Partridge bird. Description, features, species, lifestyle and habitat of partridge

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The gray partridge is a small wild bird similar in size to the common domestic chicken. It has a muted gray-blue color with characteristic bright spots and a variegated pattern. This is a very common species of the genus of partridges, having a wide habitat. Wild chickens, as they are often called, have very nutritious and pleasant-tasting meat, which makes them a favorite subject of hunting not only for humans, but also for a large number of wild animals and birds.

Origin of the species and description

Photo: Gray partridge

The gray partridge inhabits all of Eurasia and was even brought to America, where it has taken root very successfully. There are 8 subspecies of this bird, each of which differs in color, size, and ability to reproduce. According to scientists, the gray partridge descended from some species of prehistoric birds. Even Neanderthals hunted them, as evidenced by the results of numerous excavations and serious research. As an independent breed, the gray partridge was isolated several tens of millions of years ago in the territory of Northern Mongolia and Transbaikalia, and since then it has remained virtually unchanged.

Video: Gray partridge

The gray partridge belongs to the pheasant family, order Galliformes. It rarely perches on trees and is therefore considered a ground bird. Despite the large number of people who want to feast on it, the strong influence of weather conditions on the survival of offspring, the harsh wintering without flying to warmer climes, its population remains quite numerous and quickly recovers after an unfavorable period.

Interesting fact: Even world culture has not ignored this gray, inconspicuous bird. The myths of ancient Greece tell about the unseemly act of the proud architect Daedalus, when he threw his student off a cliff. But Athena turned the young man into a gray partridge and he did not crash. According to myths, this is why partridges do not like to fly high, preferring to spend their entire lives on the ground.

It has only two weapons against its enemies: its variegated color, which allows it to get lost in the foliage and the ability to run quickly; only in emergency cases does the gray partridge take off to try to escape from the predator. Considering the high taste and nutritional qualities of its meat, unpretentiousness, the bird is quite successfully raised in captivity, but with a special diet.

Breeding at home

It’s not for nothing that the word partridge means “a bird that looks like a chicken.” These birds tolerate captivity conditions well. Unpretentiousness, coupled with the dietary properties of meat and eggs, stimulates the keeping of partridges on personal plots and on family farms.

The first thing you need to start keeping this bird is a chicken coop or aviary. This simple structure is divided into two parts: a semi-enclosed room with a roof and a walk covered with mesh. The walk should contain fir trees, tufts of grass, sheaves of straw - anything that can imitate natural shelter.

In winter, the birds' diet includes a grain mixture, chopped vegetables, vitamin and mineral supplements, and even minced meat. The partridge gladly pecks the berries of rowan, serviceberry, and viburnum, collected from winter trees.

Closer to spring, in anticipation of egg laying, the partridge menu is enhanced with vitamin supplements, carrots, bone meat and fish meal. It is necessary to add foods containing a lot of calcium, such as chalk.

By April-May, nests are installed in the chicken coop. These are usually old baskets lined with straw. In the middle zone, in the month of May, partridges lay eggs and sit on nests. After 23-26 days the chicks appear. At the end of incubation, the hen and chicks are transferred to a separate cage.

If possible, the brood in the cage is placed outside, among the grass. For the first two days, the chicks are fed egg yolk. After this, the entire family is transferred to a regular diet with an enhanced protein component. After a month, the chicks are returned to the common enclosure. The partridge existed for millennia in close proximity to humans and managed to survive. So she's not as stupid as she seems.

Appearance and features

Photo: Gray partridge bird

The gray partridge has its own quite memorable features, by which it is easy to recognize:

• small body size from 28 to 31 cm, wingspan 45-48 cm, weight from 300 to 450 grams;
• it is characterized by a rounded light gray abdomen with a bright spot in the shape of a horseshoe, a small head with a dark beak, a well-developed back of a gray color with characteristic motley splashes of brown;
• The paws of this species are dark brown, the neck and head are bright, almost orange. The plumage of females is not as elegant as that of males and they are often smaller in size;
• Young individuals have dark and variegated longitudinal stripes on the sides of the body, which disappear as the bird grows.

The main purpose of the variegated color is camouflage. Birds go through a moult every year, which begins first with the flight feathers, then moves on to others and ends completely only towards the end of autumn. Thanks to the density of their plumage and regular molting, partridges are able to live even in snow in moderate frost. The bulk of all individuals living in nature do not make annual flights to warmer regions, but remain to winter in their permanent habitat. In search of food, they dig holes up to 50 meters in length in the snow; during especially cold periods, they gather in them in whole groups, warming each other.

Using Traps

In addition to hunting game using firearms, there are numerous ways to catch partridges using homemade traps. These include:

1. Silkie. Simple devices in the form of numerous loops of thin wire or fishing line, scattered in feeding areas of game birds.
2. Loops. A single device installed on a path or in a specially made trap.
3. Ice holes. They thaw in deep snow with a bottle of hot water. After this, food is poured into their bottom, and the bird, in an attempt to get it, gets stuck in the hole.

There are many different options for making snares and loops, each of which has its own pros and cons, depending on the specific conditions of use.

Where does the gray partridge live?

Photo: Gray partridge in Russia

The gray-blue partridge is found almost everywhere throughout the southern and central parts of Russia, Altai, Siberia, in many European countries, including Germany, Great Britain, Canada and North America, and western Asia. The natural habitat is considered to be the southern regions of Western Siberia and Kazakhstan.

Her favorite places:

• dense forest, groves, forest edges;
• meadows with thick, tall grass, open areas with islands of bushes, ravines;
• in some cases, gray partridge willingly settles in marshy areas, but chooses dry islands with dense vegetation.

For the most comfortable conditions, she needs space and the presence of a large number of bushes, tall grass, where she can easily hide, build a nest, and also find food. The partridge often settles near fields with oats, buckwheat, and millet. It helps agriculture by pecking harmful insects and various invertebrates that threaten the crop.

Interesting fact: Having chosen a place to live, gray partridges never leave it. Here, throughout their entire lives, they build nests, raise offspring, and feed; in turn, the grown-up chicks will also remain in the same territory.

Now you know where the gray partridge lives. Let's see what she eats.

Premises requirements

Home breeding of gray partridge requires the obligatory arrangement of a suitable premises. Its size should correspond to the number of birds kept. So, there should not be more than three of them per square meter. For overnight stays, as a rule, a closed room (barn, log house) is equipped. The floor is covered with straw and all cracks are carefully sealed, since the gray partridge is very sensitive to drafts. It is worth stretching the net under the ceiling, because when flying, the birds can hit the wooden flooring and get injured.

Like all other birds, partridges love fresh air. Therefore, the presence of high enclosures covered with mesh is mandatory. Bushes are placed inside them, sheaves and fir trees are placed, which will serve as a shelter for the birds. In order to be able to hide from bad weather, they make a small canopy, closed on one side. The enclosure should have drinking bowls, feeders, and containers with sand.

What does the gray partridge eat?

Photo: Gray partridge in nature

Adults of this species feed mainly on plant foods: grass, plant seeds, berries, sometimes they supplement the diet with a small proportion of animal food. The growing offspring are fed exclusively on insects, worms, various larvae and spiders; as they grow, they gradually switch to the usual diet for adults.

The birds obtain all their food exclusively in the ground. In winter, the diet becomes very poor; partridges have to tear through the snow with their strong paws to get to wild grass and its seeds. Rabbit holes often help them with this. Sometimes they can feed on winter wheat in agricultural fields, provided that the snow layer is not very heavy.

In particularly difficult winters, which usually come after a rainy summer and autumn with a poor harvest, they tend to move closer to where people live, flying to the feeders of livestock farms in search of stacks of straw, where grains of agricultural plants can easily be found. In spring, mainly succulent parts of plants mixed with insects are eaten. Individuals quickly recover from a hungry winter and are ready to hatch chicks by the beginning of summer.

When raising gray partridge at home, it is not recommended to use regular poultry food. It is necessary to bring it as close as possible to the natural diet, otherwise they may die, refuse to lay eggs and hatch offspring.

Nutrition

Partridges are happy with a vegetarian diet. Grains of cultivated cereals, spring and winter, are an essential part of bird nutrition. Greens, young shoots and roots, and weed seeds supplement the diet. The seeds and fruits of trees, even birch catkins, are actively consumed by birds.

Birds' diet includes insects. They are especially abundant when inspecting plowed fields. In winter, partridge often moves closer to human habitation. On the one hand, the number of threats to her life increases. On the other hand, there are chances to feed themselves near elevators and granaries.

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Gray partridges

The gray partridge is considered primarily a ground-dwelling bird. She is able to run quickly and maneuver deftly in tall grass, between trees and bushes. It takes off mainly in the presence of serious danger and at the same time flaps its wings very loudly, flies a short distance low above the ground, and then lands again, misleading the predator. Sometimes it can fly short distances in search of food and at the same time it does not cross the boundaries of its usual territory, but this does not mean that it is not capable of long flights - it is also capable of them.

When running, a wild chicken becomes strictly vertical, raising its head high, and when walking normally, it moves slightly hunched over, looking around the surroundings with a tense look. This is a very shy and quiet bird; you can rarely hear its voice. If only during mating games or during an unexpected attack, when they make a very loud sound, similar to hissing.

During the day, feeding takes partridges only 2-3 hours; the rest of the time they hide in thickets of grass, clean their feathers and listen to all rustles. The most active hours are in the early morning and evening; night is a time for rest.

Interesting fact: From regions with especially snowy winters, with the onset of cold weather, gray partridges head south, since it is impossible to get to food under a thick layer of snow. In other habitats, wild chickens remain for the winter and throughout their lives they carry out only rare flights over short distances in search of food.

Habitats

The distribution range of the gray partridge covers
most of the countries of Eurasia .
In the north these are Norway, Sweden, northern Finland, central and eastern Europe. In the south are Portugal, Italy, Greece and the south of France. Representatives of the species also inhabit the territory of northern Iran, central Turkey and Kazakhstan. In Russia, the northern border begins at the White Sea, runs through the European part of the country, continues in the south of Siberia and ends in Khakassia. The characteristic habitats of the gray partridge are forest clearings with bushes and ravines, forest-steppe and steppe. For this it is also called steppe. In the middle of the 20th century, Hungarian zoological scientists conducted research and found that these representatives of the gallinaceae order spend 35% of their time under the protection of trees and shrubs, 65% in fallow areas of the steppes, and in fields of rye or corn.

Soil properties are very important for gray partridges . Clay soils are unacceptable for them. Birds prefer to settle on well-permeable lands. In the mountains, birds can live on steppe areas of slopes at an altitude of up to 2 thousand meters above sea level.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Gray partridge bird

This species of partridge is monogamous. Pairs among wild hens often last a lifetime. Both parents are equally involved in feeding and protecting the offspring. Wild chickens lay eggs once a year at the very beginning of May, from 15 to 25 eggs at a time. Partridge nests are built directly on the ground, hiding them in the grass, under bushes and trees. During incubation, which lasts approximately 23 days, the female only occasionally leaves the clutch to feed; during her absence, the male remains close to the nest and closely monitors the situation around her.

When a predator or other danger appears, they both try to divert all attention to themselves, gradually moving away from the clutch, and then, in the absence of a threat, they return. Males very often die during this period, sacrificing themselves for the safety of their chicks. Despite the high viability of the offspring, in especially rainy years the entire brood may die at once, since the nests are located on the ground. The offspring hatch almost simultaneously and are literally immediately ready to follow their parents across the territory of residence at a distance of up to several hundred meters. The chicks already have plumage, see and hear well, and learn quickly.

Interesting fact: A week after birth, gray partridge chicks are already able to take off, and after a couple of weeks they are ready for long-distance flights with their parents.

Gray partridges are social birds that constantly interact with each other. In the southern regions they live in flocks of 25-30 individuals; in the northern regions, flocks number half as many birds. If one of the parents dies, then the second takes full care of the offspring; if two parents die, the chicks remain in the care of other families of partridges living nearby. In particularly harsh winters, birds gather in close-knit groups and stay close together in small snow dens, since it is easier to stay warm together, and with the onset of a thaw, they scatter again to their secluded places.

Order Galliformes

Birds of this order have a dense build, rounded, relatively short wings, large and strong legs with strong blunt claws, adapted for raking earth and rotten leaves. The beak is short and strong, “granivorous type”. The plumage is dense and hard. The internal structure is characterized by the development of goiter, gizzard and caeca, which is associated with the consumption of rough plant foods.

All chickens walk and run well on the ground, their flight is heavy, flapping and short. They do not bathe in water, but take “sand baths,” thus freeing themselves from external parasites. They nest on the ground and are classified as brood birds, i.e. They emerge from the eggs dressed in warm down, and in the very first days of life they independently, although under the supervision of their parents, look for food for themselves.

Thanks to their tasty meat, all our chickens serve as valuable hunting objects. In addition, they exterminate insects harmful to agriculture and forestry and thereby also bring certain benefits. Karelia is home to 6 species of chicken birds belonging to two families - grouse and pheasant.

Grouse family: Black grouse Capercaillie Hazel grouse Ptarmigan

Family Pheasantidae : Quail Gray partridge

Family Grouse

Grouse

Quite a large bird, the size of a chicken, with pronounced sexual dimorphism. The male (kosach) is larger than the female (weight 1100 - 1500 g, total length 50 - 65 cm), is painted in shiny black tones and has a lyre-shaped forked tail and red eyebrows. The grouse is reddish, with black-brown streaks. Weight 850 - 1100 g, body length 45 - 50 cm.

Within Karelia, black grouse are common everywhere, but their numbers increase from north to south. In the northern regions, 3-10 black grouse live per 1000 hectares of land, in central Karelia - 10-20, in the southern region - 25-50.

In spring, birds stay close to currents, mainly in mixed forests, alternating with open spaces, along cutting areas and near fields and crops. In summer (during the nesting period) they live in deciduous forests, in overgrown clearings and in green pine forests.

In autumn they are found in almost all areas, but especially often in berry pine forests, mixed plantings and along the outskirts of the cultural landscape. During this period, as in winter, black grouse are especially prone to migrations. Flocking into small (5-20 birds each) flocks, they make fairly regular flights to feeding areas in the mornings and evenings and attach well to stuffed animals. In winter, black grouse gravitate towards deciduous forests and old clearings, and less so towards moss swamps. Their flocks are becoming significantly larger. Sometimes you can find large mixed (of young and adult males and females) flocks of up to 100 or more black grouse, slowly moving along the edges of birch and aspen forests, along forests and fields. They spend the night in snow holes.

The role of individual types of food changes according to the seasons, and accordingly the lifestyle of birds also changes. In winter, black grouse stay mainly in trees and feed on catkins, birch buds, alder willow, first-year pine cones and juniper berries. In spring, they lead an arboreal-terrestrial lifestyle and their food is mixed: berries overwintered under the snow, buds and young foliage of trees, apical shoots and leaves of berry bushes, clovers and other early herbs. In summer, black grouse live on the ground and their diet is dominated by green parts of herbaceous plants, seeds, berries and insects. In autumn, the birds again switch to an arboreal-terrestrial lifestyle and feed on a varied diet - blueberries and lingonberries, birch buds and catkins, clover and china leaves, seeds and fruits of bird cherry, bearberry, marianberry, sedge and buttercup. Like other chicken grouse, they swallow small pebbles, which, being in the stomach, serve as “millstones” that help in grinding and grinding coarse plant food. Sometimes this role is performed by hard seeds of plants, for example, rose hips and drupes.

Mating begins with the appearance of the first spring talins, at the end of March - beginning of April, but the peaks occur much later, at the end of April - beginning of May. Lekking sites (places of mating games, love affairs and tournaments of males), as a rule, are the same areas of the terrain from year to year, where from a few to two or three dozen or so whales flock. Karelia is characterized by relatively low-power currents - 5 - 10, less often up to 30 - 40 roosters.

During the current, a dull muttering is heard, reminiscent of the cooing of a dove. This song ends with a drawl, after which the mumble begins again. A leering scythe either stomps in that place or calmly walks, then, fluffing its tail, bowing its head and spreading its wings, it quickly runs across the clearing, then it fiercely grapples with its opponent, inflicting strong blows on it with its beak and wings, then it calms down again and, as if nothing had happened. it used to court peacefully, repeating the entire ceremony of spring mating. Females fly to the lek sites only during the period of lek frenzy, and from the beginning of May they begin nesting.

The nest is located in a dry, elevated place, under a tree or bush and is a small depression in the forest floor or hummock, lined with dry grass, moss or feathers. In one nest, it hatches 5 - 13, on average 8, pale ocher eggs with dark brown spots; average size 50X36 mm, weight g. Only the female incubates and stays with the brood; Males do not take any part in raising their offspring. The duration of incubation (it begins after the last egg is laid) is 21 - 24 days.

Broods appear en masse in the second half of June - early July. Newly hatched chicks are covered with grayish-yellow down and weigh 24 - 26 g. Already on the first day of life they can follow the pigweed, know how to hide well and look for food.

They begin to take off and fly up (“porshki”) at the end of the first ten days, and at the age of one and a half months they fly freely and perch on trees. The mother carefully protects her brood and looks after it. In case of danger, she tries to divert attention to herself by pretending to be sick or injured. Still, some of the chicks (from 40 to 70%) die from freezing, predators and other reasons. Egg waste is about 30%. The young live as a brood until the end of August. The first days they feed on insects, and then gradually switch to plant food. By mid-September, they finish molting and in color, plumage and size they are almost no different from adults. The change of plumage in adult slashers and single females occurs from the end of May to August. Grouses with chicks molt later - usually from the second half of July.

The number of black grouse in Karelia fluctuates sharply from year to year. It is reduced mainly as a result of late spring frosts and snowfalls, which destroy many eggs and chicks. Winter thaws followed by frosts are also unfavorable, causing the formation of “crust” and icing of branches. This leads to the mass death of birds buried in the snow for the night and complicates the acquisition of food. Significant damage to the black grouse population is caused by predators, especially marten, fox, lynx and goshawk. In addition, the number of black grouse is declining as a result of excessively intensive hunting on leks, increased persecution of immature broods, grazing of livestock in the forest and frequent visits to the nesting habitats of black grouse by humans (females are scared away from the nests, and egg layings die).

Black grouse is one of the most popular sport hunting objects in Karelia. They mine it here at 40-50 thousand a year.

Capercaillie

The largest representative of our chicken birds. The body length of an adult male is 80 - 110 cm, females 70 - 75 cm, weight, respectively, 4 - 6 and 2 - 3 kg. Sexual dimorphism is also expressed in coloration. The rooster is black on top, the head, crop and neck have a greenish metallic sheen. There are bright red eyebrows above the eyes. On the throat there is something like a beard made of elongated feathers. The female is motley, dark brown.

Distributed throughout Karelia and populates it more evenly than other chickens. The average number is 3-7 birds per 1000 hectares.

The capercaillie is a true taiga bird, closely associated with old coniferous, especially pine forests. In winter, it prefers to settle in tall berry and lichen pine forests and in sphagnum bogs forested with pine. In the summer, with the end of the currents, wood grouse move in more widely and live not only in pine forests, but also in deciduous and mixed birch forests, as well as in dense brook and swamp-grass spruce forests. In autumn, wood grouse again move from deciduous forests and spruce forests to pine forests. At this time, they often fly out onto the roads and shores of reservoirs to collect pebbles. From the end of September, winter flocks begin to form, wood grouse become more active and fly more.

Throughout the winter, the capercaillie in Karelia feeds mainly on pine needles. First-year pine cones, juniper needles and fruits, spruce needles and “snow” food (green parts and berries of blueberries, lingonberries and cranberries) are eaten rarely and in very small quantities. In summer, the food of adult birds is much more varied. It consists of succulent herbaceous plants, various berries, seeds and insects. The diet of young wood grouse is characterized by a more intensive consumption of animal food and seeds.

The peak of mating occurs in the second half of April - early May. In Karelia, the leks are small (2 - 5 males each), but sometimes larger clusters can be found - up to 20 - 30 roosters (mainly in the northern, sparsely populated areas). The locations of the currents are constant. Most often these are elevated areas of pine forests, moss swamps covered with pine, and the edges of mixed plantings. Sometimes, usually due to deforestation, wood grouse leave their original breeding grounds and breed in new places. However, forest cutting that does not directly affect the lek territory, even if it is carried out at its very borders, does not force wood grouse to abandon their lek.

During mating, the male first sings, walking along a tree branch, and then, getting excited, sinks lower and lower and ends the mating on the ground. This is where the males “play.” Having fanned out their tail and protruding their wings, they walk or run across the clearing, from time to time jumping and taking off like a black grouse. Here on the ground, tournaments take place between males, and especially fierce fights break out after wood grouse arrive to the lek. The song of the wood grouse is quite quiet and consists of two parts - clicking and chirping. During the chirping (“skirping”), which lasts no more than three to four seconds, the capercaillie throws back its head, opens its beak wide and comes into such “ecstasy” that it really does not hear anything. As a rule, only one capercaillie displays on each tree, occupying a separate area of ​​0.5 - 1 hectare.

The nests are located deep in the forest, but always adjacent to the leks. Females place them under a small fir tree, at the butt of a tree, near an old stump, under the cover of an inverted root, and in other similar places. The nest looks like a small depression in the ground, sparsely lined with blades of grass, dry moss and sparse feathers.

In general, wood grouse in Karelia begin laying eggs in the second half of May - early June. The female lays eggs every other day and begins incubation only after laying the last egg.

The number of eggs in a full clutch is 5 - 11, but more often 7 - 8. They are the same size as chicken eggs (57x41 mm, weight 46 - 53 g). The color of the shell is pale coffee with small brown specks. Incubation period is 25 - 27 days. The hatching of chicks in one nest occurs amicably - within 18 - 20 hours.

Capercaillie broods appear in Karelia in the last ten days of June - early July. Already on the first day, barely dry, the chicks can follow their mother, who warms them, helps them look for food and signals danger. They take flight from the age of 10 days, and about a month after hatching they already fly well and escape from danger in the trees. At one and a half months of age, they switch from animal food to berries and grass.

In September - October, the weight of young males reaches 70, and females - 90% of the weight of adult birds. By this time, the broods are broken up and wood grouse are grouped into small flocks of 3 to 5 individuals. Young wood grouse become sexually mature at the age of 10 - 11 months.

Adult males moult almost immediately after the end of the currents, hiding in the forest thicket and other inaccessible places. In females, molting occurs later, during the period of feeding the young. It is interesting that wood grouse molt not only their plumage, but also their beak, claws and fringes that turn off their fingers. In young birds, the change of plumage begins in July and is completely completed by October.

The number of wood grouse in Karelia fluctuates from year to year. This is mainly due to meteorological conditions during the breeding season. In cold and rainy weather with frequent frosts on the soil, a significant part of the clutches and chicks die from freezing and bad weather, and the autumn number is low. On the contrary, in years with a warm and friendly spring, breeding is successful and the number of wood grouse increases. One of the reasons for the decline in the capercaillie population is logging.

Excessively intensive hunting at leks and especially poaching have a very negative impact on the number of wood grouse. It is no secret that there are still would-be hunters who, when they come to the lek, try to kill all the roosters, and sometimes even shoot females, the hunting of which is strictly prohibited.

Grouse

The smallest (slightly larger than a pigeon) bird from the grouse family. Body length 32 - 44 cm, weight 290 - 470 g. The male differs from the female by the presence of a black spot on the chin and throat and a more noticeable crest on the crown. The plumage of birds of both sexes is motley, pockmarked, and brownish-gray.

The hazel grouse inhabits the whole of Karelia, and is especially numerous in its southern part (40 - 70 pieces per 1000 hectares). In the central regions its density is average (20 - 30 per 1000 hectares), and in the north it is low (5 - 10 per 1000 hectares). Favorite habitats are spruce forests with an admixture of deciduous trees, deciduous and mixed plantations of different ages with the participation of spruce. Selects areas rich in forbs, berries and insects, with varied undergrowth and heavily cluttered. In them he finds abundant and varied food and reliable shelters.

In winter, hazel grouse feed mainly on catkins, buds and apical shoots of birch, alder and willow; less often they eat juniper berries, bird cherry buds, rowan and aspen. Winter food is monotonous and has little nutritional value, so birds have to consume it in large quantities. The weight of food eaten per day can reach 50 grams or more. Among summer foods, seeds, berries and greens are of paramount importance. In addition, in summer more animal food is consumed than in other seasons, especially ants, caterpillars and spiders. Like other chickens, hazel grouse fly to pebbles in the fall to stock up on stomach “millstones” for grinding rough food.

Around mid-March (and in years with late spring - by early April), hazel grouse begin to occupy nesting sites. Intense mating (whistle) of males continues from early April to mid-May, but the entire period of mating songs is much wider: it usually lasts from the twentieth of March, when the males begin whistling, until the first ten days of June (single males whistle). During the current, males behave aggressively and do not tolerate the presence of other males in their area. A meeting between rivals usually ends in a brawl and the quick expulsion of the newcomer.

Unlike most chicken grouse, the hazel grouse is monogamous. During the breeding season, the male and female stay together, forming a permanent pair. If they diverge, it is not far and for a relatively short time. In this case, the “spouses” call each other with a very thin and melodic whistle. Hearing the calling whistle, the male runs up or flies up to the female, looks after her for a while (walks around, raising his crest and spreading his tail like a fan), and then the couple separates again, and the whistling continues again.

Egg laying begins in the southern regions of Karelia in the first ten days of May, but females lay en masse in the middle, and in the north - at the end of May and even at the beginning of June. The hazel grouse's nest is located somewhere at the base of the trunk, under a fir tree, bush or among dense woody growth; it is perfectly hidden. The female lays from 5 to 12, but most often 7 - 9 eggs. Their color is light beige, with faint red-brown spots; size 28x40 mm. The female sits very tightly on the nest, sometimes you can touch her with your hand. And yet she does not always manage to preserve the clutch. Up to 40% of eggs die from freezing or are eaten by predators. Taking the pursuer away from the nest, the female runs, spreading her wings on the ground, and returns, fluttering along the branches. Incubation duration is 20 - 22 days.

The first broods are found in early June, but their mass appearance is confined to the second half of the month, and in the north - to mid-July. Within a few hours after birth, the chicks are able to follow their mother and, first with her help, and then find food on their own. In the first days they peck small insects, and later they begin to eat berries and seeds. At the age of nine days, hazel grouse are able to flutter, and after another week they fly up into trees. In case of danger, they hide there, clinging closely to the branch, and it is very difficult to detect them. Broods of hazel grouse are relatively inactive and are usually found in the same places. On average, 30 to 50% of chicks die over the summer, most of them in the first days of life. In September - October there is a false current - an autumn whistle. It involves single adult males and young hazel grouse from early broods. The birds loudly call to each other and fly towards each other's voice.

Molting occurs from early August to September. The number of hazel grouse, like other chickens, varies from year to year, depending on meteorological conditions during the breeding season. The number of birds may also decline under the influence of predators, especially martens, foxes, lynxes and hawks.

Hazel grouse meat has a very delicate taste, and the importance of this bird as an object of sport hunting is extremely great. In terms of its share in game birds, hazel grouse ranks first in Karelia.

Ptarmigan

It differs well from other chickens in its snow-white winter plumage and thick plumage of the tarsus and fingers, which significantly increases the support area and makes it easier for the bird to move through deep, loose snow. In summer and autumn, males and females have rusty-brown plumage with black transverse streaks; the tarsus and toes become bare. The body length of adult birds is 35 - 40 cm, weight 500 - 750 g.

Distributed throughout the republic, but in the southern regions it is not numerous and is found only in isolated places. In northern Karelia there are from 40 to 100 partridges per 1000 hectares, in the middle - 15 - 30, in southern Karelia - 5 - 10. Lives in vast moss swamps overgrown with low pine, dwarf birch, willow and wild rosemary, as well as in sphagnum pine forests and swampy spruce forests. In open places they stay close to forests or bushes, where they hide in case of danger. In winter, they are found in flocks of 4 - 10, less often up to 30 - 50 birds; they spend the night in the snow, diving into it from the flight. During this period, birds roam widely in search of food and often appear in places where they are absent in the summer.

The basis of the winter diet is the terminal shoots, catkins and buds of birch, willow and aspen. At the beginning and end of winter, partridges extract berries, twigs and leaves of blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries and whiteberries from under the snow. In summer they feed on green parts of herbaceous plants, berries, and seeds. Animal feed is eaten rarely and in small quantities.

The peak of mating is between May 2 and 10, the end is in the last ten days of May. Males begin singing as night falls and end before dawn. Usually they breed alone, each on its own area of ​​1 - 2 hectares. Females also arrive here later. The displaying male, with his red eyebrow puffed out, his neck stretched out, his tail fanning out and his wing protruding, either tramples or walks around the female, then takes off noisily and, having “made a hill,” goes down again. In flight, it emits a sharp cry, like the beat of a drum, and cackles on the ground. By the end of the mating period, pairs are formed. Each of them occupies a certain area, which the male jealously guards, preventing rivals.

The nest is made in thickets of grass, under the cover of tree branches or under a bush. The clutch contains 8 - 10 pale yellow eggs with thick dark brown specks, measuring 40x30 mm and weighing 18 - 20 g. The peak of nesting is the end of May - the first ten days of June. Egg incubation, in which only the female participates, begins after the last egg is laid and lasts 18–20 days. The female sits on the nest very firmly and lets her close to her. Thanks to its protective coloring, it completely blends into the surrounding background and is not easy to notice.

In the south of Karelia, mass hatching of chicks is usually observed between June 20 and 30, and in the north - a little later. Egg mortality is not much more than 20%, and chick mortality is about 15%. After the chicks dry out, the parents take them away from the nest to swampy clearings, into damp hollows overgrown with willow and alder, and to thickets of bushes along the edges of the swamps. Here the brood remains settled on an area of ​​1 - 3 hectares. Parents show exceptional care for the chicks, selflessly protecting them in moments of danger.

It is interesting that it is the male who most often takes away from the brood.

At first, the chicks feed almost exclusively on animal food, and then begin to eat berries and other plant food. Already a few days after birth they take flight, in mid-July they fly well, and at the age of three months they are almost no different from adults. By this time the broods are disintegrating. Young partridges are capable of reproduction already in the first spring.

In July - August, the current is observed again, but without the participation of females and without mating. Partridges have 3-4 molts during the year. Spring - in April. In June, the breeding plumage changes to summer plumage, and in August - October the winter plumage is formed. Young birds molt almost continuously from July to November.

In the past, the white partridge formed the basis of the game industry in Karelia: in the territory of the former Olonets province, up to 100 thousand or more of these birds were hunted per year. However, later the catch decreased, and now the white partridge is mainly of sporting and hunting importance.

Pheasant family

Quail

The smallest (from the thrush) bird from the gallinaceae order. Even in the fall, when quail become very fat, they weigh no more than 150 g, and the rest of the time only 100-120 g. Unlike other chicken quails, they are a migratory bird. In this regard, its wings are quite long and sharp, well adapted for long-distance flight. The general color is ocher-brown, with dark and light streaks. Males are darker in color than females and have a black spot on the throat.

In our republic, quail is rare and is found occasionally only in the southern regions (mainly in Prionezhsky and Olonetssky). It arrives at nesting sites - fields, haylands - in mid-May. Soon after arrival, it displays and forms mating pairs. A displaying male emits a very characteristic ringing cry of “hee and weed.” The female lays 10-15 eggs in a nest, which is built on the ground under the protection of grass or bushes. After 17 - 20 days of them. chicks covered with yellowish-gray down hatch, and after a few days they are already able to flutter.

Quails feed on young shoots, grass seeds, cereal grains, berries, and insects. The departure takes place unnoticed, from mid-August to the end of September. Due to the small number of quails, almost no quails are caught in Karelia. They are usually shot at random encounters.

Gray partridge

It differs from the white partridge in its smaller size (body length 25 - 30 cm, weight 350 - 500 g), brightly colored plumage and a bare, unfeathered tarsus. On the abdomen there is a contrasting dark brown spot (“horseshoe”).

The gray partridge is a typical inhabitant of the forest-steppe zone, but as forests are cut down and agriculture develops, it moves north. Just recently, some 20 - 30 years ago, this bird was not found in Karelia north of Medvezhyegorsk, but now it occasionally nests even in the vicinity of Kem (65′ N). Still, the gray partridge in Karelia is a rare bird, and in recent years its numbers have even been declining, which is associated with a reduction in grain crops in the republic, which serve as the main source of food for this bird.

Lives in fields overgrown with bushes, meadows and forest edges. As winter approaches human habitation. The summer diet is dominated by seeds of grasses and cultivated cereals, insects and their larvae. At the beginning of the visible, it extracts berries, crumbled grains, winter crops, and seeds of wild plants from under the snow. During the period of deep snow and when hard crust forms, partridges suffer from lack of food and die in droves. But if you provide them with food at such a time, this will support the birds and help them survive the difficult winter.

From autumn until the end of winter, gray partridges live in flocks, making small migrations in search of food. In the spring, in April, the flocks break up and the birds unite in pairs that do not separate until the fall. During the mating season, the male tenderly cares for the female, follows her everywhere, occasionally shouting “chirek-chirek”, but the actual current is not expressed. Around mid-May, the partridge makes a nest in dense grass or bushes and lays 10 - 15 pale greenish pear-shaped eggs in it. Incubation lasts 20 - 25 days. Chicks develop quickly. Immediately after drying, they can follow their mother and peck food, and after 10 - 12 days they are able to flutter. The male takes care of the brood together with the female.

Hunting for gray partridge is prohibited in Karelia.

Natural enemies of gray partridges

Photo: Pair of gray partridges

Gray partridges have a lot of natural enemies:

• kites, gyrfalcons, owls and other birds of prey, even crows can hunt growing partridges;
• ferrets, foxes, arctic foxes and many other predatory inhabitants of forests and fields.

Due to such an abundance of enemies, a rare partridge lives up to 4 years of age, although under favorable conditions many individuals can live up to 10 years. She has practically nothing to protect herself from predators, except for her camouflage colors. Gray partridge is considered an easy target. That is why the female and the male take such care and protect their offspring. Only thanks to the high fertility and rapid adaptation of the chicks, the population of wild chickens is not in danger of extinction.

In addition to natural enemies, significant damage to the gray partridge population is caused by the active use of various pesticides in agriculture. If a flock lives near a populated area, then even cats and dogs can visit them to profit from young individuals. Hedgehogs easily tear apart nests and feast on eggs. Particularly frosty and snowy winters also cause the death of a large number of partridges. During this period, they are very weakened due to insufficient food and become easy prey for predators.

Classification

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There are three species in the genus of gray partridges:

• Gray,
• bearded,
• Central Asian.

The appearance of the gray partridge and bearded partridge is very similar. That is why they are often combined into one. Representatives of these species became victims of hunting and agriculture, so there are few of them left.

The Central Asian partridge lives across a wide area of ​​the Tibetan Plateau . The color of its feathers is significantly different from its relatives: on the front of the head the plumage is white with two characteristic bright black spots, the chest is in dark stripes. Bird populations are stable and numbers are not decreasing.

Hatching chicks

The partridge begins laying eggs in May. The egg is usually up to 33 mm long, pear-shaped and greenish-brown in color. A nest is prepared in advance from an old basket or tall box measuring 30x30 cm so that the chicks cannot subsequently jump out of it. The bottom is covered with straw or hay. Such a nest should be installed in a dry, ventilated room, where all cracks and openings through which rats, cats or ferrets can enter must be sealed.

The period of incubation of chicks lasts from 21 to 24 days. The chicks are born very independent and immediately begin to explore the world around them, starting to run as soon as they dry off.

Feed

The compound feed that is given to domestic chickens is not suitable for partridges - if you feed it only, you cannot avoid vitamin deficiency. The diet should include corn, oats, and cake remaining after processing wheat. This bird's digestive system copes better with raw rather than cooked grains.

You can give wet mash to which green herbs are added. To compensate for calcium deficiency, calcium gluconate (chalk) is added to the feed. Finely crushed shell rock will also work. Underfeeding and overfeeding are unacceptable. The average daily caloric intake for an adult in the warm season should be 270-300 kcal. In winter, the norm should be reduced by 90 kcal.

Number of individuals

Before you start raising this bird, you should decide on the scale - will the matter be limited to personal needs or will the carcasses and eggs be sold. In any case, starting with more than 10 individuals is risky.

If you conduct business, you will have to register so as not to have problems with the tax authorities in the future.

You can get new additions to your enclosure by catching partridges in their habitat or ordering from farmers. Another affordable way is to buy eggs (you will need an incubator to hatch them). You can find out how much a partridge costs by studying the advertisements - prices depend on the species. The average cost of 1 individual chukar is 1 thousand rubles.