Tatarstan is famous for its unusually beautiful nature. On the territory of the republic there are many species of animals and birds. Today we offer to find out which birds live in Tatarstan, to get acquainted with three species, this is a black geese, a dive and a black kite. We learn how they look, their lifestyle. Let's start with the red-headed migratory dive.
Arrival time
A beautiful bird is waterfowl, and flies to Tatarstan in late April and early May. This bird loves to spend winter in warm places, and travels a long way from Africa, the tropics of Asia, Japan, Southern or Western Europe to Tatarstan to build a nest and raise new offspring. The red-headed dive nests near water bodies, it is the object of hunters and lovers of sports hunting.
Appearance
An adult dive has an average body size of 58 centimeters. In weight, it can reach from 0.7 to 1.1 kilograms. It has a neat short tail, a distinctive feature is the back curved up while swimming. The neck of the dive is short, the body is dense. The paws of the bird are located far behind, so when it stands, it leans strongly forward.
The beak of this duck is equal to the length of the head; it is slightly widened at the base. The plumage of the wings and body has a typical color, a gray-white pattern is clearly visible.
An adult female is quite easy to distinguish from a male. They have different patterns and head colors. In the male, it is colored in brown-red color, and in the female in yellow-brown.
Habitat
These migratory birds of Tatarstan choose the most fertile sections of lakes and artificial reservoirs. The most acceptable places for them are deep ponds with abundant vegetation. The walls of high reeds are a favorite nesting place. The red-headed dive will never settle where there is no plentiful food, an acceptable depth of water.
Brackish ponds avoid diving. They can be found in swamps, sections of rivers with a calm course, artificially created reservoirs.
Diving behavior
These birds of Tatarstan live in schools, can settle with other representatives of the duck family. They are too clumsy when moving on land, so they spend most of their time in water. Diving and swimming dives excellently. In case of danger, they, unlike other birds, do not take off, but dive under water, and there they wait for an unfavorable time.
During molting, red-headed dives cannot fly, therefore they prefer to spend this period with relatives at a distance from places where they can become easy prey for predators or humans.
The voice of the birds is very hoarse, resembling a croaking. The dive flies quickly, in a straight path.
Breeding
Pairs of dives are formed already during the flight. The breeding season lasts from April to the end of June. The male is located next to the nest, but does not participate in the care and education of offspring.
The nest of the described ducks is not original, it is an ordinary shallow hole in the ground, covered with grass. One female can lay five to twelve eggs. Hatching a dive to its offspring on average 26 days. Ducklings after birth for two months are in the care of the mother, after which they begin an independent life.
Dives are the most beautiful birds of Tatarstan. They are quite interesting to watch during feeding. Ducks dive under water, and can stay there for up to 16 seconds, and pop up elsewhere. They are also very active in shallow water, where they like to splash and fool around.
Black Brant: description
It is rare in Tatarstan, but you can still find this beautiful bird. She belongs to ducks, looks like a goose. This species is the smallest of all geese. The average weight is two kilograms, the body length reaches sixty centimeters. Birds are on the verge of extinction, listed in the Red Book and protected by law, so you can not hunt them. The cause of extinction is dirty ponds.
These birds in Tatarstan are migratory, for the main habitat they choose tundra, sea coasts.
The color of the goose is very interesting. Most of her body is covered with feathers of gray, brown color. The abdomen and sides are lighter and the back is dark. The tail and tail feathers on the wings are white, the neck, beak, head and legs are black. On the neck there is a white uneven strip resembling a collar.
Black Goose prefers to winter in East Asia, in the North-West of Europe and on the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These birds get to wintering places only along the coasts.
Breeding goose
These are birds that create permanent pairs. During the breeding season, which begins in June, and lasts for three months, they look after each other beautifully. This is a special ritual consisting in a strange dance, with a constant change of position.
Black geese nest in groups, which allows you to protect yourself from different predators, such as gulls, Arctic foxes and polar bears. A nest is being built in the recesses of the earth along bodies of water with good vegetation. The bottom is covered with down, soft grass.
A female can lay three to five eggs, hatch them for twenty-four days (on average). The male is always nearby, he cares for his wife, helps in raising ducklings. Kids can leave the nest in a few hours. Parents lead their brood to ponds, learn to get food. For six weeks, the couple protects their ducklings, and then the grown offspring can independently leave the shelter, but remains with their parents until other babies appear.
Food
The diet of goose is very diverse. They eat various vegetation, including algae. Sometimes they can also taste "live" food, these are small insects and crustaceans.
The ducks described do not know how to dive, but they are still able to get algae from under the water, bending inward. At this time, the tail, like a float, remains on the surface.
In winter, when there are not so many plants, the goose eats moss, and the basis of the diet is Zoster's seaweed.
The birds of Tatarstan impress with their diversity. There are both migratory and permanent residents. A huge number of herbivores, omnivores and predators live on the territory of the republic. We examined two species from the family of ducks, now we will get acquainted with one of the most beautiful predatory creatures.
Black kite
This is a predator of the hawk detachment, it is very beautiful, and stands out for its color among other species. He leads a migratory lifestyle, for living he chooses dense forests, located near water bodies. He prefers to spend the winter in flocks in flocks in Australia, Africa and India. There they unite with local representatives of this species.
The black kite is not a black bird at all, it is more dark brown. The size of the poultry house is average, it grows to 58 centimeters, and weighs from 0.8 to 1.1 kilograms. The wings reach 50 centimeters, in the range can be up to 1.5 meters. The main decoration of this bird of Tatarstan is the tail. It is flat, resembles a fan, lowered down.
Males are slightly smaller than females in size, their plumage is the same, so it is very difficult to distinguish. The body is decorated with dark brown feathers, the crown of the head has a light gray color. The back is darker than the chest and belly, the wings are dark, like the tail. The base of the beak and the bare part of the legs of the kite are yellow.
Diet and lifestyle
Black kites - scavengers and predators. They love the remains of animals, frozen in the sun, dead fish. Of course, they can also hunt, but if there is carrion, they will prefer it. Most of all they like to steal from birds nests other birds. Adult birds also enter the menu if they are inferior in size to themselves. Also, these birds that live in Tatarstan and many other places can fish. They claw a fish that has approached the surface.
The flight of kites is very smooth, measured, they slightly bend the wings. These birds benefit agriculture, exterminating gophers, moles, mice. People do not always treat kites kindly, as they constantly carry ducklings, goslings and chickens.
Breeding
For nesting, black kites arrive in April from the Southern countries, when in some places the snow has not yet melted. They can be found not only in the forest, but also near urban settlements, sometimes they can fly into a calm city.
Nests twist on their own, or populate those that are thrown by other birds and suitable in size. Typically, the diameter of the nest does not exceed a meter, and they are considered modest, given the size of the birds themselves. The house is arranged on a tree or rock, located at a height of up to fifteen meters from the ground. Nests are insulated with feathers, paper, fluff and grass.
The female lays eggs in early May, usually two or three future chicks. There can be four eggs in a clutch, in very rare cases five eggs appear. The size is slightly larger than a matchbox, white, with a barely noticeable blue tint. The shell is decorated with brown specks.
It takes up to one and a half months to hatch eggs, and parents share all concerns. After hatching, the chicks do not leave the nest until forty-five days, after which they can fly independently. Puberty in this species occurs at the age of two. In nature, birds can live up to 25 years.
The number of kites
In recent years, the population has declined significantly. Scientists attribute this to the use of chemicals in agriculture and industry. Especially few birds remained on the territory of Russia.
Once upon a time, the numerous species became on the verge of extinction, and it is very difficult to correct the current situation.
