Bustard - description, habitat, interesting facts

Long since presented breed group of birds constantly fell into the hands of hunters. Bustards previously lived in large flocks and were easy prey. Today people, and not predatory animals, are considered enemies of these feathered inhabitants. In order to preserve the species, the bustards were listed in the Red Book and received their protection status. Today we will study everything that affects the breed, as well as present the most interesting facts and clarify other aspects.

Description

1. Otherwise, individuals of the breed group are called Dudaks or ordinary bustards. They are considered the largest representatives of similar species, if we are talking about the distribution in the expanses of our homeland. Bustards are large, weighty, according to some external data similar to turkeys. The neck is thick and oval, the chest is wide, sexual dimorphism is clearly visible.
2. Individuals of female affiliation are smaller; in the weight category they grow up to 4-8 kg. with a body length of 80 cm. As for the males, they are much larger, grow to 100 cm with a weight of 16 kg. From the foregoing, it is clear why the hunters love these birds so much.
3. The paws with 3 fingers are considered to be the distinguishing characteristic of birds, the plumage in this area is completely absent. Therefore, the birds move so quickly over land. Despite the large size, they feel great in the air and on the ground. The individuals are fast and agile.
4. You can find out that it is an individual of the represented breed group before you, by plumage. It is variegated and stands out. Neck with head painted in gray tones, closer to ashen. And the rest of the body is ocher, with a reddish undertone. Bustards are famous for their streaky cross pattern, while the chest with the area under the tail is white.
5. In terms of coloring the body of the bird of two sexes are not much different. It can be said that even to professionals it is difficult to identify whether the male or female is in front of his eyes. In the spring season, the males dress up in red plumage, located in the neck zone.Also, males have bundles of threadlike feathers in the zone of the beak. This coloring lasts until August.

Habitat

1. The bird belongs to the steppe species. It prefers not too high vegetation, open meadows, fescue steppes, etc. Previously, the representatives of the species lived exclusively in deserted places, but at the expense of people's economic activities, birds slightly expanded their distribution.
2. You can meet the breed in the highlands, as well as on the plains. Representatives of the family are well tolerated by temperature drops, they can be cool for a long time. But as soon as the snow breaks down, they try to move south.
3. As humanity develops and covers more and more territories, these feathered friends are forced to hide and search for new places. Now they are found on hayfields, in agricultural fields.

Nutrition

1. The food is mixed, vegetable or animal food may prevail. It all depends on the habitat, as well as gender and age of the bird. No less important is given to what food is available in a particular season of the year.
2. Grown up birds love seeds, shoots, foliage, flowers of plants belonging to the family of cabbage, legumes or aster. As for animal food, the larvae and the insects themselves eat, as well as locusts, medvedka, grasshoppers, bugs, etc.
3. Since these individuals are omnivorous by nature, they have adapted not to starve, eating worms, frogs, eggs of a smaller group of birds that do not nest on top. When bustards gather in large flocks, they begin a full-fledged hunt for rodents. However, small chicks do not feed so diversely; they are given ants and larvae.
4. Birds need water, so they often live near water sources. They may eat snow in winter to quench their thirst, and in the summer during droughts they fly in flocks to drink water.

Breeding features

1. An interesting feature is the unequal achievement of puberty. So, for example, individuals of a male belonging become sexually mature at 5 years old, and females at 3-4 years old. Birds have a nesting site to which they fly annually in early or mid spring.
2. At first they live in flocks, waiting for the soil to dry out.Then the marriage rites begin, as a result of which all individuals are sent to a special area. They have no peculiarities of forming constant pairs, each year the male has another female.
3. It is interesting to observe the marriage ceremony, which takes place in a big way. If we consider that in everyday life these birds are quiet, then during this period they spit out all the energy. In the morning, the males flaunt themselves in front of the females, and she must choose one satellite.

Interesting Facts

1. As soon as the hot days come, the bird representatives in question lie on the ground and spread their beak wide. They begin to breathe heavily. In this case, their wings are widely separated. The problem is that such individuals lack sweat glands that regulate body temperature. It is for this reason that the birds are trying to cool off on cool ground.
2. It is worth noting that such individuals become wet plumage when it rains. Such a phenomenon is considered the most dangerous, especially during frosts. The bird simply can not fly up and remains completely defenseless. Often this situation is used by predators. The problem is that the bustard has no glands that produce a special fatty lubricant, due to which water could roll off the wings.
3. It remains interesting that adults, which have a rather large weight, do not fly away at danger, but run away. Such birds are very hard to take off. It is for this reason that they are trying to escape from danger. Each time the bird matures and gains weight more and more, it flies less and less.
4. Males are often gathered in flocks and make strange deaf sounds. In doing so, they throw back their heads and inflate the throat sac. At this time, the males fluff the feathers as widely as possible. Thus, they attract the attention of females. In such a period, the males look rather strange and look like a round clump of feathers.
5. As you already understood, the represented individuals feed on animal and plant food. Most often in their diet you can find lizards, insects, various herbs and frogs. With the onset of warm days, birds prefer vegetable food. As soon as the cold comes, individuals begin to eat animal food.
6. It is worth noting that the representatives of this species belong to the endangered and rare species of birds. The considered individuals are protected and listed in the Red Book.Now everything is done in order to preserve the unique birds. The species of birds began to decline rapidly due to the uncontrolled hunting of them. Also, people began to occupy large agricultural areas and apply chemicals.
7. The problem is that such birds take eggs in the fields. The offspring perish when beveled hay. In addition, individuals are often attacked by various predators. Adult bustards are hunted by poachers. Birds are often killed by electrical wires and sprayed chemicals in the fields.
8. Such birds like to feast on juicy and tasty grass. For this reason, they often visit agricultural fields. In addition, they destroy the culture. Therefore, among the farmers considered birds are considered pests.
9. Do not forget that these individuals are quite large in size. At the same time they have a long neck and no feathers on the paws. Often the plumage has red and white shades. Because of this color birds merge with the terrain. It is easier for them to hide from predators. In addition, the bustards are somewhat similar to ostriches, only much smaller.
10. Individuals make nests in the ground in the form of depressions. The female can produce up to 4 eggs.In color, they can be olive or greenish interspersed. In order to build a nest, birds self-dig pits and level the groove with their own bodies. Down they impose dried grass. The female is engaged in vidis eggs.

Bustards are unique representatives of birds. If they notice the danger during the hatching of offspring, the bird pretends to be lame and begins to lead the predator away. After that, the individual tries to escape from danger. The birds in question have become rare and are on the verge of extinction. Poachers continue to hunt them.

Video: Interesting facts about the bustard bird