Dead End - description, habitat, interesting facts

The dead end refers to the birds of the Allan family living near the seas in the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. There they find food for themselves, diving into the water. Different types of dead ends have a common feature - it is their beak of a large size, with bright colors. In addition, the representatives of this species of feathered small wings and black and white feathers. Deadlocks live mainly in large colonies, making nests on small islands of the earth and rocks near the seashore.

The appearance of the bird

The deadlock body reaches a length of 35 centimeters, with a weight of approximately 0.5 kg. Wingspan is about half a meter. Most often, the male is larger than the female. There are black feathers in the area of ​​the head, neck and back, with grayish spots on each side of the head. The eyes of the bird are small, triangular in shape, with reddish or gray skin around them.The belly is white, the limbs are orange.

The beak is flattened, rather large. During the period of marriage games, it becomes brighter, serves to attract the attention of the female. On the upper side of the beak is red, the base is grayish. With age, the size and color of the beak of the dead end changes: in chicks and young birds it is narrower and expands over time. Closer to old age, the beak fills with grooves in its red part.

In general, the young dead ends are similar in appearance and color to the more adult individuals, but the plumage on the head is darker and the cheek area is lighter. Limbs and brown beak.

The nuances of feeding birds

The deadlock ration mainly consists of fish, for example, gerbil, capelin, etc. In addition, a dead end can eat small mollusks. The hunting process takes place right under the water, the bird swims, using sweeping wings and webbed feet.Typically, these birds are content with small prey, no larger than 5-6 centimeters in size, but sometimes they can catch larger fish. As usual, when the deadlock caught the victim, he immediately eats it, without reaching the surface. The bird emerges only in those cases when it happened to attack large fish. When this bird dives, it can simultaneously catch from 2 fish and more. During the day, an adult bird eats about 40 small fish.

Deadlock habitat

In the north of the Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans, the Atlantic representatives of this species of birds live, also in the north-west of Eurasia and the Arctic. One of the most numerous deadlock colonies is considered to be a colossal flock, including more than 250 thousand representatives, which occupies the lands of the reserve in North America, and the largest colony lives in Iceland - about 55-65 percent of the total population of these birds.

Quite numerous flocks are found on about. Newfoundland, in Scotland, Norway and Greenland. Also, on about. Svalbard and in Britain there are small colonies.Mostly these birds choose for the erection of nests not coastal lands, but islands. Before the beginning of the nesting period and after its termination, dead ends often visit the surface of the Arctic Ocean, sometimes even falling outside the territory of the Arctic Circle.

Common types of dead ends

Atlantic dead end is the most common. In addition to it, there are two more closely related species: Pacific deadlock, and also hatchets.

1. Pacific deadlock. This bird has a black and white color of feathers, its limbs are bright orange or reddish. The claws are rather tenacious and sharp, the paws are decorated with membranes. The bill is massive, small, thickens towards the base. Males have larger sizes in comparison with females, but there is no difference in color. It lives mainly on the northern Pacific coast.
2. Hatchet. This is not a particularly big bird, the body length usually reaches 35-38 cm, and the weight is not more than 0.8 kg. The plumage is colored monotonously, in dark brownish shades. The cheeks are white, the area behind the eyes is decorated with thin and long yellow feathers. Legs are red or orange. The beak is rather large, flat on the sides.

They invariably live on the Pacific coast, but in cold times they shift slightly to the south, reaching even the Californian and Japanese coasts.

The difference between male and female

There are practically no sex differences between birds, and in terms of plumage it is almost impossible to distinguish a male from a female. The only sign of difference is size: males are usually slightly larger.

Breeding process

In addition to the mating season, the remaining impasse remains in the sea. The wintering of birds takes place alone or in small flocks, spending a lot of time on the surface of the water. It is noteworthy that the impasse can move the legs in order to stay afloat, even during sleep. Color plumage helps the bird to hide in the sea.

In winter, representatives of this species of birds begin to moult, during which the flight of feathers is completely lost, therefore the bird is deprived of the opportunity to fly for a couple of months.

Since the beginning of spring, the dead ends are returning to their colony, organizing colossal “bird markets” there. Before building nests, dead ends in small flocks swim in the coastal zone, starting construction when the earth begins to thaw gradually.

These feathered monogamous.Throughout the mating season, the male regularly sways a little, approaching the beloved, and then they begin to rub their beaks. The male treats the female with small fish, showing her that he is able to feed her and the chicks.

When the couple is created, the future parents proceed to the construction or restoration of the nest, which is housed in a small recess. The bird pulls out the hole using its beak and limbs. Nora looks like an arc-shaped tunnel, and similar moves can intertwine with each other. Inside, the earth is lined with moss, grass and down.

The female produces only one egg, of medium size, which weighs about 65 g. It is white and the surface is covered with small specks of lilac. The male and female are engaged in hatching alternately for a month.

Curious facts

1. The name of the species of birds "Dead End" comes from the word "dull", which is associated with a feature of the form of the beak.
2. Not so long ago, the Atlantic representative of birds was added to the Red Book.
3. People often use the meat of these birds for cooking. However, the hunt for a dead end is officially banned.
4. Dead ends are often depicted on postage stamps in various states.

Video: dead end (Fratercula arctica)