Carolina duck or Carolina is one of the most beautiful birds on the planet. And this is no coincidence. Its Latin name - Aix sponsa - translates as “duck-bride”. It has always been a favorite hunting target, but today its population has recovered thanks to both protection and captive breeding.
Habitat
Currently, the distribution area of the Caroline duck is very extensive. It is found almost throughout North America. In addition, small populations were seen in Cuba and Canada. The name of the bird was due to its homeland - the state of North Carolina (USA).
Ducks partially migrate. This applies to northern populations, which fly away to winter in the southern parts of the range, reaching the territory of Mexico. The rest of the Carolinka are considered settled, as they live year-round in the same locality. Of great importance for their living is fodder diversity. Particularly important is the amount of carbohydrate-containing food and invertebrates, since the quality of egg laying largely depends on a sufficiently high proportion of animal food in their diet.
Lifestyle
A duck feels great both on rivers and on forest lakes. House for her are hollows made by woodpeckers. She very adroitly moves along tree branches, since her paws are equipped with strong claws that cling securely to the bark. Thus, the presence of ponds and hollow trees in the natural habitat is extremely important for her.
During the flight, this bird maneuvers perfectly, so it can move quite easily and quickly in forest thickets. In addition, she swims perfectly, but dives into the water extremely rarely. Keeps in small groups. Active during daylight hours, especially in the mornings and evenings.
Owing to its unusually beautiful bright and contrasting plumage, male Caroline ducks have been kept as decorative birds in European and American houses for several centuries. An interesting fact is that in nature they can easily survive if they were previously in captivity. For example, in Europe, a population of freely nesting birds of this species was formed from individuals that had once escaped from private nurseries.
Description
Carolina duck, whose length does not exceed 51 cm, is one of the most “elegant” birds in the world. Its wingspan is approximately 70 cm, and the average bird weight is from 480 to 780 g.
Caroline males have a truly amazing color. The black head with green and violet shimmer is decorated with thin and long white stripes. Bright red eyelids and bird eyes contrast perfectly with them. One cannot help but recall the long crest, smoothly descending from the head to the back of the head. Beak yellow at the base, red in the middle with a large white spot and black tip. Its plumage is divided into several sections:
- the color of the outer side of the wings and back is very similar to the head;
- the sides have a light brown main part, and the top is diluted with a beautiful lemon shade;
- snow-white belly;
- the brown chest is decorated with light specks, which are as if separated from the rest of the body by two stripes - white and black.
Males acquire their famous and irresistible “outfit” only during puberty. As for the female, her color is less spectacular. All the beauty of the plumage of males can be seen in the photos presented in this article. The Carolina duck also has one interesting feature: young individuals, regardless of their gender, are similar to their adult mother.
Food
Caroline can be called omnivorous birds. Their diet directly depends on both the season and the fruiting of plants. Ducks eat various aquatic plants, fruits, seeds, and sometimes feed even on farmland, happily eating sorghum, corn, soybeans, oats, and some crops. Invertebrates play an important role in the diet of this bird, especially during egg laying and the growth of young individuals. Carolina duck eats seeds of water lilies, hickory, cypress, beech and reeds with great desire. Do not mind eating such fruits as grapes and mulberries. In the wild, in certain parts of the range, rice may be their main course.
During the first six weeks of life, the diet of this duck's chicks may consist exclusively of food of animal origin: newly hatched midges, dragonfly larvae and mayflies. Adults can eat ants, flies, small beetles, crickets, spiders and grasshoppers. Most often, they collect food from the surface of the water, but if it is not enough, they go to land and go in search of food.
Breeding
Carolinkas are monogamous, but couples most often form for only one season. The ability to reproduce is manifested in them by the second year of life. In March and April, birds begin to actively select a convenient and safe place for arranging the nest. Breeding is always preceded by mating games. At this time, the ducks of both sexes, being on the surface of the water, begin to take the characteristic flirtation poses. Very interesting is the fact that not the male, but the female acts as the initiator of mating games.
As a place for the nest, the duck chooses either a hollow or an artificial hollow located near a reservoir. The female lays 12-15 eggs at once and hatch them for about a month. She warms the nest with her own down, the remains of plants and wood dust. This helps not only protect the masonry from the cold, but also protect future offspring from predators.
Captivity
This small duck is unpretentious and does not require special care. Even a beginner poultry breeder can take up her breeding. That is why she is very popular in Europe, where she lives both in households and in specialized nurseries.
Captivity of Carolina duck is carried out in spacious enclosures. One or two pairs of birds need at least 3 m² of a well-protected area, and in the cold season a well-insulated room with an area of about 2 m² is also needed. To make a simple aviary, you will need a metal corner and a fine mesh. The floor in it is covered with sand with a thickness of not more than 20 cm.
As you know, carolinka is a hollow nest, so it will not be out of place to install a nest box in the aviary. Such a house is very similar to a birdhouse. It is suspended at a meter and a half from the ground.
Since carolinkas are water birds, it is necessary for them to equip a small pond with at least 70-80 cm in diameter. If there is such an opportunity, then its size may be larger. In addition, if desired, it can be made decorative by planting various shrubs, aquatic and coastal plants around its perimeter.
Captive feeding and reproduction
As mentioned above, carolinkas are unpretentious. However, they, like other poultry, need to be fed on time. They are mainly given compound feed and grain, and, if necessary, they include various vitamin mixtures in their diet. One individual per day needs about 350 g of feed.
Breeding a Caroline duck in captivity is easy. The main thing is to equip the female with a convenient nesting place. One bird on average can lay 10-12 eggs and ducklings will be hatched from almost all. During the laying period, it is very important to take care of a balanced diet of birds, increasing the proportion of protein and calcium in their diet.
