Steppe harrier - description, habitat, interesting facts

Steppe harrier is a rare species of bird of prey from the family Hawk, from the order Hawk-shaped.

Appearance

Males have a light back and dark shoulders, cheeks and eyebrows in gray or white. The plumage is mainly light gray or completely white. The wings are long, but narrow and have pointed ends; sometimes they are characterized by an ashy or white color with light edges.

On the stomach, most of the body has a gray plumage. The tail is represented by light tones. Has a brown or brown short, curved beak. Paws and retina yellow. The length of the body without a head is 45-47 cm. It weighs about 330 grams.

Females are slightly different from males, primarily feathers. So, the upper part of them is dark in color, and the neck and head have a very variegated color scheme. The outer part of the wing is also dark, with a reddish finish. The face has a white color, in particular, near the eyes.

Cheeks do not stand out among the body and have the same dark brown color with a brown tint. The nails have a whitish hue, with heterogeneous spots. On the tail are several brown feathers with black stripes. The undertail is red or yellow.

The lower hiding feathers are beige, with dark spots and stripes. The iris is brown, the legs, like males, are yellow or red. The length of the body, on average, is slightly larger than that of the male, and is 45-50 cm. It weighs about 450 grams.

Habitat

A rare species is most often found in the following areas:

1. In the steppes of southeastern Europe, southern Belarus and the western part of the Black Sea coast.
2. In the territory of Central Asia, near Altai and the southwestern regions of Transbaikalia.
3. In the north they live almost everywhere near Moscow and neighboring regions.
4. In summer, birds can be seen in Siberia, near St. Petersburg and not far from Novosibirsk and Irkutsk.
5. They also live in southern Russia, in the Crimea, in Transcaucasia and in some countries of the Middle East.
6. Sometimes several representatives can be seen in the following countries: Kazakhstan, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Estonia.

Most often birds migrate to the central and southern regions of India, Burma, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and northern Africa. There are separate families that do not migrate.

Lifestyle

The species does not settle in places where there is no sufficient source of water, and also where there is a lack of rodents. If they settle in forests, then nests are made in glades, or in places of dense vegetation, near bushes and in tall grass. The main activity occurs during the day.

The main habitats of the steppe moon are the steppes and semi-deserts, therefore, it leads a corresponding lifestyle. Sometimes they also settle in forest stands and close to the countryside.

Nests of moons are located on the earth, on low elevations, as well as in different reeds and under bushes. Eggs are laid between April and early May. This species is endangered, and there is no exact data on the number of its representatives; they can fluctuate with each migration.

Adult representatives fly slowly and smoothly, with slight swaying in the air. The voice of these birds is not very expressive and looks like a rattling and makes shaky screaming sounds that turn into frequent cries.

Food

It is worthwhile to understand that this is a bird of prey and they hunt not only for moving targets, but also any living creatures that sit on the ground. As for most members of the family, the main dish for this predator is small rodents, lizards and smaller birds with chicks.

The main diet:

• mice, hamsters;
• ground squirrels and shrews;
• pestals, quail;
• larks, waders;
• little black grouse, chicks.

In addition to these dishes, residents of the Altai Territory do not disdain large insects, including locusts, grasshoppers, dragonflies and bugs.

The hunting grounds of this bird have a limited radius and are usually located near the nest, since the flight for prey is carried out at a low altitude and only along a certain route. The hunting process is similar to the hunt of many of their relatives, having noticed the victim, the moon drops sharply and opens its wide tail right before landing.

Reproduction and longevity

The breeding season begins in the spring. During this period, the males try to show themselves in every possible way to the female, they can skyrocket and then sharply fall and spin. Such "flirting" can not do without loud cries and exclamations while approaching the nest.

The nests have a relatively small coverage area and a shallow litter, and also have a very simple structure. Usually it represents a standard pit bounded by dry branches and grass. One egg laying does not exceed six pieces.

Chicks usually hatch between June and July. They begin to fly within 2-3 weeks after they hatched.

In natural conditions, the steppe harrier lives no longer than 20 years.

View Status

The main threat to the moon is the steppe eagle. But even a flock of such enemies will not lead to a strong reduction in the number of species. From this point of view, hunting is a much greater threat. This species appears in the Red Book of many countries where it lives. Also, a threat in some areas is the plowing of land and grazing of cattle, mowing fields and meadows, deforestation, and drainage of water bodies. The approximate number of living representatives today is no more than 40 thousand. But this figure is far from accurate, in Russia there are no data at all on the number of these birds.