Over the course of several centuries, the wigeon duck has been of great interest to people. The bird lives in the wild, and, having seen it once in the picture, you can no longer confuse it with another species. Thanks to the bright color, the birds are easy to remember. Hunters consider it luck to get this “treasured bird”, since tracking a cautious duck is not an easy task.
Who is she, the "cherished bird"?
Squid belongs to the family of ducks, anseriformes. For them, a separate group was determined due to the structure of the beak - it is smaller than that of standard ducks. Their species refers to companion birds that prefer to pack in flocks of up to 100 individuals. Moreover, they are considered very cautious and vigilant representatives of birds.
The main characteristics of Sviyazi:
- Adults grow up to 50 cm.
- The weight of females ranges from 500 g to 900 g, and males - from 700 g to 1100 g.
- The size of the wings in full scope reaches 55–65 cm.
Even in the photo of the duck sviyazi it can be seen that it is much larger than many relatives from the family and has an interesting color.
Appearance Sviyazi
Representatives of the family have many differences from other ducks. The main one is the wide forehead of the bird on a small head. Sviyazi’s neck is short and thin, and the beak is short and slightly raised up. Despite its large size, the bird has short legs. The wings and tail of a wigeon duck have a clear outline and are pointed at the ends.
The color of the males is different from the females of this breed. The latter all year round in the same brown-gray color with infrequent black specks, and the mirror (feathers in the lower part of the duck wing) is black-gray. Their offspring acquires a color, like that of a mother, until the chicks grow up.
What does a male duck look like? They change color depending on the season. In the mating season, birds acquire a vivid image that attracts attention:
- A chestnut-colored throat and a bird's head with small black patches.
- White lower abdomen.
- The chest has a red tint.
- Mirror of green color with a black fringing.
- The back takes a grayish tint with a pattern.
- Black color on the sides.
- On the wings, a purple hue is visible on green.
After the mating season, the male Sviyazi duck changes color in the fall, but everything also remains bright. The back changes color to brown with a chestnut pattern. The head and neck become brown. However, the main advantage remains in males - their purely emerald mirror.
Voice of Sviyazi
Ducks of this species are distinguished not only by their bright and unusual color, but also by their voice. It sounds loud and loud, you can hear it, being far from their location. Just like color, the males have a different voice. During the mating season, he sounds more loudly, persistently and loudly: "ffrrIIruuu", "ssIIIIruuu".
In autumn, the duck’s voice changes, the males make more calm and prolonged sounds, similar to a whistle: “svviiuu”, “ppiiiuuu”. Their singing resembles the squeak of a rubber toy.
The female has a completely different set of sounds. Basically, their voice can be described as a calm and muffled quack: "kerrr".
Their habitat
Sviyazi ducks prefer to settle in the northern regions of Europe and Asia. On the territory of Russia they liked such places:
- The coastal strip of the Sea of Okhotsk.
- Northern regions of the country (Chukotka, Anadyr).
- The area of Lake Baikal.
- Siberia.
- Primorsky Krai.
For wintering, birds go to the southern regions of Asia or the eastern regions of Africa, and also prefer the warm coast of the Black and Mediterranean Sea. During the wintering season, they choose quiet bays that do not have strong gales, or settle in swamps.
Since the duck sviyaz belongs to watchful, wary birds, then she chooses a safe place to move in. Preference is given to river reservoirs with a muddy bottom, and along the edges with abundant vegetation. Taiga, forest - ideal places to settle.
An important factor when choosing a place is the field located next to their "home". It is good if cereal plants grow on it and a small number of lonely trees and bushes are present.
Lifestyle
These ducks are classified as special and amazing birds. They are considered one of the most devoted among birds. If the male has found a female for himself, then he will not pretend to another lady. However, with such devotion their irresponsibility is absolutely not combined. Males of this breed do not participate in the formation of a nest for egg laying (in many birds this process falls on the shoulders of the head of the family). But females are not very meticulous in this matter. They prefer to look for a prepared place where minor improvements are needed. After laying eggs, males leave the nest after 2–4 days.
Sviyazi ducks do not like open spaces; they give preference to ponds of small sizes and lead a daily lifestyle there. They are considered lovers of sleep - they manage to do this in the afternoon on the water, their heads down.
In these wild birds, surprisingly, a large number of qualities are collected that are not clear how they get along with each other. But nature created them like that, and this only adds to their special charm and mystery.
What menu do sviyazi prefer
About these ducks, we can safely say that they are vegetarians. A variety of bugs and insects can get to their menu randomly along with vegetation. The wig prefers to eat grass near its habitat or in the water. Often, birds gather on the shore and dig up the roots of plants.
If there are fields near their habitat with cereals growing on them, then they will gladly prefer to take a walk on them for the seeds of plants. As well as a tasty morsel for these ducks, algae growing at the bottom of water bodies are considered. However, because of their laziness, they do not particularly complicate themselves with diving. To obtain algae, the wig tries to be near other waterfowl, which, diving for prey, cling to the desired food from the bottom.
How do they breed?
As stated earlier, sziyazi are loyal birds, which is why they pair up in the fall, before wintering or during the flight. They come back together for laying eggs.
The couple spends all the time without parting - the males do not leave the chosen one even for a minute. The males circling nearby, emitting a beautiful whistle, a little fluffy tail. Surrounding males understand that a pair has formed. However, there are cases when lonely ducks of their breed pretend to be a busy lady, then, perhaps, a clash between them will occur.
The female begins to lay eggs in May and early June. Typically, the number of eggs does not exceed 10-12 pcs. After that, the duck incubates them for 21–25 days, and the males do not withstand the entire period next to it, after a few days they leave the nest and go for molting. When the chicks hatch, they only need 40–45 days of guardianship. After which they become completely independent.
Sviyazi are amazing representatives of ducks. The combination of such various facets of character in them does not cease to amaze. They are loyal birds and, at the same time, irresponsible, friendly and alert, with an incredible voice and a bright, defiant color. That is what they are — duck ducks.