Over the expanses of Antarctica, the wings of the symbol of the revolution — the petrel — cut the air. This amazing bird from ancient times inspired poets and writers to create outstanding works. So who is a petrel? The bird that we always associated with something formidable and rampant?
It nests in very harsh places: on the entire coast of Antarctica, the South Shetland Islands, on the islands of South Georgia and Prince Edward.
Of course, there are nests in the Falkland Islands. In addition, petrels also live on shreds of land lost in cold waters. This bird is unpretentious, and therefore can tolerate even very difficult conditions.
There are a huge number of representatives of this species, whose body sizes range from 15 cm to a meter. But when they say "petrel", most often imagine a huge bird with a large wingspan.
This is a giant petrel, whose body length reaches 85-90 cm, and the wingspan is a record two meters.
At the first glance at it, you can notice a massive head and a short, slightly curved beak. He, by the way, is so hard that it allows its owner to easily bite the bones of the same penguins. If you look at the beak from the inside, then a long and flat tube, divided into two parts by an internal partition, stretches along its upper arch. These are the nasal canals.
Yes, one of the few birds that have excellent sense of smell is the petrel. The bird cannot compete in its sharpness with dogs or pigs, but the smell of potential prey feels great.
Powerful legs deserve special mention. Between three fingers a tight leathery membrane is stretched over them, and the fourth is set aside and atrophied to the state of a small tubercle.
Oddly enough, but walking is not one of the petrel's favorite activities: on land it looks like a very fat and clumsy duck. But he swims superbly, and flies even better: there have been times when these amazing creatures crossed the oceans, never even landing on a sailing ship.
Nesting begins in late November. And again ahead of all the birds - he, the petrel. The bird does not care at all about creating at least a decent nest, by hatching an egg right on the ground.
The chick is born after a long two months. Four more both parents tirelessly take care of him. The young petrel reaches puberty only in 5-7 years. Given that the lifespan of this species is about half a century, 7 years is not so long.
This bird of the petrel family has earned dual fame among sailors of past years. On the one hand, people have always admired his ability to soar for days in the air, accompanying ships. On the other hand, they were not too pleased with the extensive table of this species of birds. The fact is that petrels eat fish, but do not give up corpses of seals, whales, penguins … and people who were washed ashore by the waves.
Whatever it was, but it is these creations that are among the universally recognized symbols of the sea and the professions associated with it. Most of the species of this family are listed in the Red Book, among them there is a giant petrel. A bird, whose photo allows you to see the beauty and grandeur of this representative of the feathered world, needs to be protected by a person, otherwise future generations will not see it.
