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Grouse belong to the subfamily of grouse. In Eurasia, birds of this species live in very many areas. They live in the taiga, in western Europe. The habitat extends to Korea. Among all representatives of the subfamily, representatives of this species are small in size.
Description
The length of the bird is on average 35-37 cm. The wingspan is about half a meter. Grouse is small in weight: males - 330-585 g, females - about 20 g less. The mass of hazel grouse can fluctuate depending on the time of year. In winter, they gain a little weight, so in December their weight reaches its peak. During the winter, they lose weight.
The bird has a small head. She has a powerful and short beak, has a curved shape. Its length is about 1 cm. The bird has a colorful plumage. The coloring contains stripes and specks of various colors - white, black and red. But between them there is no bright contrast, therefore, if you look at the hazel grouse from afar, you get the impression that the bird is smoky gray. When it flies, a dark strip is visible near the base of the tail.
The male has a black speck in the throat area. The crest on his head is more pronounced than that of the female. But otherwise, representatives of different sexes are not very different from each other. They can be distinguished by the color of the throat and lower part of the head, which are gray in female, while in males these parts have black plumage. The female is slightly smaller, but there is no significant difference. In autumn and winter, the bird looks a little lighter.
Food
In summer and spring, this bird has the opportunity to find food on the ground. She eats various seeds, berries. Hazel grouse may well eat some kind of insect or spider, but they eat such food much less often. Representatives of the species, who live farther south, feed on bugs, ants and other insects. When summer ends and autumn begins, the bird eats mountain ash, pecking it from the trees.
In autumn and winter, the bird is more difficult to find food. Hazel grouse eats buds, the tips of branches, and also catkins of trees. In winter, the bird can eat them even in a frozen state.
When the chicks hatch, they eat animal food. In the early days, their food consists of ant eggs, some insects. But soon they begin to eat the same way as in adults. Berries and greens are eaten.
In order for the grouse to digest normally, they regularly eat very small stones. When the chick reaches ten days of age, he already begins to swallow particles of sand or small limestone. Instead of pebbles, sometimes they eat the hips of wild rose or bird cherry.
Habitat
This bird lives in Eurasia. She lives in forests located from the west of Europe to Japan itself. The western border of the range is France. In the south and east, they are distributed to Altai and Korea. Bird can be found on Sakhalin.
Today it is noted that the habitat of hazel grouse is being torn, and the number of representatives of the species is decreasing. This is due to the fact that man is doing more and more harm to nature.
The hazel grouse lives in mixed forests with clearings and streams.
Views
- Grouse Severtsova. This bird reaches 33-36 cm in length. Weight 295-370, females 20-50 g less. Plumage in representatives of the species as in the common hazel grouse. They live in China and Tibet.
- Collar. The body has a length of 42-47 cm. The length of the beak is approximately 2 cm. This hazel grouse weighs half a kilogram or more. Sometimes the weight can even reach 800 g.individuals living in the north have a plumage of gray color, while the southern inhabitants have a red-brown color. They have a colorful color. These grouse live in North America, in countries such as the United States and Canada. They live in forests, meadows, rocks, which are covered with vegetation.
Gender difference
The difference between the sexes of representatives of this species is the smaller size of the female. In addition, there are differences in the plumage of birds. In males, the lower part of the head is black in color. Their neck is also black. In a female, these parts of the body are covered with gray plumage. The crest of the male is more pronounced. In addition, he has a small black spot on his throat.
Breeding
Representatives of the species are monogamous birds. In addition, they choose for themselves a certain breeding territory, to which they then remain attached. The currenting period begins with the onset of the thaw. In the habitat of these birds, this time falls on the second half of March or the beginning of April. The period can last until approximately May, but can continue even until July. It depends on what climate zone they live in.
When the male begins to current, he makes whistling sounds, dissolves feathers. The bird runs on the surface of the earth with its wings and tail.
Each male has its own territory for this. They do not enter foreign territory. When the female hears these sounds, she approaches and begins to make her characteristic sounds. They are also whistling, but coarser and jerky.
Female builds a nest. It is not located on trees, but on the ground. The bird chooses a place that will be invisible to predators or other threats. It can be under a bush or deadwood. Grouse makes a small hole, which is lined with foliage and grass. The depth of the nest is usually about 5 cm. Its diameter is about 20 cm or a little more. Egg laying begins in May.
The eggs have a smooth surface. At one time, the female can lay a different number of eggs, it ranges from 3-14 pieces. The female is engaged in hatching. But the male does not fly away far from the nest. Since the female has a motley color, this allows her to disguise herself and be almost invisible to predators.
After 21 days, chicks appear. They immediately have feathers and are able to run on the ground on the first day. A day after the birth of the hazel grouse is looking for small insects. Females help chicks find food. At the same time, the male is always next to his family.
After 2 weeks, the chicks begin to grow actively. Already at two months of age, their weight corresponds to the weight of an adult. When the molting period passes, the chicks begin to live independently.
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Interesting Facts
- In winter, these birds spend the night in the snow.
- About 40 million grouse live in Russia. The population is declining, but today there is no threat to the species.
- The meat of this bird is a delicacy. Earlier during the time of Tsarist Russia, as well as during the period of the USSR, a huge number of hazel grouses were exported abroad. Today, hunting for these birds is very popular.
Video: hazel grouse (Bonasa bonasia)
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