Kuban is a historical and cultural region in the south-west of Russia. On its territory there are more than three hundred species of birds, some of them are listed in the Red Book. What species are found in this region? What birds in the Kuban are called ostrich? We will try to answer these questions in this article.
Kuban region
The Kuban or Krasnodar Territory is located in the North Caucasus, covers the eastern coast of the Azov and Black Seas. This is a cultural and historical area in which unique household and cultural features have formed.
There are even peculiar names for some animals. For example, do you know which birds in the Kuban are called ostrich? Roosters. Most likely, the word appeared in Ancient Russia from the word cdkot, and this last, in turn, arose as a word onomatopoeic (ko-ko-ko).
Within the region there are many natural zones - from steppes to subtropical forests and alpine alpine meadows. Such diversity attracts a variety of animals. More than 80 species of mammals live in the Kuban, about 10 amphibians, 20 reptiles and 300 species of birds. Detailed descriptions of some species of birds of the Kuban with photos you will find below.
There are many small rivers and lakes in the region, including Abrau, the largest lake in the North Caucasus. The weather in the region is unstable and varies greatly throughout the year. In spring, rivers often overflow, flooding their valleys.
The climate of the Krasnodar Territory is mostly temperate continental, and in the coastal regions subtropical. Part of the region is occupied by coniferous and deciduous forests. In the region of Anapa and the Taman Peninsula, steppes with estuaries predominate. In the mountains, vegetation and conditions change with height. So, the zone with deciduous and coniferous forests gradually turns into an alpine meadow with low grasses and berry bushes.
Resettlement of birds in the Kuban
Steppes with estuary lakes and growing cereals, rivers, lakes, dense forests - all this attracts many birds. In the northern part of the Kuban, birds are represented by families of passerines and crows, eagles and larks.
Estuaries and swimming pools are a favorite place for birds. There are more than 200 species here. Many arrive only during the nesting period or during migration, but about a hundred species remain to winter. In these areas you can find pelicans, eagles, herons, cranes, laughter, lapwing, geese and waders.
A seagull, a sea snake, a magpie, a duck duck, a cormorant, and a petrel settle on the coasts of the sea. Their diet is more exotic than that of the inhabitants of the estuaries. Kuban seabirds can catch not only fish, but also raps, crabs, shrimps.
Woodpeckers, thrushes, forest pigeons, vyahiri, jays, orioles, goldfinches, owls and tits live in the forests. Among the feathered and lovers of sheer cliffs, for example, a blue and rocky dove. Sparrows, low groves and floodplains of rivers are inhabited by sparrows, swallows, and blue rodents.
Kuban Red Book Birds
Despite the large number of birds in the region, some species are quite rare, while others are completely extinct. Birds of the Kuban listed in the Red Book: loaf, white stork, belladonna, curly pelican, avdotka, black-headed laughter, white-tailed eagle, fire-light, small cormorant, sandpiper, etc. There are a total of 57 species.
Vulnerable species, the number of which decreases every year, are pale remixing, large lentils, curlew, bustard, Caucasian ular. The endangered species include golden eagles, bearded, white-eyed blacks, rare - golden plovers, Caucasian black grouse.
Of the 2000 individuals of golden eagles living in Russia, only four pairs are in the Krasnodar Territory. Up to 7 pairs of white storks live in the region, although in separate periods more than a hundred of them arrive. From other places about 40 specimens of Demoiselle cranes fly in, only 8 pairs remain to nest.
The number of birds decreases both for natural reasons and thanks to humans. Some species disappear due to lack of food, others die even at birth due to long periods of bad weather. A serious factor is also poaching and sport hunting, the conversion of natural areas into agricultural lands and places of recreation.
Motley Stonebird
Stonebird is a small bird that lives in the highlands, as well as in the area of Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk. Motley thrush females look modest and have a gray-brown plumage. The males are bright, with blue feathers on their heads and orange breasts.
They settle near cliffs, in high-mountain meadows covered with grass, in open woods. They build their nests in rocks or land. They are vulnerable species. In the Kuban these birds left about 60 individuals.
Coot
The coot represents the waterfowl of the Kuban. In size, it looks like a duck and reaches forty centimeters in length. The bird is found in the steppe regions, in the upper reaches of the Kuban River. She prefers estuaries, river valleys and slightly salted or fresh lakes. It builds nests directly in the water, in shallow areas or in reed thickets.
The body of the coot is matte black or dark gray, a small white spot is located on the head (the name came from it). The beak of the bird is also white, slightly compressed laterally. The legs are yellow, and the fingers are long and gray, with wide membranes.
In addition to the Krasnodar Territory, coot lives in Asia, Africa, Northern and Western Europe, Australia and the nearest islands, in the Mediterranean and the Far East.
Curly pelican
One of the endangered birds of the Kuban. In the region, a curly pelican settles in the region of the Taman Peninsula and the Eastern Azov Sea. Prefers terrain with meadows and estuaries. Currently, up to 70 pairs of pelicans live in the Krasnodar Territory. Their number is reduced due to capture, extermination, water pollution.
This is a large bird with a body length of up to 180 centimeters. The wingspan reaches 3.5 meters. A characteristic feature of a pelican is its beak. It grows to 50 centimeters in length. A curly pelican has a white color, feathers curl like curls on the head and neck.
Most birds stay in groups. They eat exclusively fish, so they spend a lot of time on the water. Nest in reed beds or on small overgrown islets.
Dwarf eagle
In the mixed forests of coastal areas, the dwarf eagle lives. This is a fairly common bird in the Kuban. The eagle can settle in the forest-steppe and steppe, and sometimes in coniferous forests. In the Krasnodar Territory, he inhabits the surroundings of Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, Mezbay and Psebay.
The size of the bird is small. It resembles a buzzard hawk, but has the characteristic eagle features. The tail of the dwarf eagle is long, the wingspan is 1.3 meters. The beak is curved and short.
There are two colors of the plumage of these eagles. One is dark, brown-brown, sometimes reddish or golden. The other is light brown with a darkish bottom. A feature of birds is a large head and furry strong legs.
Strept
Strepto is a rare bird that lives only in the steppe. It belongs to the bustard family. The color of the bird is sand or brown with black spots on top, the abdomen is white. In the mating season, the plumage of males changes - the neck turns black with two white stripes.
A peculiar bird flight. It seems that she trembles or trembles, making a whistling sound. Streptos live in pairs and gather in flocks just before flying to wintering places.
In the Kuban, a bird nests in the Novopokrovsky district and on the Taman Peninsula; during the flight, it occurs on the Black Sea coast. Due to hunting and a reduction in the area of unplowed steppes, the population is rapidly decreasing.
