Wigeon duck bird. Wigeon lifestyle and habitat

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Kira Stoletova

The northern beauty duck Wigeon is easily distinguishable from other wild relatives due to its memorable appearance. Even after just one glance at the photo, it will be easy to recognize her when meeting face to face. But this bird has other features, which will also be discussed.

Duck Wigeon

What are the differences between the wigeon and other species of ducks?

The duck differs from many representatives of its family by the following basic characteristics:

• quite small in size;
• active cultivation, use in industrial sectors for the production of meat with excellent taste, feathers that can retain heat;
• hunters and collectors prefer to make stuffed wigeon ducks because of their beautiful, unusual color;
• color during the mating season is distinguished by its variety of shades and their combinations;
• small head with a fairly large, wide forehead;
• short thin neck;
• small legs, despite the overall size of the bird;
• tail, wings clearly stand out, pointed towards the ends;
• The voices of wigeon ducks are similar to whistling, which also distinguishes them from other birds.

Object of hunting

In Russia and the CIS there are various species of ducks (about forty). Approximately thirty species are widespread and are the object of commercial and sport hunting.

Birds of the duck family are prey for hunters not only for their meat. The common eider sea duck, for example, is prized for its down. Eggs of shelducks and goldeneyes are collected in some regions, and the colorful mandarin duck is bred for decorative purposes.

How to properly aim at a sitting duck?

When hunting ducks, you need to take into account that if a duck sits or swims on the water, then it is less vulnerable to shot than a flying duck, and the distance can be the same. This is explained by the fact that the feathers of a sitting duck fit tightly, and if you consider that in addition to feathers, the duck also has down, then everything together forms a very solid shell. In addition, a sitting or swimming duck is a smaller target compared to a flying duck. If possible, when hunting ducks over long distances, avoid shooting sitting ducks. Spring and late autumn are the times when ducks are well feathered, so they are stronger for shot at this time. In summer, ducks are most vulnerable.

How to properly aim at a flying duck?

Surely, every hunter knows that in order to catch a flying duck while hunting, you need to aim and shoot not at the bird’s carcass, but slightly ahead of it. This is explained simply. After all, some time will pass between pressing the trigger of the gun and the moment when the ejected shot reaches the target, in our case a flying bird. And the bird that came under the gun will have time to fly a certain distance. Therefore, when hunting ducks, you need to aim and shoot in front of the target. But at what distance to shoot in front of the target depends on how fast the target moves, what is the distance between the muzzle of the gun and the target. The greater the distance and speed of the target, the greater the distance you need to take in front of the target and then you can hit the target directly.

So duck hunting is also about math. If you shoot at flying birds with normal shooting, as a result of a decent killing circle of a hunting rifle, then it is advisable to aim at the duck at its front part, then it will not escape the charge. Experienced hunters who have the dexterity and skill of duck hunting are able, in any conditions, at any moment, to almost instantly weigh how fast the duck is flying, what is the distance between the muzzle of the gun and the duck. All this allows them to consciously and confidently select the desired “front” and shoot.

Autumn duck hunting

Duck hunting opens on the second or third Saturday in August, depending on the region. By this time, almost all the young ducks are already flying. Duck broods continue to stay in the thickets of horsetail, reeds and other supports. Therefore, in the first days of opening, duck hunting is carried out by approaching or approaching them by boat for a flight. As soon as ducks begin to make mass flights to feed during the evening dawns, hunting for ducks on flights begins.

At the end of September - beginning of October, ducks gather in flocks and fly south. From the beginning of the flight, ducks are hunted from huts with stuffed animals, profiles and decoy ducks.

Duck hunting from a fly-by approach

How does duck hunting work from the approach? Walking duck hunting by fording is usually carried out in small, shallow reservoirs with marsh vegetation, along rivers overgrown with horsetail, grasses and bushes, and in abandoned quarries overgrown with grass.

During such a duck hunt, a trained dog can be of great benefit: it will find a hidden duck, drive it out of the supports into open water or force it to rise on its wing, catch a wounded bird and bring the killed bird to the hunter. The best dogs for duck hunting are wire-haired pointers and spaniels. It is also advisable to have a boat that the hunter can use on the water.

Video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UmUAIxKJ08Q

Sources

• https://nashzeleniymir.ru/duckhttps://birds-breed.net/page/utki.htmlhttps://www.agro-biz.ru/ohota/vidyi-dikih-utok.htmlhttps://ohota.guru/ dikie-zhivotnye/vse-o-dikix-utkax-raznovidnosti-mesta-obitaniya-perelety.htmlhttps://www.nexplorer.ru/news__11423.htmhttps://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducks

External differences between a male and a female

The female wigeon duck, as in the photo, has a brown-gray color with characteristic black splashes. The wings are black and gray. They maintain this appearance constantly and do not change their color during the spring molting. The chicks retain their mother's appearance until they mature.

The color of the male changes quite often - depending on the season. The beginning of the mating season makes it necessary for drakes to attract attention. In this regard, the color of the feathers becomes:

• the throat and head of the bird are brown with manifestations of black elements;
• the lower abdomen is white;
• the drake's chest takes on a reddish tint;
• the sides and edges of the wings are black with a violet-green tint;
• the back becomes gray with a pronounced pattern.

After the end of the mating season in the fall, the drakes change their color again - the head, back, neck become brown with chestnut patterns, the mirror acquires a bright emerald color.

Russian

Russian Corydalis are considered quite nice pet birds. The Russian variety is quite large and differs:

• sinewy, strong build;
• well-developed muscles;
• lush belly;
• long wings;
• dark brown eyes;
• Russian Crested has a wide medium tail;
• different colors of feathers.

This crested species is unpretentious to food and living conditions, and can do without a pond. She is friendly and lively

The characteristics of the breed indicate that the Russian Corydalis is calm and peaceful, but at the same time moves a lot. Lays eggs all year round. This species of bird is unpretentious in feeding (it eats ground greens and grains) and does not need a pond.

On average, a drake can weigh 2.5 kg. They also differ in their ability to hatch. Representatives of this breed require a clean and dry environment.

Habitats

Convenient, favorable conditions for the habitat of wigeon birds are small, shallow water bodies. Birds can often be found in the northern parts of Europe and Asia.

In Russia, popular, comfortable areas of bird settlement are defined as: territories close to Lake Baikal, the northern part of the country, Siberia, and all the expanses of the Primorsky Territory.

An important point for choosing a place of residence for a flock of ducks is the presence of cereal fields near the water, which will provide a sufficient amount of food.

Birds of the continents Wigeon. Video (00:01:25)

one of the most prosperous waterfowl of the northern hemisphere, belongs to the genus of river ducks of the Anatidae family. It has a stocky build and is smaller in size than the mallard and pintail, but noticeably larger than the teal. Breeds in the northern Palearctic from Iceland in the west to Chukotka and the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the east. It inhabits quiet forest reservoirs from forest-tundra to forest-steppe, but is considered primarily a northern taiga bird, where it reaches the highest nesting density. Winters in East Africa, South Asia, Indochina, and to a lesser extent in the south of temperate latitudes.

Migration Features

For the winter, wigeons go to the southern parts of Asia or the eastern regions of Africa, the warm, comfortable coasts of the Black and Mediterranean seas. Birds spend winter time in quiet, storm-free bays, which are protected from strong winds and adverse weather.

Wigeon ducks settle for wintering in marshy areas, near river reservoirs with a bottom covered with silt.

What do ducks eat?

The wigeon duck feeds exclusively on plant foods. The bird's diet consists of green plant elements that are found directly in the water or on the shore. Such birds like the root parts of vegetation. Ducks often consume grain crops during the period of sowing fields or their ripening.

In winter, birds eat various algae.

What do nests look like and where do they nest?

Wigeon ducks build their nests in secluded, safe, inconspicuous places: small depressions in the ground, not far from water, space in the roots of large trees, under branches close to the ground.

Twigs, grass, straw, and other plants are used as building materials. The peculiarity of this type of duck is the fact that only the female finds a place and carries out all the necessary steps to create a cozy nest.

Before egg laying begins, the duck additionally lines the bottom and walls of the nest with down.

Reproduction of wigeons

Some females are already able to reproduce at the end of the first year of life. Ducks begin to fly away from wintering grounds early - in March-April. Pairs are formed in the fall, and this process ends upon arrival. The courtship behavior of wigeons is not very varied. Males constantly circle around their females, ruffling the feathers on their shoulder blades and heads, but they do not pursue other females. Males raise their beaks to the sky and make loud whistles.

Wigeons are an important hunting object.

The nest is made in the form of a hole about 7 centimeters deep. It is built near water, but in a dry place. Most often it is well hidden in the grass and under bushes. The plant lining in the nest is not too rich, but the layer of fluff is thick.

Egg laying occurs from May to June. A full clutch contains 6-12 eggs, creamy white in color. The incubation period is approximately 25 days. During the incubation process, the drakes go to molt. Most often, molting occurs on lakes in Western Siberia, on the Volga, Ob, Ural and Pechora.

The chicks begin to fly at the age of 45 days. From this moment on, the broods disintegrate. Autumn flight occurs in mid-September, when frosts have already set in and snow appears.

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Birds at home, what to keep, what to feed

The excellent taste of the meat, beautiful color, and soft feathers give every reason to breed them at home or on farms. It is important to provide herbivorous birds with a large amount of young, juicy greenery. They include grain crops in their diet.

For comfortable living of ducks at home, it is enough to equip a spacious place for keeping them and build a pond.

Lifestyle

Character and habits

The Wigeon bird tends to be cautious, but overall they are incredibly friendly creatures. Their daily routine consists mainly of getting food for themselves.

These are collective ducks, in flocks they make off-season migrations, staying together almost all the time, except for the breeding season. In a photo they can easily be captured gathered in a group of tens of hundreds of individuals.

Their flight is light and fast. They easily rise from the surface of the water, rise in a vertical position and quickly return back. They do not tend to dive and are uncomfortable underwater, but they move freely in overgrown meadows and other surfaces.

Nutrition

The basis of the Sviyaz's diet is plant food: seeds, shoots, duckweed, algae, rhizomes, sea rupee, grains. It's practically vegetarian. The structure of its beak is such that it simply cannot catch fish with it, although it will be able to catch small insects flying or crawling past (worms, locusts, etc.).