstools also died in the states Western Europe during the period of another boom, which at the beginning of this century was caused by the incredible demand for products from their down. Therefore, it is not surprising that toadstools in Europe were quite rare a few decades ago. Such is the fashion!
Kora flaccid, abo chomga (early - Paganka flaccid)
The whole territory of Belarus
Family Grebe - Podicipedidae
In Belarus - P. c. cristatus (a subspecies that inhabits the entire Palaearctic part of the species range).
Breeding, migratory and transit migratory and wintering species in small numbers. Distributed throughout Belarus. The most common and largest of the 5 species of our grebes. Common for nesting and fly-overs in all regions of the republic where there are suitable stations. The most common in the Vitebsk, northwestern parts of Minsk and Grodno regions, as well as in the lake areas of the Brest region. In the eastern regions of Mogilev and Gomel regions. large toadstools appear mainly on the flights, they rarely nest due to the lack of necessary land (lakes overgrown with reeds and open areas waters, large creeks and river branches).
Waterfowl, the largest of the toadstools, smaller than a domestic duck, the size of a mallard. The body is well adapted to the aquatic environment: a streamlined, rolling shape, covered with a dense feather. The neck is long and thin, almost vertical in a swimming bird. Legs are carried far back. The toes are not connected by a continuous swimming membrane, and each along its entire length is bordered laterally by a wide rowing blade. The claws are flat, nail-like. The wings are short and narrow.
The tail feathers are rudimentary, the tail is very short, almost invisible in a swimming bird. The beak is straight, pointed. Tarsus strongly compressed laterally, flat.
In Belarus, only one species is similar to the Grebe - the gray-cheeked grebe, which is listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus. The great grebe differs from it in its large size, bright "collar" and (adult) reddish beak, in winter - white neck.
Males and females have the same color. In breeding plumage, the top is blackish-brown, the abdomen and neck in front are satin-white. On the sides the feathers are rusty-red. On the head there is a dark cap, the cheeks are white, on the neck there is a well-developed chestnut-red “collar”, black along the edges. On the crown of the head there are 2 long beams ("ears") of black feathers. In the first winter plumage, there is no “collar” or “ears” and, in general, young birds are duller colored, the beak is yellow-green. The beak in adults is dark-horny, the edges and bases of the beak are red. Legs are olive greenish. The eyes are bright red. Downy chicks are variegated; longitudinal white stripes are preserved on the sides of the neck and on the chest.
The weight of males is 0.95-1.6 kg, females are 0.8-1.1 kg. The body length of males is 53-59 cm; wing length of males 18-20 cm, females 17.5-19 cm; tarsus of males tarsus 6-7 cm, females 6 cm; beak 5-5.5 cm for males, 4.5-5 cm for females. Wingspan 81-90 cm.
Chomga spends almost all the time on the water. Landing on water is low, a long, straight neck rises above the elongated body. It swims and dives perfectly, moving tens of meters under water. In case of danger, instantly, without the slightest splash, dives. It can stay under water for up to 3 minutes. Takes off only from the water after a long run. The flight is straightforward, fast, with frequent flaps of the wings. However, it is not often possible to see a flying bird - the crested grebe rises on the wing extremely reluctantly. On land he moves with difficulty, waddles.
The voice is very loud and varied. Voice (Fedyushin and Dolbik) - a rather loud croaking cry of "croo", as well as a repetitive "kuek-kuek". Other authors (Kozulin et al.) Indicate that in the spring they emit a throaty cry "kkua", the call-call is an abrupt "kuik".
During migrations, toadstools adhere to the channels of large rivers, feed and rest in the open reaches of lakes. On the Dnieper, Pripyat, Berezina, Sozha, they can be seen at this time alone, in pairs or small flocks of 3-4, less often 5-8 birds.
The spring migration begins in late March - early April, after the opening of the reservoirs and continues until the end of the month. In early springs, birds arrive 10–14 days earlier than average, in cold and prolonged springs, about the same number of days later.
It nests on different types of water bodies (lakes, fish ponds, reservoirs, river creeks), but if there is a mandatory presence there, there is both a sufficient width of a strip of emergent vegetation and areas of open, sufficiently deep water. Nesting on the sandy shores of reservoir islands is known as a rare exception. Avoids small forest water bodies, rare in small floodplain lakes.
It settles in monogamous pairs, but in favorable places it can form nesting clusters from several to two dozen pairs, sometimes up to 100 pairs. On medium-sized water bodies, it often nests in separate pairs.
Nesting is preceded by mating games with demonstration of various current postures. The main function of mating games is the formation of the most harmonious pairs and therefore it is not necessary that they end with mating. With the beginning of the construction of the nest, the intensity of the marriage ceremonies decreases.
Birds do not start nesting soon, usually from the end of May,
when a young reed or reed rises above the water. However,
the timing of nesting and laying of eggs of grebes depends on their habitat.
On lakes where last year's dry reeds and nests are preserved
can immediately be hidden in it, masonry appears earlier than on
covered lakes or where reeds are mown.
The laying of eggs is also preceded by complex mating games of the male and female, during which both birds first dive at the same time, and, having emerged, quickly swim towards each other, raising the crests on their heads and protruding the feathers of the collar. Having approached, the birds seem to stand on the water, giving the body an upright position. Diving, they take out bundles of greenery from the bottom and, holding them in their beaks, shake their prey, trying to strike each other.
Mating of large toadstools, however, does not take place on the water, but on a floating deck made from the remains of last year's reeds or on an unfinished nest.
Alexander Ifikov, Shchetinka quarry, Orsha
Nest is located, as a rule, among high-stemmed coastal thickets, in the absence of ripples - often along their very edge. They avoid nesting in the middle of dense thickets. The nests are located at such a distance from the edge of the thickets that a strong wave could not destroy them. Most of the nests are found among reeds, although they can often be found in reeds, in tracts of reed mace or among flooded bushes. Sometimes, near the border of vast dense thickets, the bird makes nests in a very small curtain of vegetation or even completely open in shallow water. Near the colonies of gulls, great crested gulls sometimes build nests right on the sand under the cover of rare reeds.
Both members of the pair build nests together. At the nesting site, the pair usually builds several nesting platforms at first, but uses only one to build a nest, and on the rest mates or rests. The nest is kept afloat or rests on the bottom of the reservoir. It usually takes 3 to 8 days to build one nest, sometimes up to 10–11 days. When it is built, the bird, as a rule, places several strong stems between the plants sticking out of the water as a base. The composition of the building material largely depends on the nature of the surrounding vegetation. They can serve as last year's stems, leaves, rhizomes, roots, algae. The height of the nest is 24-49 cm, the height of the above-water part of the nest is 3-7 cm, the diameter is 41-55 cm; the depth of the tray is 2.5-4 cm, the diameter is 11-17 cm.
There are sometimes bunches of green plants in the tray. In nests found on open sandy shores, in building material there were fragments of tree branches.
Under the weight of the incubating bird, the warmed clutch is often partially submerged in water. The heat from the decaying plant residues creates a special microclimate for the incubated eggs.
Alexander Ifikov, Shchetinka quarry, Orsha
There are usually 4-5 eggs in a clutch, less often 3 or 7 (in other regions of Europe, finds of nests containing 8 or even 9 eggs are known). The eggs are slightly elongated. The shell without shine, initially bluish in color, is unevenly covered with a white bloom, through which the main background shines through with uneven spots. In the nest, eggs lie on a wet tray, often even half-submerged in water, which creates special conditions for the development of the embryo. Under the influence of wet rotting plants of the tray, the shell acquires a yellowish, then brown and dark brown color. Egg weight 38 g, length 56 mm (53-61 mm), diameter 37 mm (34-41 mm).
Greater grebe, despite its early arrival, which coincides in time with the release of ice from water bodies, starts nesting late and hatches offspring once a year. In general, the period of oviposition is extended by about one month. In some water bodies, as a result of significant fluctuations in the water level, strong waves, or for other reasons, the first clutches often die. In such cases, the bird resorts to re-nesting.
The nesting period in Belarus extends from early May to late July. Laying of eggs in Greyhound usually occurs in the first half of the day, the interval between laying eggs is 1–2 days. Incubation begins with the first or second egg. Duration of incubation is 25–28 days. The bird disturbed during incubation covers the clutch with nest material and dives, floating far to the side. In different parts of the range in a clutch, one egg usually turns out to be unfertilized.
Both parents incubate in turn. The chicks hatch on the 27-28th day of incubation, they are of the brood type and, having barely dried out, go into the water. Hatching of chicks occurs one at a time in 1-2 days. Mass appearance of chicks occurs in the third decade of June - the first decade of July. In some pairs, chicks hatch in the first - second decades of June, while in others in the third decade of July - early August. Average size of brood with 1-5 chicks. The hatched chicks, having dried, immediately climb onto the back to the hatching parent and burrow into feathers. In the same way, little chicks travel through the reservoir. They do this even when they reach half their height. adult bird... For the first ten weeks, they themselves cannot get food. They are fed by their parents first with insects and then with fish. At this time, the squeak of chicks begging for food from adult birds is constantly heard on the reservoir. Chicks swim well, but they grow slowly and stay with their parents for a long time. If there is one chick in the brood, then only one parent remains with it. If there are more chicks, then in 1–1.5 months the brood is separated, and each parent leads his own group.
Young birds become independent at the age of about 65 days and only at the age of 71–79 days they become completely independent, however, they keep together with their parents until the birds leave. Some of the young at the end of July - the first half of August acquire the ability to fly and begin to make pre-migration migrations. They begin to meet in those reservoirs where birds did not nest. During migrations, they continue to keep broods.
After a striped downy outfit (some feathers persist until autumn), the young put on a juvenile outfit, generally similar to an adult, but with a barely outlined "collar" of occipital feathers. Brownish-black stripes are still preserved on the sides of the head, which makes the plumage of the head look like a downy outfit. After juvenile
moulting birds put on a winter premarital attire, which is almost indistinguishable from the nuptial attire of adult birds.
The change of mating attire for winter takes place in birds from June to the end of July. Moulting of adults begins immediately after the nesting period, mostly in July, and continues until November. Flight feathers, apparently, are replaced simultaneously. In winter, from February to April, only small feathers change. Winter plumage is replaced by breeding plumage at the end of wintering - in March - April.
Crested Grebe are active in the daytime. Forage is obtained during daylight hours. During the breeding (current) period, they are also active at night. They also migrate at night. They rest afloat, during the breeding season they often use the nests left after incubation and the release of chicks, or built additional ones, for rest.
Valery Kiselev, reservoir of microdistrict. "Gomselmash", Gomel
The main food for large toadstools is fish, mostly small in size (3-8 cm). In their diet, fish occupies a much larger part than that of other toadstools. In different seasons of the year, the percentage of fish consumption by poultry is always quite high. In addition to fish, it catches aquatic insects (swimmers and other bugs), amphipods, molluscs. They swallow their own small feathers, and not only adult birds, but also downy chicks swallowing the feathers of adults.
Chicks are fed with insects and fish. Crested Grebe dives, get food and swim to chicks with food in their beak. In addition, the Grebes also collect food from the surface of the water, in a semi-submerged state, lowering their head and neck under the water, they seize flying insects in the air.
The main way of getting food for grebes is diving. Crested Grebe dives up to three times a minute, swim 6–25 m under water in 10–30 seconds. On average, 1 out of 5 attempts to fish is successful. If a adult manages to grab the food, then the young rush to meet their parents with a squeak and try to snatch it out. Chicks also try to dive.
Autumn migration and migration of birds in southwestern Belarus occurs mainly in the middle of September - October, in some years until mid-November. As an exception, in the autumn migration there are flocks of several tens and even hundreds of individuals, more often flocks of 3-5 birds. In autumn, most grebes arrive in the second half of September and October. Some individuals are also found later. In the Grodno region. some individuals even hibernate in the non-freezing areas of the Neman. In the south-west of Belarus, up to 10–20 individuals winters in a number of years on non-freezing areas of the Mukhavets, Western Bug and sewage treatment plants.
Alexander Ifikov, Shchetinka quarry, Orsha
It is not a hunting species (like other grebes) - mclear them although edible, it has a dark color and an unpleasant fishy taste and smell. Crested grebe is sometimes shot along the way when hunting ducks. The harm caused by eating fish fry can be really felt only in the nursery ponds of fish farms.
During the nesting period, the main enemies of the Greyhound are marsh harrier, magpie, hoodiethat peck at the masonry. A certain part of the down jackets perish from the swamp harrier and large birds of prey, pike. Many nests also die from fluctuations in the water level and with a strong wave. Birds die in fishing nets.
Recently, however, despite the high percentage of nest deaths, the number of great grebes is progressing, which is facilitated by the expansion of the network of fish farms and other artificial reservoirs.
The number of Grebes in Belarus in the 1990s was estimated at 8-10 thousand nesting pairs. It remained the same in the early 2000s. During the winter on non-freezing water bodies, no more than 50-60 individuals are observed. Over the past 20 years, there has been a slight increase in the number, which is associated with the expansion of the network of fish farms and other artificial reservoirs.
3. Nikiforov M. Ye., Yaminsky B. V., Shklyarov L. P. "Birds of Belarus: Directory-identifier of nests and eggs" Minsk, 1989. -479p
4. Gaiduk VE, Abramova IV "Ecology of birds of the south-west of Belarus. Non-passerine: monograph". Brest, 2009. -300s.
5. Kozulin A. V., Yaminsky B. V., Zuyenok S. V. " Hunting birds Belarus ". Reference guide. Smolensk, 2002. -100s.
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The toadstool family is considered very an ancient group birds. Toadstool birds belong to the order of waterfowl. Toadstools got their strange name because of the terrible taste of their meat, which has a not very pleasant smell of fish. Many people note the similarity of these birds with ducks. But in reality they have little in common.
Toadstool Birds - Mom Rolls Chick
Toadstools have a long neck and an elongated head with a long sharp beak... Some of them have capes or collars. Grebe birds have dense plumage, which consists of 20 thousand feathers. The wings are narrow, short.
The color of toadstools differs depending on the type of bird and the season. For example, the Black-necked Grebe in the spring has a black top, red sides and a white belly, and in winter its color changes: the upper body and head and grayish-brown lower body, the sides and throat are white. But in all species of toadstools there is no difference in color between male and female.
The size of toadstools ranges from 23 to 74 cm, and the weight is from 120 to 1500 g. Toadstools practically do not walk on land and dive well. Sometimes they can spend up to 15 seconds underwater, so they easily get their food from the bottom of the reservoir. Their main diet is insects, fish and crustaceans.
Some of the toadstools, for example, Grebe, can swallow fish up to 20 cm, but the little grebe feeds only on small fish. In total, 22 species of the Pogankov family can be counted, two of which have become extinct.
They inhabit practically all continents except Antarctica. In Russia, there are five types of grebes: Grebe, Gray-cheeked, Red-necked, Black-necked, and Little grebe. During the nesting season, toadstools live on closed reservoirs with vegetation, and the rest of the time they prefer the coastal zone of the sea. And only Chomgu can be found on an artificial reservoir.
For reproduction, toadstools create pairs that are stored for only one season. After a pair is formed, both partners build a nest from plant rags. The nest is built directly on the water and attached to some vegetation, such as reed beds.
The female lays from 2 to 7 monophonic eggs, and both partners incubate the eggs. Incubation takes an average of 20 to 30 days. Sometimes the two parents leave the nest together and cover it with plants so that the eggs do not freeze and to protect against enemies.
And the eggs that have not yet hatched have many enemies. These are gulls, hooded crow, foxes, herons, raccoon dog. Adult toadstool birds do not have so many enemies, as they live mainly in water and in case of danger they can easily hide under water. People are considered their main enemies, because many adult birds simply get confused in the nets and die.
Eh, people, they called a normal bird so disgusting - they themselves are toadstools, who called the bird that!
Toadstool birds videos
Birds toadstool description photo video