The content of the article
- Latin name: Podiceps grisegena
- Detachment. Grebe-like. Podicipediformes
- Family. Grebes. Podicipedidae.
- Status. 1 category. Endangered species.
- Guard rank. Local.
Habitat
In the central part of Russia, the boundaries of the range of representatives of these birds reach Arkhangelsk. In the Yaroslavl region is part of the nesting area. Seroshchekoy grebe settles on a part of the Rybinsk Reservoir belonging to the Darwin Nature Reserve. Also, birds were found in the floodplain of Lake Nero and on the Ukhra River. Flying representatives of this species have been repeatedly noticed on the lakes of the Nekrasovsky district and Lake Pleshcheevo.
In addition to the European part of Russia, the gray-cheeked grebe settles in the water bodies of Western Siberia. Individuals of this species can be found in Kamchatka, its representatives even go beyond 69o north latitude in eastern Siberia.
The gray-toed grebe is widespread on the territory of Western Europe from Denmark and Holland, and it can also be found on the water bodies of North America. In the east, representatives of this species can be seen in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and the territory of the People’s Republic of China.
Gray-faced grebe is a migratory and nomadic species. Birds prefer to winter on the coast of the North Atlantic and on the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes reaching Italy.
Population size
Description of view characteristics
The size of the representatives of the species "Sulfur-toadstool" is average, like that of an ordinary city pigeon. The beak is straight, long, closer to the conical shape. The color of the beak is black with a transition to yellow at the base. The color of the feathers on the bird's body is different: on the back it is dark, and on the abdomen - white. The bird's head is black above, and the throat and cheeks are highlighted with a lighter feather color. During the flight of the gray-toadled grebe, you can see white spots on the wings.
In the mating season, the color of gray-cheeked grebes changes - a red-brown coloration appears on the neck, slightly extending to the upper part of the bird's plumage. The colors of males and females do not differ.
Habitat and lifestyle
Gray-faced grebe, as a rule, prefers to settle in groups or pairs. For nesting birds choose small ponds with a large number of thickets of aquatic plants. Individuals can nest both on the lake and in a swamp or overgrown pond. Large natural water bodies and reservoirs of birds are rarely chosen for their nesting, regardless of the degree of development of aquatic vegetation.
Representatives of this species of waterfowl are quite silent and secretive. Adults avoid open water and prefer to travel in the thickets of reeds and cattails to be safe. However, during courtship games, gray-cheeked grebes begin to make a lot of noise with their loud cries.Males perform ritual mating demonstrations in twilight darkness.
Future parents make the nest arrangement among the thickets of sedge plants, at a shallow depth. The constructed nest is located in the water and is attached with the base to the bottom. In rare cases, grebes make a nest buoyant, and attach it to plants.
A couple of eggs hatch together. The eggshell is dull, off-white, with a bluish or greenish tint. In the brood, as a rule, from 2 to 6 chicks. They are able to be on the water from the first moment of life, but for safety, parents move their cubs on their backs. Immediately after birth, the chicks do not move away from their native nest. After a few days, young toadstools begin to actively master swimming, moving throughout the pond. Reach the age of fledging, as a rule, no more than 3 chicks.
As food, birds use fish, as well as small amphibians. A small part of the diet of sulfur-toadstools is composed of aquatic invertebrates and plants. The bird eats mainly from the surface of the reservoir or, diving to a shallow depth. The maximum diving time of gray-cheeked grebes does not exceed 30 seconds.
Population Restriction Factors
Gray-toadled grebe is less and less common in habitual habitats due to the active spread of tourist vacations in its nesting places. Ponds inhabited by grebes are actively visited by people who scare birds with their noise and vanity.
The second negative factor in the decrease in the population of silver-footed grebes is autumn bird hunting. At the time of migration, representatives of birds are especially noticeable and vulnerable to hunters.
Recommendations for the conservation of the species in vivo
- Protection of famous nesting sites for gray-faced grebes.
- Continuous work on the search for new nesting territories with a view to their inclusion in the protection system of this population.
- Intensified propaganda among local populations visiting habitat. The purpose of outreach activities is to convey to tourists and hunters the importance of protecting birds during the flight and nesting periods.
State security measures
At the moment, representatives of this species are protected in the Yaroslavl region in two special natural zones. We are talking about the national park "Pleshcheyevo Lake" and the Darwin State Nature Biosphere Reserve.
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