Wigeon duck: appearance with photo, habitat

Poultry farming » Ducks

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Kira Stoletova

The northern beauty duck Wigeon is easily distinguishable from other wild relatives due to its memorable appearance. Even after just one glance at the photo, it will be easy to recognize her when meeting face to face. But this bird has other features, which will also be discussed.

Duck Wigeon

How ducklings develop

After the chicks hatch from the egg, they try not to leave the hen one step, because at this time they are easy prey for the enemy.
The duck is a good mother, as she closely monitors each chick. After birth, she does not allow babies near water for a long time, because at the beginning of life they do not have the ability to swim. Read more: Hydrangea paniculata vims red photo description winter hardiness - All about the garden

At the beginning of life, chicks usually feed on boiled pearl barley. For more calories, you can add chicken eggs to the porridge; this will allow the bird to gain weight faster. Experienced poultry farmers advise adding bedding to the wild duck’s diet from the second month of life, gradually replacing all meals with it.

Already at 2-3 weeks of age, many ducklings are ready for independent feeding and switch to plant food - duckweed. In the period from 4-6 weeks, the chicks begin to molt - down is replaced by feathers. The process begins with the wings, then moves to the back and chest.

Reproduction and lifespan

Wigeon nests are found on open and vegetated banks, meadows, and in the taiga. There the birds find blades of grass and twigs for bedding. The bulk of the nest is down. Ducks take it from their bodies.

Mother wigeon with ducklings

Wigeon eggs are beige or cream. One of the factors for the success and prevalence of the species is large families. Ducks lay 10-12 eggs at a time. They reach 6 centimeters in length.

Wigeon duck eggs

Chicks hatch from eggs after 22-25 days. Caring for the offspring falls on the mother. Reports of drakes participating in the hatching and raising of offspring are rare. If the chicks manage to survive childhood and not be caught by hunters in adulthood, wigeons reach 13-15 years of age.

Mating games take place on the water. The drake circles near the female, lowering its beak into the water. The head is pressed against the chest. Afterwards, the drake throws its beak upward, spreading its wings. Sprays rise into the air. The dance algorithm is repeated.

The drake's movements are accompanied by the famous whistling. The duck, in the presence of a partner, sharply pecks invisible enemies behind its shoulders, now from the right, now from the left.

After mating, 5-16 eggs are laid in prepared nests. The fertility of whistlers is one of the factors of their prevalence and abundance.

The nest is built by the female. Twigs, dry leaves and grass are used. They are lined with mother's down. Against its brownish background, the beige eggs seem to be camouflaged.

The mother incubates the offspring. The drake flies away to moult. Each 5-mm egg will hatch into a teal on the 22-30th day of development. The minimum period is typical for hot years, and the maximum for cold years.

Ducklings emerge from a nest hidden in the vegetation in the first days of life. The mother teaches the offspring to swim and get food.

If the teal does not die in the clutches of predators and does not succumb to disease, it will live 13-16 years. In captivity, miniature ducks can reach 30 years of age.

How do they reproduce?

As mentioned earlier, wigeons are loyal birds, which is why they form a pair in the fall, before wintering or during migration. They return together to lay eggs.

The couple spends all their time without being separated - the males do not leave their chosen one for a minute. Males circle nearby, emitting a beautiful whistle, with their tails fluffed up a little. The surrounding males understand that a pair has formed. However, there are times when lonely ducks of their breed pretend to be a busy lady, then a skirmish may occur between them.

The female begins laying eggs in May and early June. Usually the number of eggs does not exceed 10–12 pieces. After which the duck incubates them for 21–25 days, and the males cannot stand the entire period next to her; after a few days they leave the nest and go to molt. When the chicks hatch, they require only 40–45 days of care. After which they become completely independent.

Wigeons are amazing representatives of the duck family. The combination of such different facets of character in them never ceases to amaze. These are loyal birds and, at the same time, irresponsible, friendly and wary, with an incredible voice and bright, defiant color. That is what they are - wigeon ducks.

Lifestyle and habitat

If you look at it, you can see that the griffon vulture in the photo has a long tail, wide wings, a mature male and a female have a collar with long white down on their neck. Despite its size, the bird's head is small, and the plumage on its head is white.

Settling on the mountain peaks of the North Caucasus, the bird provides itself with food and ease of soaring in the air. The bird chooses mountainous and rocky habitats due to its size, as it is difficult for it to take off from flat surfaces.

The take-off mechanism of the wings has rare flaps, but at the same time deep, so it is easier for the bird to fly off rocks and cliffs without touching the surface with its wings, and on a flat surface this flapping of the wings makes it difficult to move quickly and take off. The bird makes terrifying croaking sounds when communicating with its relatives.

The arid habitat of their habitat increases the possibility of their survival, since the bird is a predator; it feeds and survives on carrion. The lifespan of adults is up to 25 years; in zoos they can live up to 40 years.

Where do they live?

Representatives of this breed of ducks can be found in Russia, Finland, the north of the Caucasus and Scandinavia. In the European part of Russia they are extremely rare, but in the taiga region they are the rightful owners. They can often be found on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk and in Kamchatka. For ease of living, Sviyaz prefers shallow reservoirs, the bottom of which is covered with silt and a large amount of algae, so flocks are located near swamps, forest lakes and creeks. Representatives of this nature winter in warm regions - in sea bays or estuaries. They reach the wintering site in large groups; they do not fly alone. In most cases, departure for wintering takes place at the end of August, after the chicks hatch and reach the age of 45-50 days. But in some cases, when warm weather sets in, birds may delay leaving.

The choice of habitat for birds is directly related to their diet. The fact is that Wigeons are vegetarians and feed exclusively on sea rupee. Another reason for this diet is the shape of the bird’s beak, which is not intended for catching fish. In addition to the rupee, the duck feeds well on semi-aquatic plants and duckweed. If there are crops of grain crops nearby, then the duck will not refuse to eat there. Naturally, the lack of need for fishing was reflected in the habits of the bird. Unlike numerous representatives of other breeds of wild ducks, Wigeon cannot stay under water for a long time and dives extremely poorly.

Lifestyle

Character and habits

The Wigeon bird tends to be cautious, but overall they are incredibly friendly creatures. Their daily routine consists mainly of getting food for themselves.

These are collective ducks, in flocks they make off-season migrations, staying together almost all the time, except for the breeding season. In a photo they can easily be captured gathered in a group of tens of hundreds of individuals.

Their flight is light and fast. They easily rise from the surface of the water, rise in a vertical position and quickly return back. They do not tend to dive and are uncomfortable underwater, but they move freely in overgrown meadows and other surfaces.

Nutrition

The basis of the Sviyaz's diet is plant food: seeds, shoots, duckweed, algae, rhizomes, sea rupee, grains. It's practically vegetarian. The structure of its beak is such that it simply cannot catch fish with it, although it will be able to catch small insects flying or crawling past (worms, locusts, etc.).

Range and habitat of ducks

Wigeon ducks are found in many regions of Russia.

The habitat of wigeons extends to the northern regions of Europe and Asia. In Russia it is found:

in Chukotka, Anadyr, the coastal strip of the Sea of Okhotsk;
in the Volga delta;
in the central zone of Russia;
in Siberia;
Ussuri region;
During their flights, ducks stop at the Baltic and the North Sea coast.

Forests, taiga, forest-tundra and tundra are chosen for nesting sites. Preference is given to small lakes, floodplain meadows with rich aquatic flora, muddy and densely overgrown river banks, and water spaces among islands.

It is desirable that nearby there are fields sown with grain crops, open forests or solitary trees. These ducks try to avoid deep water, dark lakes, and vast open spaces.

For the winter, ducks fly to the sea or to warm countries.

For the winter, birds settle in bays sheltered from storms and in swamps. Wigeons winter in the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts, the Middle East, Northeast Africa, Indochina, and Western Europe.

Birds of the continents Wigeon. Video (00:01:25)

one of the most prosperous waterfowl of the northern hemisphere, belongs to the genus of river ducks of the Anatidae family. It has a stocky build and is smaller in size than the mallard and pintail, but noticeably larger than the teal. Breeds in the northern Palearctic from Iceland in the west to Chukotka and the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in the east. It inhabits quiet forest reservoirs from forest-tundra to forest-steppe, but is considered primarily a northern taiga bird, where it reaches the highest nesting density. Winters in East Africa, South Asia, Indochina, and to a lesser extent in the south of temperate latitudes.

Kinds

Wigeon is a species that belongs to the order Anseriformes, the family Anatidae, and the genus of river ducks. There are three species of this bird:

Eurasian;
American;
luxurious.

The Amsterdam island in the Indian Ocean was once inhabited by the Amsterdam flightless wigeon. However, this species was exterminated at the end of the 18th century.

The Eurasian wigeon is found in Europe (Iceland, Scotland, northern England, Scandinavia, Finland). This bird also nests in northern Kazakhstan. However, it is most common in Russia. Large populations prefer to settle north of the Leningrad region.

The bird feels good in the Arkhangelsk region. In Siberia, flocks of ducks nest to the northern edge of the taiga and are found in the south of Lake Baikal. Kamchatka and Chukotka are its usual habitats. The middle zone in the European part of Russia is unattractive for it, so nesting sites are rarely found here.

The American Wigeon is a bird native to the New World. Although its distribution range is quite wide, this duck cannot be found in the northern regions of Alaska and Canada. It is also not found in North and South Dakota, Idaho, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon and Eastern Washington. This species is very similar in appearance to its Eurasian relative.

To watch the magnificent wigeon, you will have to go to South America: Chile, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Argentina are the habitats of this species. Unlike the other two species, the head of the South American inhabitant is green with a metallic tint, white cheeks and forehead.

Chirki - photo

The name of the birds comes from the “teal, teal” sound they make. This type of duck can reach 40 cm in length, with the female being smaller than the male. A few weeks before the mating season, the drakes begin to be brightly colored. In the spring they become gray again, inconspicuous, and no different from females.

There are the following types of teal:

Teal Gadget. The gray female has a long beak, at the base of which there is a whitish spot on the side. Drakes are distinguished by ash-gray wings on top. During the mating season, their head becomes a reddish-brown color, and a white stripe runs from the eye to the back of the head. Teal drakes can be distinguished by their lighter plumage and the sound “kr-kr-kr-r-r-r-r-r” produced, which is pronounced along with the raising of the head. The female makes a simple high-pitched quack.
Teal-whistle. This is the smallest species of duck. The female is gray, with dark shoulders and a spot on her head. The drake is distinguished by a white stripe on the shoulder and a whitish-yellow area between the end of the tail and the abdomen. The flight of these birds is maneuverable and fast. A flock of whistling teals is capable of quickly making synchronized turns.
Marbled teal. In Russia it is found in the Caspian region and the Volga delta. It is a very rare species. Adults reach 400-600 grams and have a fearless, trusting character. They lead an aquatic lifestyle most of their lives, so they swim well and dive deeply. The population of this species is declining due to the destruction of small bodies of water with large vegetation, which are the natural habitat of the birds.
Teal-kloktun. The most noble representative of teals, which is an honorable trophy among hunters, since it flies into Russian territory very rarely. It nests mainly on Sakhalin Island and in the region of Central Asia. The head of the teal is decorated with beautiful golden-emerald abstractions.

Description

general characteristics

I would like to start with the main distinctive characteristic of the Wigeon - the light yellow stripe running from the beak to the back of the head. White transverse stripes also run along the long wings.

The wigeon duck is a large bird, the average body length of which is about 50 cm, and its weight is up to 1 kg in males and up to 700 g in females. The wingspan is 70-85 cm. The bird’s head is small, the neck is short and the forehead is rather high and steep. The body is stocky, spindle-shaped. The tail and wings are clearly pointed at the ends.

Colors

As expected, the plumage of the male is much brighter than the plumage of the female. His head is brownish-red in color with the stripe mentioned at the beginning. The eyes are brown with a green spot on top. The body itself is gray, but the belly is white. On the gray breast, a pinkish or reddish undertone of the feather, black sides and the area of the rump are noticeable. The mirror on the wing is rich green with a purple tint.

The beak is black at the end, but the main part is grey-blue. Gray paws usually have a yellow or brown tint.

The “female half” is less presentable: its plumage is dirty brown with a reddish tint, and sometimes it can also be gray. The young ones look exactly the same.

Voice

Another feature that the Wigeon duck has is her voice. It is quite specific, reminiscent of a smooth whistle. Frightened individuals whistle especially sharply. Hence the name Sviyaz.

In response to the drake's whistling calls, the ducks simply quack muffledly.

Interesting Facts

In coastal meadows and salt marshes, these birds are the most common and numerous of all wild ducks. It is common for Wigeons to team up with flocks of large birds: swans, pintails, and brent geese. Together with them, they can calmly graze in meadows near water bodies.

In terms of taste characteristics, Sviyaz meat stands out significantly among all game. Due to this fact, these birds are caught en masse during wintering periods, when they sit in large groups.

It happens that ducks sleep during the day, “sitting” on the waves and swaying peacefully.

In addition to the name Sviyaz, you can also find others such as Svistun and Sviyaga - all about the same bird. By the way, in Germany they call it “whistling duck”. In England, they call it “half duck”, because in the 19th century it was sold in the markets at only half the price of the usual cost of a duck: it was considered too small. Once upon a time the British called her “the simpleton.” This nickname was established by hunters, for whom catching Sviyaz was as easy as shelling pears.

Characteristics of the species

This type of duck is quite large in size, its weight reaches 1.5-1.6 kg. The main color of the plumage is white, and there are also large areas of black, brown and chestnut on the body. The head is black with a characteristic green tint, the beak is bright red, and the birds have a medium-length tail. The legs and neck of shelducks are very long, so they move on the ground very confidently, without the clumsiness typical of many ducks. Males and females of this species of ducks are almost indistinguishable from each other; the main difference is the presence of bright green feathers on the wings of males and a small growth on the beak.

Shelducks are the most beautiful birds that combine the characteristics of ducks and geese.

Species of wigeon duck

The heroine of the article has no subspecies. However, there is a related duck that is almost indistinguishable from the heroine of the article. Only ornithologists can distinguish females at all. We are talking about the American wigeon. The Russian species is called Eurasian.

American wigeon

The American wigeon is as widespread on its continent as the Eurasian wigeon is in its lands. Among the ducks there are those from the Red Book, but the heroine of the article is not listed even in regional publications. This is good for hunters. Having a license, they hunt wigeon without hindrance.

Wigeon winter habitat

Almost throughout the entire range, the wigeon is a migratory species. This duck leads a sedentary lifestyle only within a small population living in Great Britain. Wintering of most individuals takes place in the south of the temperate climate zone from Japan to Spain.

A small part of the population migrates even further south - to East and North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. From Iceland, the wigeon flies to wintering grounds in Ireland and Scotland.

Wigeons are mostly taiga birds, as they love to nest in forest and forest-tundra zones.

From the territory of Russia, located west of the lower reaches of the Ob River, as well as from Finland and Scandinavia, the wigeon flies to the north-west of Europe for the winter. From Kazakhstan, Central and Western Siberia, the wigeon migrates to the coasts of the Caspian and Black Seas, to North Africa and Southern Europe. Individuals nesting in the eastern part of the range fly to wintering grounds in northeast Africa and the Middle East.

In summer, the wigeon prefers to stay in shallow freshwater bodies. Such reservoirs, as a rule, have multiple silty deposits and open reaches, alternating with areas of dense aquatic vegetation. The wigeon loves to settle in places with floodplain meadow vegetation on gentle banks, near plantings of grain crops. The presence of nearby woody vegetation is an additional factor favoring the life of this duck. Wigeon prefers to stay away from hilly areas, open spaces of the tundra, and small shady bodies of water.

Wigeons feed on roots and algae.

Lifestyle and habitat

The wigeon bird is talkative. The sounds made by the animal are compared to the squeak of a rubber toy. Males have a different voice, more energetic. This is a mating call. It can be heard in the midst of melting snow. This is the time of arrival of ducks from warm regions. The voice of the wigeon became the reason for people to call the duck a whistler. Some call the heroine of the article a vegetarian. This is due to the diet of the wigeon. She eats exclusively vegetation.

Listen to the voice of the wigeon duck

When choosing between a large and a small body of water, whistlers will prefer the latter. If there are options in the forest and in open areas, the latter will be discarded.

Teal prefer water bodies with rich surface vegetation during the molting period. Birds lose almost all of their guard feathers at once. This interferes with flights. Having become vulnerable, teals want to hide in reeds and coastal bushes.

Whistlers sometimes settle in the mountains and in Kamchatka. There the ducks remain for the winter, moving to hot springs. Warmth remains nearby and grass grows.

Lifestyle and habitat

The voice of the wigeon became the reason for people to call the duck a whistler. Some call the heroine of the article a vegetarian. This is due to the diet of the wigeon. She eats exclusively vegetation.

Listen to the voice of the wigeon duck

The duck does not want to dive for algae, staying close to other waterfowl. The wigeon picks up bottom vegetation that is caught on the swans' legs, or is simply not accepted by them as food.

Wigeon in flight

Having returned to their homeland, the birds occupy small bodies of water in river floodplains. Wigeon, by the way, is also called river duck. She prefers relatively open reservoirs, without dense vegetation.

Birds are especially fond of the lakes of Western Siberia, the lower reaches of the Ob, Volga and the rivers of the Urals. There, ducks choose ponds with duckweed. Some colonies of ducks have chosen the lakes of the coastal tundra. However, birds also reach the Arctic. Ducks fly there, wandering in search of food.

Raising ducks at home

This is the best option for those who do not want to hunt. To do this, birds need to create conditions that are as close to natural as possible. Drakes and females need water, so if there is no natural pond near the house, you will have to create an artificial one. Otherwise, the mallards will not gain the required weight.

The food given to mallards is no different from that given to domestic ducks. In order for the bird to quickly gain weight, it is given fish. If the mallard is kept in an enclosure, you need to place a container with sand in it. The diet description is approximately as follows:

Corn.
Grass.
Roots.
Duckweed, algae.
Vitamin supplements.
Insects.

Ducks obtain larvae on their own - for this, the birds must spend a lot of time in the fresh air, and it is recommended to change the walking area as often as possible. To do this, the enclosure must be mobile.

You can buy special food for wild ducks in the store.

It is important to understand that there is no need to overfeed birds either - this is harmful to their health

Ducks should not be given black bread or sweets. The drinking bowls should always be clean. Hello! Is it possible to pay for an order via webmoney, since birds drink a lot.

Interesting Facts

The wigeon is a sociable bird. On reservoirs you can find large flocks of these talkative, noisy ducks, numbering several thousand individuals. The American Wigeon sometimes flies to the Commander Islands, as well as to Chukotka. It is capable of interbreeding with the Eurasian one.

Sometimes wigeons are caught and kept in captivity. If all conditions are provided, the duck will reproduce successfully. Moreover, as already mentioned, a duck lives much longer in captivity than in its natural environment.

However, there are people who keep wigeons at home as a pet. She is peaceful and willingly allows herself to be petted and bathed in the bathtub. In Vladimir Dahl's dictionary you can find other names for this duck: redhead, mute, white-bellied, whistler.

Russian

Russian Corydalis are considered quite nice pet birds. The Russian variety is quite large and differs:

sinewy, strong build;
well-developed muscles;
lush belly;
long wings;
dark brown eyes;
Russian Crested has a wide medium tail;
different colors of feathers.

This crested species is unpretentious to food and living conditions, and can do without a pond. She is friendly and lively

The characteristics of the breed indicate that the Russian Corydalis is calm and peaceful, but at the same time moves a lot. Lays eggs all year round. This species of bird is unpretentious in feeding (it eats ground greens and grains) and does not need a pond.

On average, a drake can weigh 2.5 kg. They also differ in their ability to hatch. Representatives of this breed require a clean and dry environment.

Object of hunting

In Russia and the CIS there are various species of ducks (about forty). Approximately thirty species are widespread and are the object of commercial and sport hunting.

Birds of the duck family are prey for hunters not only for their meat. The common eider sea duck, for example, is prized for its down. Eggs of shelducks and goldeneyes are collected in some regions, and the colorful mandarin duck is bred for decorative purposes.

How to properly aim at a sitting duck?

When hunting ducks, you need to take into account that if a duck sits or swims on the water, then it is less vulnerable to shot than a flying duck, and the distance can be the same. This is explained by the fact that the feathers of a sitting duck fit tightly, and if you consider that in addition to feathers, the duck also has down, then everything together forms a very solid shell. In addition, a sitting or swimming duck is a smaller target compared to a flying duck. If possible, when hunting ducks over long distances, avoid shooting sitting ducks. Spring and late autumn are the times when ducks are well feathered, so they are stronger for shot at this time. In summer, ducks are most vulnerable.

How to properly aim at a flying duck?

Surely, every hunter knows that in order to catch a flying duck while hunting, you need to aim and shoot not at the bird’s carcass, but slightly ahead of it. This is explained simply. After all, some time will pass between pressing the trigger of the gun and the moment when the ejected shot reaches the target, in our case a flying bird. And the bird that came under the gun will have time to fly a certain distance. Therefore, when hunting ducks, you need to aim and shoot in front of the target. But at what distance to shoot in front of the target depends on how fast the target moves, what is the distance between the muzzle of the gun and the target. The greater the distance and speed of the target, the greater the distance you need to take in front of the target and then you can hit the target directly.

So duck hunting is also about math. If you shoot at flying birds with normal shooting, as a result of a decent killing circle of a hunting rifle, then it is advisable to aim at the duck at its front part, then it will not escape the charge. Experienced hunters who have the dexterity and skill of duck hunting are able, in any conditions, at any moment, to almost instantly weigh how fast the duck is flying, what is the distance between the muzzle of the gun and the duck. All this allows them to consciously and confidently select the desired “front” and shoot.

Autumn duck hunting

Duck hunting opens on the second or third Saturday in August, depending on the region. By this time, almost all the young ducks are already flying. Duck broods continue to stay in the thickets of horsetail, reeds and other supports. Therefore, in the first days of opening, duck hunting is carried out by approaching or approaching them by boat for a flight. As soon as ducks begin to make mass flights to feed during the evening dawns, hunting for ducks on flights begins.

At the end of September - beginning of October, ducks gather in flocks and fly south. From the beginning of the flight, ducks are hunted from huts with stuffed animals, profiles and decoy ducks.

Duck hunting from a fly-by approach

How does duck hunting work from the approach? Walking duck hunting by fording is usually carried out in small, shallow reservoirs with marsh vegetation, along rivers overgrown with horsetail, grasses and bushes, and in abandoned quarries overgrown with grass.

During such a duck hunt, a trained dog can be of great benefit: it will find a hidden duck, drive it out of the supports into open water or force it to rise on its wing, catch a wounded bird and bring the killed bird to the hunter. The best dogs for duck hunting are wire-haired pointers and spaniels. It is also advisable to have a boat that the hunter can use on the water.

Video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UmUAIxKJ08Q

Sources

https://nashzeleniymir.ru/duckhttps://birds-breed.net/page/utki.htmlhttps://www.agro-biz.ru/ohota/vidyi-dikih-utok.htmlhttps://ohota.guru/ dikie-zhivotnye/vse-o-dikix-utkax-raznovidnosti-mesta-obitaniya-perelety.htmlhttps://www.nexplorer.ru/news__11423.htmhttps://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducks

Wigeon hunting

It’s not just ornithologists who take advantage of the duck’s vulnerability during the molting period. Some hunters are also taking advantage of the moment. For others, the spirit of sportsmanship comes first. They hunt animals in the prime of life, firmly standing on the wing.

They lure ducks to stuffed animals. Decoy relatives on the wigeon as an invitation to join. The hunter must complement the scarecrow with calls characteristic of ducks. Imitating them is a whole science. Therefore, most hunters purchase a wigeon decoy . Like a tuning fork, it accurately produces the “note” of the bird.

Decoy for a wigeon

Most decoys cost from 1200 rubles. But there are also budget versions costing from 600 rubles. Hunting stores also offer video tutorials for hunters. However, similar materials are also available on the Internet.

The video tells how to build a hide. It should be located next to the decoy duck. In this case, the real wigeon should not see the hunter. He must occupy a minimum of space in his shelter, but be positioned comfortably in order to shoot at a convenient moment.

Sometimes you have to hide in hiding at night. Considering that the hunt for wigeon starts in early spring, they dress in cotton pants and take fur jackets with them.

So that they don’t have to wait in vain, they go to floodplain meadows. It is worth hiding among the unflooded hummocks of small reaches. Previously, reservoirs are examined on boats.

Wigeon hunting

The wigeon duck is unpredictable in its choice of specific areas of water bodies. On lakes, hunters focus on hard-to-reach “mirrors” of water among the reeds. They catch game in windy weather.

When they cannot find a dry place to hide, hunters, like birds, hide in the reeds on a boat. It is important to hunt decoy ducks here in the spring. The sound of the drake call is perceived as the call of a female.

Therefore, during the spring hunt, mostly male ducks are hunted. In summer and autumn, hunters simply wait for animals to appear on the water or fly over the area.

Features of reproduction

Ataykas fly to their nesting sites in early spring: in March-April. After a couple of weeks, the birds begin mating games, although these games happen every spring, shelducks remain faithful to their partners throughout their lives and raise their offspring together. To build nests, this type of duck chooses old abandoned holes of badgers, marmots and foxes, and they build the nest itself deep underground, at a distance of 3 meters from the entrance to the hole. If there is no old suitable hole nearby, then the duck can build a nest in an old stump, in a hole or between the roots of trees. The atayka's nest is usually lined with grass and down pulled from its belly. The down of shelducks is very warm; its thermal insulation properties are similar to eider down, and in some countries they even collect it.

What do nests look like and where do they nest?

Wigeon ducks build their nests in secluded, safe, inconspicuous places: small depressions in the ground, not far from water, space in the roots of large trees, under branches close to the ground.

Twigs, grass, straw, and other plants are used as building materials. The peculiarity of this type of duck is the fact that only the female finds a place and carries out all the necessary steps to create a cozy nest.

Before egg laying begins, the duck additionally lines the bottom and walls of the nest with down.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE WIGEON. DESCRIPTION

Male: It can be identified by its chestnut head with a pale buff stripe running from the beak to the crown. The sides and cover feathers of the wings are gray with small transverse flowing stripes, the back part is white. The breast is dominated by pink-gray feathers and the undertail is black. In normal plumage, from June to October or November, the drake looks like a female. White spots on the wings of a young male appear only in the second year of life.

Female: The upperparts are usually tan. The wings are gray. Lighter, pale buffy, the head and chest are covered with frequent dark brown spots. The typical wigeon is a high forehead and a more pointed tail than the mallard.

Beak: Shorter and thicker than most other duck species. Used for plucking plants.

Flight: In flight, the pointed tail and white belly are clearly visible. Flying males may have white spots on their wings.

— The whole year — Wintering — Nesting

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The wigeon, in addition to the Arctic coast and adjacent islands, nests in Iceland, Northern Europe and northern Asia. It winters in Western Europe, the Mediterranean, southern parts of Asia and Japan.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

In Western Europe, the area of marshes on which wigeons stay in winter is constantly decreasing.

Description and features of the wigeon duck

The wigeon duck is a medium-sized bird, up to 51 centimeters long and weighing about a kilogram. The wingspan of the bird is 76-90 centimeters. The sizes are average between mallard and teal. These are two more common ducks in Russia.

Male (right) and female wigeon duck

In the photo, the wigeon appears as an elegant bird. The reddish-gray plumage is mottled. During the breeding season, the color of the males changes. The crop becomes reddish-gray, the belly is white, and the undertail and sides are black.

The head and back are colored chestnut. The rest of the plumage remains gray. There is a wide mark from the beak to the back of the bird's head. It can be white, golden, yellow. So the drake wigeon is clouded from spring to mid-summer. Afterwards the birds molt. Sexual dimorphism ceases to be expressed.

The body of the duck is stocky and dense. The hero of the article is distinguished from other ducks by a high forehead, a rather short neck in comparison with its relatives, a long, pointed tail, and a relatively short beak for ducks.

Wigeon landing on water

When the ducks open their wings, lines of emerald feathers are visible. There are white spots on top. This is a distinctive feature of sexually mature males. However, in older individuals the snow-white markings disappear.

Nutrition

The usual diet of the wigeon is exclusively plant food. Of course, while eating grass and seeds, these birds also swallow insects, but they are not the basis of the bird’s table. The main menu of these ducks is herbs growing in the water or coastal zone. Both green stems and roots are eaten. To a much lesser extent, the wigeon tends to feed on seeds and grains.

Among the aquatic plants we can name the following: duckweed, swampweed, pondweed, elodea (otherwise water plague), vallisneria. Of the coastal species, the wigeon eats the umbrella wren, burr, and bentgrass. In winter, due to migration to other territories, the diet changes.

Birds eat what can be found in sea bays: algae, as well as the perennial sea grass eelgrass. In some years, the mass of algae decreases significantly due to disease. Then the wigeon feeds in fresh water bodies or even flies to graze on grain crops.

Despite the fact that the wigeon is a waterfowl, it cannot be called a good diver. It is not surprising that these birds can be seen in the same body of water with swans or diving ducks, because they lift food from the bottom that is inaccessible to the wigeon.

What menu do wigeons prefer?

We can safely say about these ducks that they are vegetarians. A variety of bugs and insects can randomly appear on their menu along with vegetation. Wigeons prefer to feed on grass near their habitats or in water. Birds often gather on the shore and dig up plant roots.

If near their habitat there are fields with grain crops growing on them, then they will happily prefer to walk there for plant seeds. Algae growing at the bottom of reservoirs is also considered a tasty morsel for these ducks. However, due to their laziness, they do not particularly bother themselves with diving. To get algae, the wigeon tries to stay close to other waterfowl, which, diving for prey, catch the desired food from the bottom.

Premises requirements

Domestic ducks are birds that prefer to sit and hatch their eggs all alone, where no one in the yard can reach them. It is not recommended to keep several females in one nest, even if separated by partitions. The optimal quantity is one nest per individual.

The musky type of duck does not tolerate increased air humidity at all, despite the fact that it is a waterfowl. In winter, you should not skimp on heaters, otherwise you may lose half the herd. In the summer, when it is too hot, you should, on the contrary, spray the walls with water. A video on the relevant topic will tell you how to make nests and train ducks to use them.

Maintenance of the luxurious wigeon in captivity.

The wigeon is a very graceful duck and a fairly common species of aviary bird throughout the world. Luxurious wigeons are placed in an outdoor nursery in the summer. One duck has an area of about 4 square meters. meters.

In the winter season, wigeons are transferred to the poultry house. On windless and sunny days they are allowed to go for a walk. But in the fall, during the migration period, ducks can fly away, so the walking room is covered with a net.

In the winter poultry house, luxurious wigeons are protected from wind and rain. The height of the pen is 0.7 - 1.0 meters, for each bird there is at least 1 square meter. meters of room.

Ducks will survive the winter if they have healthy feathers and a balanced diet. Even in winter, it is necessary to maintain a sufficient hole in the water on the pond for luxurious wigeons. To prevent the water from freezing, use an air compressor. If the water is constantly stirred, a crust of ice will not form on it. For bedding, soft hay is placed in a warm corner of the poultry house for the ducks. Luxurious wigeons are fed grains of wheat, corn, and barley. They give millet, oat flakes, add soybean and sunflower meal, and bran to the feed. Add meat and fish meal, chalk, shellfish shells, chopped greens to the food: plantain leaves, dandelion leaves, lettuce. Luxurious wigeons are wet food made from bran, grated carrots, and various porridges. During molting, protein nutrition is increased and meat or fish and minced meat are added. It is taken into account that the amount of crude protein does not exceed eighteen percent. Lack of succulent food and a large amount of protein food can lead to the development of uric acid diathesis. The amount in the feed ranges from 6 to 8%.

Luxurious wigeons can be kept in a poultry house with other ducks. They breed in captivity and breed. Artificial nests are installed to hatch chicks. In captivity, magnificent wigeons live up to 30 years.

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