Krechet - description, habitat, interesting facts

Gyrfalcon is a large bird of prey of the Falcon family. The first mention of it dates from the 12th century. It is assumed that the name of the species was given because of the characteristic singing.

The northern bird is a great hunter, so people tame gyrfalcons and select it in the land. Large size and ability to develop speed make it an invaluable assistant in the hunt for wild birds.

Description and types

The overall build of a bird is quite massive and powerful, which allows it to develop a good speed without losing aerodynamics. The wings of the gyrfalcon are elongated and pointed, the tail is elongated.

Feather shades in females and males are the same.The plumage of birds of the northern habitat has a light shade (grayish-brown on the back). Belly representatives white with a characteristic dark mark. Around the beak is a dark mark that looks like a "mustache". Above the beak you can see a clove characteristic of the falcon family. Paws are colored yellow. The plumage of birds of the southern range is darker, rich gray and brown tones can be traced.

Depending on the habitat and color of plumage, the following types of gyrfalcons are distinguished:

• red;
• Norwegian (ordinary gray);
• snow (white), which are considered the most rare and valuable;
• Icelandic

Lifestyle and distribution

Krechet, as a representative of falcons, hunts in a similar way - flies up to the prey from above, gathers its wings together and clings to it with its clawed powerful legs. If the victim is defending, the bird kills it with a heavy beak, bites the back of the head, or crushes the neck. Then it plucks and eats prey, having landed not far from the clutch or wintering place. Studying the area around the nests of gyrfalcons, one can often stumble upon the remains of the skin, wool, feathers, skeleton, etc. The clutches themselves remain clean.Even the prey caught for feeding the chicks is fed to them already plucked, cleared of bones, heads and limbs.

The main prey of gyrfalcons are flying medium and small birds. In some cases, mammals are included in the menu. The daily ration of a falcon representative includes about two hundred grams of live food.

Gyrfalcons hunt mostly on their own, like all members of the family. During the nesting period, the predator is not far from its partner.

It flies very maneuverable and quickly, with acceleration, preferring not to soar or hang in the air. For a powerful start, a bird needs to perform several large strokes. During the rest period, the gyrfalcon sits proudly and straight, carefully tracking his head around the surrounding space.

Hunting sites intersect with the region of the village of polar owls.

The voice of the gyrfalcon gives willingly - it resembles the peregrine falcon trills, only more coarse and low-frequency. Hunters describe the sound as a hoarse combination of "kyak-kyak" or long "keeeeeks". In the spring you can hear how the gyrfalcon takes higher and quieter trills (chirps).

Mostly representatives of this species live in the subarctic and arctic zones of Eurasia and North America.Krechetov subspecies are met in Tien Shan, Altai and Sayan. The most common zones are the Commander and Scandinavian Islands, Greenland.

Mostly these predators are sedentary, while other members of the family can fly to the south of the forest-tundra zone for the winter. Mountain Krecheta can make vertical flights (for the winter to descend into valleys and canyons).

Breeding

These falcon representatives are monogamous, creating a parent couple once in a lifetime. They reach sexual maturity by 2 years.

After mating, they form simple nests, placing them on rocky ledges without vegetation, as well as in crevices and natural niches. Sometimes krechety use other people's nests, for example, buzzards or crows. Cover laying with moss, feathers and grass. Its usual size is about 1 m in diameter, about 50 cm in height. This nest is suitable for use for many years and sometimes decades in a row. For all the time of formation, it acquires quite a decent look, expands and becomes more comfortable.

After the mating season, the female lays on average 2-4 eggs the size of a box of matches and weighing about 50 g.Only the female hatches them, while the male fully provides for himself and her food.

Chicks hatch after a month covered with smoky or whitish down. Already in 2 months of life, they are trying to leave the clutch on their own. After a few more months, they become completely independent, begin to freely hunt.

The life span of a gyrfalcon in the wild is about 20 years.

Interesting Facts

Krechet more than once attracted the attention of writers, historians and biologists; therefore, interesting details were collected about the bird.

1. In Kievan Rus and Muscovy the bird was a valuable commodity, especially with regard to the white subspecies - it was accepted as a gift by the sultans and the patriarchs. The snow-white krecheta, spread mainly in the region of Greenland, were so highly valued that once the duke had to offer the Turks a dozen of such birds as a ransom for his son from captivity.
2. On the hunt, the quick and quick-witted Gyrfalcon was preferred to falcon and other predator species. Particularly well the bird caught herons and cranes. It is noteworthy that in the wild, the latter were not prey.
3. In Europe, in the Middle Ages, Krechetov were brought to Iceland for traditional hunting by ships.
4. For one bird at the moment, hunters from abroad are ready to lay out 30 thousand dollars.
5. A powerful bird is still a victim of poaching. In the north, it often gets trapped in Arctic foxes.

Gyrfalcon is an agile and dangerous predator, a beautiful bird of the Falcon family, which for centuries deserved respect from the most sophisticated hunters.

Video: flight of gyrfalcon