Among the numerous bird kingdom, there is a very interesting species, representatives of which are distinguished by their dislike of flying. This is very surprising, because the birds are made for the sky. Nature rewarded them with wings, but this feathery practically does not rise into the air. The name of the bird is the corncrake (see photo below), it is also called the dergach.
In the evenings from the meadows unusual crackling sounds are heard, in some ways they resemble the croaking of frogs. Dergachi make such a crack, because of their timidity, they are difficult to see, but they can easily hear. This article will discuss how the crustel looks, where it lives, how it survives in the wild.
Description
The largest corostel, the photo of which you have already seen, resembles a small, just-fledged chicken weighing 125-155 g. Only the old obese dergachs gain more weight. The body of the bird visually seems flattened from the sides, the tail is quite short, the wing length is 14-16 cm, the beak is short (2-2.2 cm), wide at the base.
Above, the color of the feathers is colorful, reddish-brown. The center of the pen is blackish, the end grayish. The sides and abdomen are buffy-white with reddish stripes. Chest, goiter and neck of gray color. The rainbow is reddish brown or hazel. In a word, the bird coronet, he is a dergach, looks modestly and does not stand out by the brightness of its plumage.
Area
Dergachi nest in Eurasia, from France and Britain in the west to South Yakutia in the east, from northern taiga lands to semi-deserts. The range of these birds captures the Caucasian foothills. For wintering, the bird cornel goes to the warm regions of Southeast Africa.
Dergachi prefer to settle in dry and floodplain meadows, among perennial grasses, in uncultivated overgrown gardens, in forest clearings, in semi-dry swamp areas. Gardens and grain fields are also suitable for birds. They like to have ponds nearby, but these birds can’t tolerate excessive humidity in their territories.
Korostel: sounds, screams
Talking about the bird corostel, it is worth noting that its old Russian name "dergach" came from the tugging, jerky cry of these birds. The sounds of birds corostel in an open area can be heard even for a kilometer. The males are especially different in such a loud “singing”; females behave more modestly.
Corncrake, whose sounds are usually heard at night, at dusk or at dawn, is especially different during the mating season. With his loud, as if twitching cry “geek-geek, geek-geek, geek-geek ...” the male tries to attract the attention of females and at the same time challenges the competitors.
During their marriage “songs”, the crustel is so excited that it will not hear if you approach it even too close. It is only necessary to step during the "verses of the song" when the bird screams. At such moments, she simply stuns herself with her own sounds. During the cry, the dergach greatly extends its neck forward, while turning in different directions.
If the bird is frightened or it feels danger, an unusually strong and sharp cry will come from its throat, like the chirp of a magpie. Also, the crust can surprise us with another sound, quickly repeating "I". It is with its unusual chants that the bird corolla differs from other feathered songs, a description of its cries and sounds is a confirmation of this.
Lifestyle
The domicile of the dergach (bird) prefers to choose wet meadows with tall grass. Most often, these birds can be found in fields sown with crops.
Korostel belongs to lonely night residents. If weather conditions permit, nimble, tireless birds lead an active lifestyle all night and only in the early morning, at sunrise, go to rest.
It is very difficult to see the dergach in the grass; it rises into the air only when absolutely necessary. So this bird is easier to hear than to consider. Feathered run, bending the front of the body and head to the ground so that the tail is higher. During movement, the bird nods its head all the time to look around; sometimes it straightens and extends its neck to the full length. When such a short inspection takes place, the dergach makes a special cry, as if invigorating himself and convincing that there is no danger.
If danger cannot be avoided, the bird corostel first of all tries to escape by flight. The runner of this feathered bird is unsurpassed, his narrow body promotes rapid movement in high dense grass. When it fails to escape, the bird has to take off. She does this somewhat awkwardly and slowly. In flight, her legs are lowered down, this action does not last long, after a few meters the dergach sits in the grass and continues to be rescued in a more convenient way for herself by land.
Breeding
The male dergach can be safely called a skilled boyfriend and experienced ladies' man. Although it is fair to say that while he is caring for one female, he does not spend time on others. From the foregoing, it becomes clear that corostels are consistently polygamous.
The mating season runs from April to July. As mentioned earlier, during bird weddings, males become very noisy. In addition to “songs,” they also conquer the hearts of females by dancing. When a female enters the field of vision of a male, he begins to perform a mating dance, during which red spots on the wings look advantageous. But this is not the limit of the efforts of the “gentleman”; in the heat of passion, he can even give his feathered darlings “cute” gifts in the form of snails and worms. If the male does not reach such generosity, the female herself may demand a treat from him.
In one season, a male can mate with 2-3 females, on average, two girls per one boy. His responsibilities do not include building a nest, hatching eggs and caring for offspring. As soon as the female begins to lay eggs, the male goes in search of another chosen one.
The future feathered mother arranges her nest among small bushes or among dense grass. First, she digs a shallow hole, then sheats the bottom with moss, stalks of sedge and cereals. In one clutch there are from 7 to 12 eggs. The female incubates them independently, without the help of a negligent dad.
Offspring
Dergach (bird) sits on eggs for three weeks, then chicks are born from them. They are covered with a brown-black fluff. The babies cannot be called completely helpless, because almost immediately after the fluff dries, the chicks boldly leave the nest and accompany their mother.
The first 3-4 days of life, the bird corostel feeds its young from the beak. When the kids turn 2 weeks old, they become completely independent, they can get their own food. At the age of one month, young birds begin to make their first flights and leave the care of their mother.
Female dergachs living in Western Europe can make two egg clutches and breed two broods of chicks during the summer, while feathered inhabitants of the eastern territories, because of harsh climatic conditions, make the second clutch very rarely.
Diet
Corostel poultry does not belong to vegetarians; it eats with pleasure both vegetable food and food of animal origin. Given the fact that the dergach prefers to live in fertile areas, he does not have problems with the production of food. For example, settling near a bread field, a bird can always be satisfied with grain and insects.
The diet includes seeds, young shoots of plants. The menu is complemented by small insects, millipedes, small snails, earthworms.
Population
The corostel is a very secretive and cautious bird that hides from human eyes. Therefore, it is very difficult to determine the number of dergach populations. It can only be assumed that due to the increase in the number of ecologically clean farms, these birds cannot be considered endangered.
It is, of course, worth noting that, compared with previous years, the number of corostel is declining. Wet meadows slowly but surely disappear from the landscape, as a result, the population of dergachs, which mainly live in such territories, decreases.