Ogar - description, habitat, interesting facts

Walking in some Moscow districts, one can see a surprisingly beautiful bird with an unusual plumage of bright orange color. This bird, belonging to the duck family, is called the ogar (in other words, the duck is red). Many nations in different parts of the world revered this small beautiful bird sacred. Previously, it was among the endangered species and was listed in the World Red Book. And only recently hunting was allowed.

Description and appearance

The peculiarity of this bird that distinguishes it from others is the plumage of bright shades, the body is orange and brown. At the beginning of the year, the bird is painted in darker shades, and by autumn the color is fading, becoming paler and brighter. The neck and head are white with a copper tint. The tail and nadhvostiya ebb green.The mandible with the mandible along the edges have rare, rather thin large teeth. White wings are decorated with black feathers, the same color at the beak and long, rather strong legs. When the bird is in flight, large whitish spots are visible at the bottom of the wings.

The proportions and dimensions of the duck Ogar

• Weight - from 1 to 1.5 kg.
• Length - from 60 to 68 cm.
• Wingspan - up to 145 cm.

During the mating period, a black ring is formed around the neck of the male, which disappears during seasonal moulting and feather change, while the female has light feathers on the head from the side, which also disappear during the plumage period.

The duck is a great runner, excellent swimmer and skillful diver. Moreover, it is able to dive even after receiving wounds. Thanks to its wide and large wings, it flies superbly. True, the air gives the impression of a heavy bird.

Special features

1. They never get into large flocks, live in pairs or small groups, which include from two to four pairs.
2. Can live in small spaces of water.
3. During the mating season and courtship, the couple is not selected by the male, as in most birds, but by the female.
4. In any reservoir, this bird behaves quite aggressively, especially at the time of nesting, or if there is a brood nearby. Other birds chase away, conflict and squabble with ducks and drakes of the same species.

Habitats

1. China, provinces located in the center and in the south-east of the country.
2. Central Asia and Central Asia, Mongolia and Tuva boast the largest accumulation of ogari.
3. In Turkey, in the territories of Iran, the Afghan Republic, in Iraq, there are many representatives of this species.
4. In the northwestern African regions of these birds, there are up to 2,500 thousand.
5. In hot Ethiopia lives about half a thousand ducks.
6. In Europe, this species inhabits the western regions of the Black Sea (in Bulgaria and some in Romania) and lives in the north of the Aegean Sea.
7. Russia duck Ogar settles from the south of the Kuban to the Far East (Amur). It is not only in the northern cold regions of the country.
8. In Ukraine, the population is very small and is listed in the local Red Book.

The geography of habitat is very wide, however, due to human economic activities, the population is constantly decreasing. There are frequent cases of relocation of wild birds in the city limits.As an example, the ducks living within the capital. This population appeared in the late 40s of the 20th century, when several birds flew out of the Moscow Zoo. They bred, began to live in several Moscow districts, the zoo workers feed them in lean harvest years.

Nesting

The bird is monogamous, the marriage union lasts for many years. A drake or duck creates a new pair only if the life partner is killed.

Couples are formed either during wintering, or upon arrival of birds in their homes. They return early from wintering places - in the middle of March, when the water surface is still covered with ice - and immediately begin to look for a couple. The choice is not engaged in the male, but the female. She draws attention with loud cries, performing a kind of dance around her future halves. A drake, silently, stands, raising its paw and stretching its neck to the maximum, or walking around the future darling. Before pairing, they must make a pair flight.

Mating, the couple begins to build a nest, at the bottom of which a bedding of their own fluff is made.For nesting, they look for old abandoned burrows of any animals - gophers, hamsters, foxes. They can nest in tree hollows or in rocky crevices. Not always the nest is arranged near the reservoir - it can be several kilometers away.

After about a month and a half, eggs are laid in cream or white in about 8 to 12 pieces. Sometimes it reaches up to 17 eggs, but such cases are rare. Eggs hatch from 4 weeks to a month - depending on weather conditions. The whole time of incubation of eggs the male bears the guard and, seeing the danger, attacks anyone who dares to come too close to the nesting. There are many cases when a drake - an ogar has attacked an opponent that is clearly superior in size and strength - so strong is the protective instinct.

Chicks

Having hatched, dried out and having recovered, the chicks immediately go to the nearest reservoir and swim under the supervision of the mother. Back to the native nest are returned only to spend the night. Care for children is carried out equally by both female and drake. After 55 days, the grown up kids stand on the wing, become independent, and they no longer need parental care. They begin to live their own lives, make couples, build nests.

Nutrition

Livelihood Ogar is able to find in the depths of water bodies, and on the dry surface of the earth. For the most part prefers food of plant origin: various herbs, seeds, grass shoots. But it also eats protein food with pleasure: on land, locusts, grasshoppers, daubies, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish are extracted from the water, sometimes it manages to catch frogs. They are also hunted in the harvested fields, kicking the seeds of cereal from the ground, as well as on the roads along which the grain was being transported - a clever bird picks up and spits up the spilled grains.

Breeding in the private sector

It is easy to breed and keep a bird in a private sector - this is no problem. Mostly contained as a decorative look as a peculiar decoration.

Ogar is very trusting, getting used to a person does not take long - especially if the bird is caught and placed in the household of a young one. By content unpretentious, takes root well. Only it is necessary to take into account its warlike character in the era of reproduction - at this time it shows aggression even to the birds of its own species, therefore it is necessary to single out a large area where there will be no outsiders.For swimming and diving it is not out of place to create a special reservoir of artificial character. Rush in captivity Ogari begin in the seventh month of life.

Care in captivity

It is necessary to care for this pet as well as for other representatives of ducks. Ogar is very unpretentious, he needs only a shed for life. The only thing - always with a heated floor. To do this, it is covered with straw or sawdust. Of course, ducks need daily walks as well as bathing. In winter, the barn and the floor need to be warmed even more and put a water bowl where water should always be.

Ordinary food for ducks is suitable for feeding - bran, cereals, waste from the host's table. Only in winter it is necessary to add boiled vegetables rich in vitamins to the diet.

Economic value

As a trade bird, it matters little. Contained not only as a decoration, but also brings other benefits. Due to its egg production, it is able to carry more than a hundred eggs per year. Due to the fact that the duck Ogar is rapidly gaining weight, it is used to produce meat. Its quality depends on what fed the duck.The meat is rather tender, low in fat, suitable for dietary nutrition.

Also, a thick duck feather is widely used in the household. Warm and weightless feathers go to the production of blankets and winter clothing - for example, down jackets.

Interesting Facts

With its appearance and proud posture, the duck Ogar looks like a little goose.

Ogar also has a feature that distinguishes it from other ducks - the voice. In the customary understanding of this word, he does not know how to quack; a sharp, piercing voice is more like an ass neighing. During the flight, the ducks shout something like a "gang ...", and the cry goes into a trill. In females, the voice is sharper and shrill than in males.

Ducks living in central Russia tend to remain for the winter period in their places of residence, not going anywhere. They have good adaptability to the harsh winter climate. They prefer to spend the winter in park waters.

As a rule, people search for food during the dark time of the day, while day time is devoted to rest, standing on one paw and digesting food.

The young bird can live in captivity about 12 -13 years.

In the fall, the bird feeds mostly on plant food and the meat becomes quite tasty and does not contain other flavors. And since hunting is allowed, they hunt ogars in the same way as ducks of other species.Scradks are made near the reservoir, and from there the hunters watch and shoot prey. The peculiarity of hunting for ducks of this species is that it is necessary to shoot immediately a pair, and not just one bird. Because as soon as one of them dies, the other begins to circle above the place where the partner died, shouting very sad and heartbreaking. Not a very nice sight.

Video: Ogar (Tadorna ferruginea)