Bleak Goose - description, habitat, interesting facts

Barny Goose - a beautiful bird of the duck family, which is a rather rare species listed in the Red Book. It is not often possible to meet in the open spaces of our country. However, today the question of excluding this species from the group of the “rarest” birds on earth has become acute. This is due to a sharp increase in the population of the white-cheeked geese in recent years.

The most common type of migratory waterfowl in southern countries (Italy, Spain). Barn-faced geese have a unique appearance, which in fact attracts not only hunters, but also specialists involved in the study of birds.

Interesting facts about the bird

Mentions of the white-haired goose came to us from the distant depths of history and are full of features and quite interesting facts.The most interesting of them relate precisely to the relationship between the bird and man. For example, in the XVI century, many believed that this unique bird of the duck family does not reproduce naturally for its relatives. The breeding process of the barnacle goose has been a mystery for many for a long time. The less educated population believed more widely the common myth about the appearance of this bird from wood that fell into the sea or ocean. That is, for a long time it was believed that the brant appears due to the transformation of natural raw materials into a living being. The sea water miraculously turned the tree into it into amazing little birds with a characteristic white mask on the head.

The white-haired goose is also mentioned in the historical chronicles of the Celts. Kazark was considered a gift of oceans and seas, which matured for a long time in shells in the deep waters of the Atlantic. Due to the fact that the mystery of the origin of the bird was not precisely clarified, it was possible to use the meat of the barnacle goose even during a fairly strict observance of the church fast. However, over time, this was forbidden by the masters of the church diocese.

Features of the form

Such changes imply that this duck instead of mountainous and rocky terrain for its nesting began to choose the steppe plains, the sea coast, as well as urban slums. This helped the bird not only to adapt to the new conditions of the modern world, but also significantly changed its “diet”. Often the white-haired goose can be found in fairly large European cities, while it also, like pigeons in city squares, solicits passers-by for food, showing its interest and goodwill towards people.

To date, this type of duck, as the white-faced goose, recites five main populations:

1. Northern Europe, the Arctic (more than one hundred thousand individuals). Wintering place - UK.
2. Greenland (about 40 thousand individuals). Wintering place - Scotland.
3. Svalbard Islands (up to 25 thousand individuals). Wintering place - North of England, Norway.
4. North of Russia (about 100 thousand individuals). Wintering place - Holland, West Germany.
5. New Earth (a little more than 10 thousand). Wintering place - the Netherlands, Canada.

The appearance of the bird

The appearance of the white goose is the most original among most species of the duck family. The bird has a completely black body and a whelped head. On the wings there are small markings of brown. The chest of the bird is decorated with a snow-white apron. Although this bird belongs to the duck family, nevertheless, it has rather modest dimensions: body length rarely exceeds 75 cm., Bird weight is up to 3 kg.

The original outfit of the barnacle goose is somewhat reminiscent of the monastic decoration. In addition, the combination of colors such as white and black for the representatives of the duck family is atypical. In nature, there is only one species of birds, which looks similar to the barnacle duck - it is a Canadian brant. However, the peculiarity of this bird lies in the opposite arrangement of colors - individuals of this species have a completely white body and a black mask on their head.

Power Features

Barn Goose is herbivorous birds, and most often their diet consists of tree leaves, plant stems and fresh grass. A special delicacy for this duck is sedge, mosses, arctic willow, creeping clover. It extracts geese not only on land, but also in water bodies: algae, small insects, crustaceans, mollusks.

In the cold season, this type of bird is less picky about food, so they are often engaged in raids on farms, while their main goal is vegetables and grains.

The peculiarity of this bird is that it can be kept in captivity. In this case, the brant is fed with grain, grass, vegetables and fresh greens. Deciding to have such a bird in your household, it should be borne in mind that representatives of this species are completely unsuitable for domestic keeping. Therefore, in order to grow healthy offspring of white-cheeked geese at home, care should be taken to organize the daily and long enough walking of birds.

Breeding species

White-cheeked geese usually return to their nesting site in late spring, while the ducks are immediately united into small colonies, the number of which can reach 70-80 pairs. Barn-faced geese do not like cramping; for this reason, the distance between bird nests at the nesting site is quite large - from 10 to 50 m. Accordingly, such a sprawling location makes the area chosen by these birds for its settlement rather large.

The behavior of the male duck during the mating games deserves special attention. The voice becomes more resonant and loud, the bird itself coils in unimaginable movements, which should attract the attention of the samochka. As a rule, such a mating dance is performed by the male Barnacle Goose for the whole life, as he remains faithful to his chosen companion until the end of his days.

For arranging the future of the nest, geese often choose a small natural dimple in the earth's surface. The bottom of such a fossa is lined with dry twigs, vegetation, moss and down. During the laying of eggs, the nest with the female is guarded by the male from other birds, which in case of danger, notifies its girlfriend with a loud cry.The average number of eggs laid by the grouse reaches 6-8 pieces, with each bird incubating them separately. After the appearance of the chicks, their parents often transfer their offspring to places full of dense vegetation. The first attempts of a young white-breasted Goose to stand on the wing, as a rule, are carried out closer to two months.

Captivity

In order for the bird to be able to adapt to the conditions of life on the farm, its owners should recreate the most approximate conditions for the life of the Barnacle Geese, which are associated with its nesting and opportunities for full feeding. Especially important is full and proper feeding for young individuals, which implies the constant availability of fresh greens.

It is important to take into account that the captivity leaves its mark on the immune system of birds, as a rule, more than a third of new brood chicks do not live to maturity. Docking off the wings of the birds should be carried out by experts, since quite a few ducks die due to bleeding after incorrect cutting of the wings.

Video: Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)