Dry goose goose - description, habitat, interesting facts

Everyone knows about the goose from childhood - in our youth, most of us heard a children's song about two geese living with a grandmother. From the tale of the boy Niels about how these birds look, everyone knows. It will be all the easier to talk about a representative of the goose family called Sukkon.

Dry goose or Chinese goose is the largest bird of the duck family.

Appearance

Outwardly, it bears a very strong resemblance to a domestic goose, but there are some differences: the dryland’s neck is longer, front and sides are white, back is dark brown, and the beak with a white border at the base is heavier and more massive. The beak of a dryland differs in larger sizes than in other species - the length can be up to 10 centimeters. It is the size of this part of the body that distinguishes representatives of this species from other geese and gives them some peculiarity. The beak has some bulge.

The weight of these birds ranges from 3 to 4.5 kilograms, the body length reaches 1 meter 10 centimeters, the wingspan - from 1.5 to 1.8 meters. Males outnumber females - somewhat larger. The color of the plumage of a dry sucker is almost the same as that of its domestic counterparts, only it has more brown and ocher shades.

The abdomen, as well as the undergrowth with the nuance, have a light white color. The back, wings and side are dark gray in color with thin strips running across, having a lighter color. The neck and entire chest are fawn. From the neck to the base of the beak passes a strip of coffee color, the mandible plumage has the same color shades. The legs are small, but strong, red or orange, equipped with membranes, like any waterfowl.

Males and females have the same color, young ducks have one distinctive feature - until the time they are mature, they are deprived of their light border that encircles their beak.

Habitat

There is a version that it was because of the frequent visits to China that the dead-headed man was nicknamed the Chinese goose. Shrimps are also found in the regions of Inner Mongolia, in the steppes of Kazakhstan, North and South Korea, in Vietnam and Laos, Thailand and the countries of the Middle East. Preparing for the flight and gathering in a huge flock, the geese are anxious and make a lot of noise, emitting a drawn-out gnaw. To overcome long distances, they line up with a wedge - a similar method of movement makes it possible to overcome a much greater distance than in a single flight. Because it’s easier for birds to fly in the waves created by the flapping wings of the birds that fly in front. The leader who heads the flight has the hardest time, so from time to time he goes to the very end of the flock, and another goose is added in his place, after some time giving way to the next one.

Nutrition

Shrimps feed on all types of grains and cereals growing in nature - in this regard, they are omnivorous, eagerly eat river algae, any herbs, but prefer sedge, eat all kinds of berries, and earthworms, various bugs and caterpillars are also eaten. In order to fully eat, geese choose open areas overgrown with grass near the shore of the reservoir, where grazing in a crowd, resembling herds of livestock. Often, just-planted fields are chosen for nutrition, finding food in the ground.

Sukhonosov is quite easy to tame and breed at home, in zoological parks and special nurseries. Thanks to this species, domestic Chinese geese appeared. Goose, living on the farm next to a person, in addition to the above listed food, diversify the diet with compound feed, alfalfa, carrots, all kinds of cabbage, sugar beets and silage.

How drylands breed

A pair of geese is chosen during a flight to their homeland or immediately after returning to their native lands. Nests begin to equip in May, choosing swampy areas near the water surface in reed beds. The female digs a small hole in the ground and the arrangement of the nest begins in it. Stems of last year's dry grass, plants growing near the water, are under construction, the bottom is lined with down and feathers.

In the masonry, the female usually has from five to eight eggs weighing about 15 g, she hatches them for 30 days, all the time being in the nest. The male obtains food for feed and carries security activities.

Having hatched, the ducklings, having dried, leave the nest, together with their parents move to the reservoir and for a long time are under the supervision of their parents, moving in small groups. Seeing the enemy, they seek salvation in dense grasses or dive into a reservoir. In the first months of life, adult birds do not release young animals into more open spaces, fearing an attack by enemies. As a rule, only the next year the children are separated from the general pack, making couples. Until this time, are under the supervision of adults.

Molting

Shedding and change of feathers depends on weather conditions, first comes from old, non-nesting birds. Then young dry-nosed carriers begin to molt - approximately, in the first days of June. Adult and mature birds molt a month and a half later - in July-August. The process lasts approximately 30 days.

Sukhonos and man

Hunting wild goose-dry goose is forbidden, although there are cases of poaching and the destruction of nests. Thus, the number of species is steadily declining. The reasons for this are human activities: the construction of various kinds of hydroelectric power plants, the drainage of swamps, the construction of land in floodplains, the regulation of river flows, and concern about the human presence.

Interesting Facts

1. Sukhonos, unlike other species, the bird is sociable and not cowardly, does not run away from people. This served not only faster taming, but also the extermination of geese of this species.
2. Sukhonos is a rare endangered species, so it is listed in the Red Book. In the world there are no more than 10,000 individuals, and in Russia there are about 200 pairs.
3. Sukhonos male takes the nest guard very seriously. Repeatedly, there were cases when, in order to distract and divert enemies, he pretended to be wounded and ran away, taking the attacker behind him and taking him as far as possible.
4. Sukhonos dive and swim beautifully. The goose got its name from the fact that, plunging while swimming with the whole body into the water, it holds its beak above the surface of the water surface.
5. Only during flights and breeding do birds gather in flocks. For the rest, they prefer to live in small groups - from 30 to 45 individuals.

Video: goose-dried goose (Anser cygnoides)