The bird described in this article is beautiful and unique. Her image can be seen on a silver coin of the Bank of Russia.
A magnificent and rather rare bird is the black crane. The Red Book of Russia has in its lists this rare species of birds.
In general, all cranes are graceful birds. Their peculiarity is that they pick up a couple for themselves the only one for life, and therefore they are a symbol of fidelity. In the world there are not very many types of cranes, and most of them are rare today. And the rarest is the black crane.
Before we introduce it, consider what a list of the rarest species of birds is.
The Red Book of Russia
The birds of this book (2001 edition) are an important part of the world of animals that inhabit Russia. Every year from the whole planet the most diverse species of animals, plants, etc. disappear without a trace. These statistics are disappointing in relation to birds. Over the past century alone, the planet has lost 130 species of birds.
For many species, and Russia is a haven, a habitat, among them there are quite rare. One of them is the black crane.
This bird is so rare that ornithologists for quite a long time could not describe it, since it was almost impossible to find it. Until 1974, the black crane was considered almost a myth. Ornithologist Pukinsky in 1974 for the first time discovered a nest of this species of birds on Russian territory. After certain observations, he was able to describe him.
Today this species is relatively well studied, however, it has been included in both the Red Book of Russia and the International.
Description
The black crane is a bird from the order of cranes. Its body size in length reaches 90-100 centimeters, in height - 150 cm, and weight - about 4 kg. The body is rather dense and large, the head is small. The relatively long neck has, like many similar birds, an "S" -shaped shape. Strong, medium-length beak at the end slightly bent.
The black crane has thin, fairly long, but strong legs. The long tail due to hiding feathers is quite magnificent. The plumage of the body is thick and dense. The main body of the crane is covered with dark ash and blue-gray feathers. The feathers of the fly and tail coverts are painted black. Almost the entire head and neck are covered with white feathers. Unrefined crown is painted in bright red color. At the very base, the beak has a pinkish color, and at the end it is greenish. The crane's legs are black-brown.
Sexual dimorphism is practically not expressed. Females of cranes almost do not differ from males, only in size they are slightly smaller.
It should be noted that among all existing cranes, black is the smallest.
Where does the black crane live?
Mostly the habitat of these birds is the territory of the Russian Federation (Siberia). A slightly smaller number lives in China (north) and on the Korean peninsula. These birds prefer swampy sparse deciduous forests or marshes along the banks of which there are thickets of cotton grass and various sedges.
In total, according to scientific research, there are approximately 9 thousand individuals of this species in the world. Their favorite places are inaccessible swampy lowlands of the taiga zone. The black crane is a migratory bird, and it winters in Japan (most of the birds), in Korea and China.
The crane nesting area is not well understood. It is known that it is mainly associated with larch taiga.
Lifestyle, Behavior, Nutrition
Both behavior and voice signaling of these birds are not well understood. However, some facts are known. The black crane moves completely silently, alternately, smoothly and high raising its legs, slowly and carefully plunging them into the swamp slush. In this case, the bird's head is slightly inclined downward, and the body is always in a horizontal position.
The couple performs a beautiful mating ritual dance before mating. Birds bounce, tossing up bunches of moss. At the same time, the male emits screams, and the female repeats them after him twice.
In spring, nesting takes place, for which cranes choose a swampy area surrounded by forest. Basically, these are deaf places not affected by human activities. Nests are built from various pieces of wet peat, moss, twigs of birch and larch. Usually, the female lays no more than 2 eggs resembling the eggs of domestic geese. They incubate for about 30 days. Parents equally care about their offspring. The wings of the chicks form on the 70th day.
The basis of the diet are aquatic plants, berries, grains, insects with their larvae, small rodents, frogs and salamanders. Basically, food is picked up from the ground.
Conclusion
The Red Book of Russia is of great importance . Birds introduced into it are under reliable guard and protection.
The black crane is the rarest bird not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Careful attitude to this unique species and its protection is the personal responsibility of everyone and the primary task of environmental protection.