It is difficult to find a creature more modest in appearance, and at the same time, a creature that is so conspicuous than a goat-bird. Here itâs even just right to talk about some kind of charisma, when, with a plain appearance, someone or something becomes the center of general attention. No matter where the goat appeared, its presence never went unnoticed and immediately grew into all sorts of speculations, legends, etc. This, incidentally, is indicated by the name of the bird.
Legend: why was the bird called a goat-duster?
Kozodoev is also commonly called night swallows, although there is practically no similarity with swallows. Unless some very, very common features.
Well, the word "goat" itself has a rather interesting origin. According to one of the German legends, once this nondescript bird secretly from the villagers got into the habit of milking their cattle - including goats. And people came up with her such an original name.
Goat Bird on the actually likes to be near places of high concentration of livestock. But by no means milk attracts her, but clouds of insects that seek to profit at the expense of cows, goats or sheep, and in the end they themselves become the food of a feathered predator. The latter often comes close to the animal and, flying under his belly, catches its prey.
Where is the common goat?
The Goat family combines a large number of different species of birds, which are related by common features of appearance and "character." One of the most common is a species called the common goat.
This bird is found in Eurasia, as well as in northwestern Africa. It feels best in temperate latitudes, but is also found in southern European regions - for example, on the islands of the Mediterranean.
In Russia, goats are widespread, starting from the western borders and ending with Transbaikalia. If you follow from north to south, then the bird can be found already in the Arkhangelsk region, and it will accompany the traveler to the southernmost points of the country. And much to the south - in Syria, Afghanistan, Northern Iraq, in the west of India and China - ordinary goats live.
This bird is a migratory bird and travels long distances every year. As a place for wintering, as a rule, he chooses the territory just south of the Sahara desert.
Living conditions
In order for the goat to live calmly and comfortably, he needs the following conditions:
- A large number of nocturnal insects.
- Good review.
- Dry litter.
- The ability to suddenly leave the nest, if suddenly a predator was next to it.
Transparent pine forests ideally correspond to all this, where there is enough sunlight and insects, and the sandy soil is dry and warm. Felling, clearings, wastelands and wastelands, which are often chosen by the bird by the goat, are also quite suitable. And if for many other feathered forests deforestation becomes destructive, here it is the other way around - the population only increases as a result of such human actions.
Even Kozodoi sometimes settle in river valleys, on the slopes of beams, in abandoned quarries, at military training grounds, in the steppes ...
But the neighborhood with busy roads for them is similar to death. The fact is that the light of car headlights attracts various midges. And, trying to catch dinner, the night birds fall right under the wheels.
The appearance of the goat
The common goat is a small bird. In size, it is approximately like a blackbird. Its body length reaches 28 centimeters with a wingspan of up to 60 cm. The average individual weighs 60-100 grams.
The feathers of the Kozodoy are soft and lush. Like owls. Thanks to them, the bird gives the impression of being larger than it actually is. The "shape" of the goat is elongated. This applies to the body, and sharp wings, and tail.
The appearance of the bird is quite colorful and combines the characteristics of several other animals. So, for example, she âborrowedâ her short legs from a swift, a small beak from a swallow, and a huge mouth from a frog. Her eyes are also large, very expressive.
The bird is âclothedâ with a goat in discreet âclothesâ of a brownish-gray scale. The back is replete with red, black and chestnut stripes, and on the abdomen brown color is mixed with ocher. Under the eyes are white stripes. There are spots on the sides of the neck of the bird: white for the male, red for the female. Otherwise, there are no special differences between males and females.
Peculiar singing
An ordinary goat, with its ordinary appearance, has an unusual voice. It can hardly be confused with the voice of any other bird. The scream of a goat is heard at a distance of up to a thousand meters. It is published by males sitting on the branches of trees and devotedly singing from sunset to dawn.
If you select analogies, then these songs can be compared with the sound of frogs or the sound of a working motorcycle engine. When the male is calm, he emits a loud ârirrrâ. And when frightened, something like "FĂźrr-FĂźrr-FĂźrr."
The "song season" begins a few days after the return of the goats from wintering and ends at the finish of the summer. True, around mid-July, the singers pause for a while and fall silent.
Capricorn in flight
Goat Flight is a special song. As noted above, his legs are short, completely unsuitable for walking. But the wings are long, with a large scale.
Rising above the crowns of trees, a clumsy bird on the earth turns into the queen of the sky. She is graceful and virtuoso, clever and beautiful ... You can watch the flight of the goat eternally forever. It either floats smoothly in the air, or suddenly it rushes down with a stone or abruptly leaves to one side, fleeing a predator and arranging a real air show.
True, these birds do not rise very high. And not because they are not capable, but because such feats are unnecessary for them - because at large distances from the earth there are no insects. "Free" the same "artists" will not perform.
About nutrition
Anyone who wants to enjoy a goatâs eye in flight should remember: this is best done in the dark, since itâs the âgoat chaserâ that usually goes hunting at night. And in the afternoon indulges in a well-deserved rest in the shadow of the branches.
The standard "diet" of a goat is small bugs, midges, nocturnal butterflies, mayflies, bugs. Sometimes it is possible to catch a wasp or a bee.
To improve the digestion process, the bird also eats sand, small pebbles and some plants. And the undigested food by the goat, like owls and falcons, belches lumps.
A hungry bird at night becomes very active and even arrogant. It can easily go beyond its food borders and hunt on foreign territory. If the goat is relatively full, he is too lazy to fly high. And sometimes it doesnât even come off the ground or branches, hoping that the food will crawl to it itself. And then he, so be it, will peck out some âlostâ wasp.
The senses and habits of the goat
Of all the senses, the goats have the best developed vision - which is why they like to settle in places with good visibility in order to be able to use their most effective âweaponâ against predators.
Hearing and touch are after sight in second and third place. Taste sensory organs are practically not developed, and scientists have not yet given a clear answer regarding the sense of smell. Some people think that the goat has none at all.
The bird does not shine with mental abilities. But then she is resourceful, prudent, has a quick reaction, can be fearless and selfless.
Sensing an imminent danger, the goat is trying to get rid of a little blood, simply merging with the environment and remaining invisible. If she feels that she no longer has time to disguise herself, then she goes all-in: she takes off sharply, clapping her wings noisily, and retreats to a safe distance. And taken by surprise, unable to take off, the goat courageously rushes at the enemy, hisses loudly and widely opens its huge frog mouth in the hope of scaring the enemy.
The behavior of the goat-parents is very touching. If a predator approaches close to their babies or clutch, adult individuals, pretending to be wounded, try to drag him along, risking their lives.
Who threatens the goat?
Although, frankly, resorting to the above tricks of the goats is not necessary so often. These birds have few enemies. Thanks to their charisma, they have gained respect and a special reputation among people. Many peoples of Africa, India and even Europe believe that it is impossible to hunt for a goat-dodger - this is fraught with trouble. The bird was almost elevated to the rank of the sacred.
Among her enemies are only a few predatory animals, birds and snakes. But they do not cause tangible damage.
Propagation Features
The goat nests in pairs. And the desire to seek a partner in a bird appears somewhere in the third year of life. Although already in a year with a small individual is considered mature.
The courtship process of the goats is very interesting ... The males arrive ahead of time to the site where they plan to start arranging the family hearth. Inspected and mastered. About ten days later, females appear here, and real performances begin.
Cavaliers, like butterflies, flutter in front of their chosen ones, trying their best to draw attention to the white spots on their neck (apparently, they are signal). At the same time, they sing and loudly make intricate pa in the air.
If a lady prefers a romantic prelude, the male proceeds to business more mundane - he shows the future "mistress of the house" several options for places for masonry. And the female already selects one of them, and pairing takes place there.
To say that ordinary goats build nests in the literal sense of the word is impossible. As a rule, we are talking about a bunch of wood dust, or moss litter, or a carpet of last yearâs leaves ... Something listed above, carefully covered with a bush or fallen branches, is the standard goatâs nest.
Clutch in the "nest" usually appears in the last days of May or in the first days of June. It most often consists of two elongated eggs of white or grayish color with ornate "marbled" patterns, elliptical in shape. It happens that there are more eggs in the clutch. But most likely these are "foundlings." The female is mainly engaged in hatching offspring. The male only sometimes replaces her.
After about 18 days in the "house" of the goats, the voices of newborn babies are heard.
Chicks
Chicks do not usually hatch from eggs at the same time. The break between the appearance of the older and younger can be a whole day. Baby goats come to this world ugly, with ugly proportions. But they take on a âcivilianâ look rather quickly. As, in fact, independence.
They are distinguished by activity and energy. Two weeks after birth, they are trying to take off, after three - they fly pretty well, and after five - they no longer need parental care and leave their native "nest" in order to independently prepare for the upcoming flight to warm regions.
Gigantic goat: description
As noted at the very beginning of the article, the Goat family is divided into many species. One of them is a giant goat, characterized by larger sizes and the presence of bristles around the mouth (other species do not have this feature).
These birds live in almost all countries of South and Central America with the highest concentration in the humid forests of the Amazon. Also found in the Caribbean. They are distinguished by their sedentary nature - they simply do not need to migrate anywhere.
Gigantic goats also hunt at night. But not in the air, but sitting on a stump, disguised as a knot and using the mechanism of "flytrap". They have a large head, a mouth too, and the beak is âequippedâ with a special thin tooth.
Birds have a unique vision system - their eyes see prey even through closed eyelids. This species of birds in some classifications is designated as a forest goat. This happens because the main habitat of its habitat are forests.
The most common subspecies
Gigantic goats, in turn, are divided into several subspecies. And the most common of them is considered a gray forest goat. It is found in southern Mexico, in Argentina and Paraguay, as well as on the Antilles (with the exception of Cuba).
It is a large bird, whose body length is approximately 38 centimeters, and its weight is two to three times higher than the corresponding indicators of the common goat milk. The plumage is gray (hence the name), with stripes and specks of black.
The methods of food production in birds are the same as in all gigantic ones - according to the principle of flytrap. And she disguises the same way - under the stump of a stump.
The gray goat does not stand out in terms of the regime - it hunts at night, and sleeps during the day, pretending to be a column. Yes, he pretends so well that you can even come close and touch him without suspecting anything!
He, like his other relatives, is a wonderful artist. Perhaps this quality makes unprepossessing goats so unusual and attractive in the eyes of people.