Peganka - description, habitat, interesting facts

Peganka duck is of great interest among hunting enthusiasts, because it is a very valuable trophy. People living daily life are also interested in this breed of birds.

The extremely bright color and large size of the birds attract the eyes of most hunters from around the world. In the wild, there are 2 huge populations of these ducks:

• living on salt lakes;
• occurring in the steppe zone of southern Russia.

There is a high probability to meet peganka on the same rivers like the Elbe and the Weser, flowing in Germany, as well as in many bays in the UK. Currently, birds feel good on the coasts of the Black and Azov seas in Ukraine, but the largest population is located in Russia, where their number reaches a figure of 100,000 individuals. Separate populations captured coastal and steppe territories of Turkey.

In Australia and New Guinea, duck breeds are officially protected by the authorities. In these countries it is strictly forbidden to export them from the continent.

General information about the breed peganka

Birds got this name due to an unusual color for birds, which is called “piebald”. This breed is considered one of the oldest in the world, they are characterized by primitive genetic traits. The inhabitants of Crimea gave the bird the name Galagaz. The nature has endowed them with a large body measuring up to 65 cm in length, and the wingspan exceeds readings in 1 m. Adult ducks are characterized by a weight from 0.8 to 1.5 kg.

Currently in the world there is a division into the following varieties among peganok:

• peganka-raja;
• ordinary;
• extinct crested.

• sedentary;
• migratory;
• partially migratory.

An interesting fact is that these birds live in colonies, but they nest at a considerable distance from the water. There are cases when they occupied the holes in which the fox previously lived.It is popular with birds, because predators very rarely hunt nearby their residence.

Peganki are among the large birds. In case of danger, ducks create noise, to which the whole flock instantly rises. Taki is the protection of egg laying from uninvited guests, which they have a lot. Many animals want to feast on eggs from the nests of peganok, among all you can distinguish wild cats, otter, jackals. Even kites can harm ducks.

Breed features

Due to their large size and the presence of a long neck, they are sometimes compared to geese. The paws of the bird are also long, thanks to which it moves very quickly and dexterously over land. This comparison is also taken on how the process of the flight takes place, during which they quite slowly slowly flap their huge wings for balancing in space. Many often confuse ducks and geese among themselves.

During flights, they line up in a wedge shape. Before the beginning of the migration to the shores of Germany and England, ducks of pegants unite in flocks.The beginning of the molt coincides with this period. At the same time, the first to appear are males, the number of which is enormous, and only after a short period of time do females arrive. An interesting fact is that in the period of the emergence of new plumage in birds, they have no opportunity to rise into the air.

Pegans during the period of courtship conduct a unique ritual, in the final scene of which they ceremoniously worship their female. This is an extraordinarily beautiful sight.

Appearance of birds

Often, the body of the bird has a white color of feathers. Females and males of breed peganki have almost the same appearance. Marks of chestnut color adorn the chest of the bird, and the shoulder blades have a black stripe. An orange ribbon runs across the shoulders, along with the sides and abdomen, which is wide from the back of the neck to the base of the wings.

Black feathers have primary feathers, while in secondary primary feathers, the outer webs have the property of folding into a mirror. The undercoat of peganka has an orange-red shade of color.

The birds have pink paws and bright red beaks, as well as black heads with a green tint. And all this exotic species of red-brown iris underlines.

In order to visually distinguish the duck from the drake, you should look at its color, which will be a little dim than that of the drake. They also lack a growth on the upper mandible and malachite mirrors on the feathers of the wings. You will not see a white "eyeliner" around the eyes, which is inherent in males.

Despite this unique appearance, the population does not belong to rare species, therefore hunting is allowed. Currently, their number is up to 7.1 million.

This breed of ducks changes its feathers twice a year. After the summer shift, they do not look so bright. Dress up originally in ocher-brown feathers in color on the head. As for the color of young birds, it resembles females. A distinctive feature are snub-nosed beaks and the complete absence of green overflow.

Reproduction of peganka

As soon as the first thaw patches appear on the water bodies, and this is the end of March - the beginning of April, the nesting process begins. The nest is being built around July. There are cases when they nest in the voids of tree trunks, as well as in structures that were made by man.

It is interesting that males acquire the ability to conceive only for the 4th year, and females twice as fast - for the 2nd year of life. Species of ducks that belong to migratory begin a search for a pair in winter, and those that are considered sedentary at the first sign of heat.

Peganka can lay up to 10 eggs that have the same creamy color of the shell. The egg incubation period takes about 28-30 calendar days for females.

In order to attract the attention of the female, the male pulls out his neck and produces unique screams. The trails are multifaceted individuals, they cope with all the duties of the father during the incubation process, which takes about a month. They never leave the nest for long distances, where his female remained, they constantly protect her from any dangers.

If a duck is required to move away from its nest, then it will carefully cover the eggs with a care and extraordinary care, which is located close to the nest. It should also be noted that fluff is always abundant.

Rearing little ducklings

Peganki, which just hatched from the egg,are large and can swim immediately. Moreover, they can easily dive in search of food, and for adult individuals such behavior is not inherent. There are cases when several families united in raising children, creating joint protection.

Nestlings who have already grown up a bit fall under the general supervision of the whole pack. After a month and a half, they start trying to fly. After acquiring the skill of conquering the airspace, they begin an adult independent life.

It is interesting that the pairs that are created by duck breed peganka, persist for the rest of their lives. There are cases when ducks nested on slopes that are high and far from water. In such cases, in order for the chicks to end up in the water, the parents carry their chicks with a beak.

Bird-watching naturalist lovers have noticed the picture of touching care for their offspring many times when a duck walks first during a walk and then her ducklings chase her and the father of the whole family walks behind everyone, who carefully looks around for danger.

Peganka Meals

The bird prefers various mollusks and all kinds of worms. They do not refuse small fish and crustaceans, which they catch easily. Snails on their way, not only get into the diet, but are the most favorite type of food. When one dead peganka was opened, more than 3000 snail shells were found in its stomach.

In winter, when hunting for fish and crustaceans becomes difficult, it can feed on vegetation. Food is harvested with a large beak, with which nature has awarded unique birds. There are cases when the bird left the reservoir and fed on the fields with seeds and various fruits.

The best time for feeding is considered to be the low tide period, because on the shore where the water has gone from, there remains a huge variety of animal organisms that are stuck in the bottom. During this period of time they stay on the water surface and with the help of an elongated long neck they begin to search for food.

It is best to hunt ducks in the autumn, because at that time they had already gained weight. In order to discourage the specific smell that is inherent in wild meat, hunters wrap the plucked carcass into the fabric and bury it in clay.This is due to its excellent absorbent effect. Some lovers of hunting for these beautiful ducks do not include meat as very tasty, but produce the extraction process only in sports interest.

Peganka Behavior

Sharing the breed of birds on the settled, migratory and partially migratory, they occupy different areas for their residence. She does not belong to shy breeds, therefore she calmly lets her close to her at a close distance. It is considered an unusually communicable bird.

Peganki are known for their extraordinary voice, and there are legends about the male's vocal performances. During the search period for the pair, the males begin to emit high frequency sounds that very much resemble whistling. The interesting thing is that they can do this even when they fly in the air in pursuit of a female.

But the females do not have such skills, they are characterized by the pronunciation of "gaga ..", which they can repeat many times and in a split second. In case of danger, she screams very loudly, trying to scare off the offender. Also noteworthy is the aggressiveness of the female during the rearing of chicks, when they can even drive off their relatives from their babies.

There are cases when the female peganka hatched to 32 eggs.It happened due to the fact that they can lay their eggs in other people's nests. This is a very frequent occurrence for this breed of ducks.

Peganok Migration

For those individuals that lead a migratory lifestyle, three times there is a change of residence. The first flight takes place in a place where they go molting. After the feather has been strengthened, and the birds have the opportunity to rise into the air, they gather in flocks and make a second flight.

This flight is called the autumn migration. It takes place approximately in September-October. And the final flight is the return to the nesting sites in the spring.

Video: peganka (tadorna tadorna)