Today, the hero of this article will be the largest and most majestic representative squad goose - mute swan.The snow-white handsome striking in its grace and article.
Habitats
Mute Swan - this is one of the largest birds of Russia.Its weight is 14 kg.He loves standing water with large semi-aquatic vegetation thickets - cattail, bulrush, reeds, sedges.Recorded facts of his nest on the Cheboksary reservoir Zavolzhskie lakes.Distributed from southern Scandinavia and Central Europe to the valley of the Ussuri River, south to Asia Minor, Afghanistan and Iran.In winter it migrates to areas of the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean.Individuals living in the south for the winter do not fly away.This type is registered in seventy countries.
Mute Swan: description
large bird belongs to the family of duck.Mute Swan (order goose) is protected in many countries.The length of the bird's body is on average one hundred and sixty centimeters (including the neck), a wingspan of up to two hundred and forty centimeters.The plumage is pure white on the neck and the head has a light ocher plaque.Adults have a bright red beak, bridle, velvety lump under the beak.The feet are painted in thick black.
young mute swan plumage is light gray with a brownish tint.The beak of his gray-purple.The color of the plumage varies by about three years.These birds have a thicker neck than other white swans.Afloat hold it in the form of the letter «S», effectively lift the wings and hiss scary (hence the name).Unlike their northern counterparts, they can not emit a loud sound of the trumpet.
habitat and food
Mute swan prefers to create a couple, which lives permanently.Birds nest on the wild lakes.After taking a small pond, a couple does not allow its territory to other birds.Nests are created in the reeds.They represent the largest building of moss, reeds and grass.To build the birds use last year's cane, to which is added a large number of other plant material.The bottom is littered nest down their brooms and soft cane.
equipping their homes much time to mute swan.What feeds this powerful bird?This is mainly fruit, green parts and roots of plants growing in the water and on its shores.In addition, this shellfish, small crustaceans, worms.Sometimes, in the summer the birds are sent to the desert, to eat cereal.
breeding season
As mentioned, mute creates a mate for life.During the mating season, which begins in early spring, tokuyut birds that have not yet found their partner.Wanting to win the heart of the chosen one, the male flies around her, raising his wings, twisting his head from side to side.If the female responds to the courtship, it takes the same position.During the nesting pair of covers an area of about 100 hectares.Build a nest, swans mate.This usually occurs in the water.
reproduction, the offspring
birds reach sexual maturity in three to four years.The female lays 4-6 eggs white or light yellow.The incubation period lasts 35-38 days.Female offspring hatch.The male at this time guarding his girlfriend while always nearby.It should be noted that the father's good qualities has mute swan.Interesting facts recorded by many researchers.When the female is necessary to briefly leave the nest to forage for themselves to get, it took the male.He was not afraid of any predator.In one stroke of its powerful wings, he is able to kill the fox, broken hand man.
Hatched chicks weigh about 200 grams.They are covered with a thick gray down, barely Having dried, ready to leave the nest.However, the first time they are everywhere accompanied by his mother, sitting comfortably on her back.From the first hours of life the chicks feed on their own, but at night they return to nest under the wing of the mother to keep warm.Progeny nursed both parents.
In four months (sometimes a little earlier), chicks are starting to take off.From that moment they are united in the largest youth flock.Under natural conditions, mute swan lives 25-28 years.
During breeding mute swan is very aggressive.He fiercely defends its nest, ruthlessly expels other birds and their broods with "his" pond.
Wintering
Going for the winter, these birds gather in flocks of thousands, mostly consisting of family groups.It provides them with greater security.
When because of the rain or the wind is not possible to produce feed the swans lie on the ground, legs and beak are hiding in the warm feathers, and in this position for hours waiting for the weather to improve.
Life in the pack
mute very livable.They peacefully relate to his fellow, and other birds.Fights are rare, only in cases where it is necessary to defend its territory.Opponents strongly hit each other with their beaks and wings.
Mute Swan: The Red Book
Despite the fact that the current state of the form is not serious, beautiful bird in need of protection.It must be protected from poachers, to observe periods of silence in the waters in May and June.At this time, to acquire offspring mute swan.The Red Book of Russia, Tatarstan, Belarus, Saratov region has on their lists this handsome.
in captivity
These powerful snow-white birds have long been people contains in captivity.With the right content mute swan this is not suffering and does not aspire to freedom.It easily adapts to the new conditions quickly creates a couple even with a minimum choice of successfully propagated.
Before you buy swans for the content, you must fulfill a number of prerequisites:
- organize a pond with clean water;
- to provide winter maintenance birds.
pond can be any size, but it is desirable that it was as much as possible.This facilitates the care of birds.If there is one, is part of the problem is solved.In winter, it is possible to set the compressor and the pipe for pumping air and water.This creates a constant flow, the pond does not freeze even in severe frosts.
Some act differently - translate birds with large pond in the winter room.Provided that there is a swimming pool, where you can regularly change the water, and a small meadow paddock with dry litter, birds will feel comfortable.
However, the most humane way to winter maintenance - to transfer swans on juggling in the nursery, where there are all the conditions for the winter maintenance of the birds to guarantee their preservation.
number
According to the latest data, in the world there are 500 thousand individuals of a given species, of which 350,000 live in Russia.Most of lives in the Volga delta.About 30 thousand Shipunov live in the UK, in other countries such birds is much less.Hunting these birds it was banned in 1960, after which their number has considerably increased.
Interesting facts
mute swan - a bird is quite smart, with a good memory.They are easy to remember someone who has offended them, and even a few months can take revenge on him.To people only exhibit aggressive during the breeding season, protecting the clutch or chicks.Shipunov have excellent eyesight and hearing.Birds communicate with each other on an interesting language, consisting of a large number of gestures and sounds.The body of an adult swan covered more than 23 thousand feathers.Specimens living in captivity, often reach the age of thirty.
