Grooms - description, habitat, interesting facts

A distinctive feature of the gable from the self-similar is the orange-colored mouth, which reaches almost to the ears. Add to this description a forelock above the beak, as the picture immediately becomes clear. No, this is not a clown bird at all, but a representative of the purebred family. The individuals of the breed species under discussion belong to the marine family. They communicate interestingly, take various poses and love attention. Birds can distinguish brethren by a characteristic smell.

Description

With a wingspan of 50 cm and a body size of 25–27 cm, these birds are quite nimble. They weigh only 0.3 kg. The auklet differs in the average body size, as well as the plumage of a dark gray color with a certain blue or black, it all depends on the age of the individual and its gender.

In the area of ​​the eyes there is a light streak, and immediately above the beak there is a black forelock that falls forward. The beak is bright orange in color; it is so stretched that it looks like a bird is smiling.

Legs are gray, light, membranes are present. The irises are whitish, males with females have almost the same color. As for life expectancy, birds exist for about 8 years.

There are several varieties of individuals belonging to the conjugate family. The largest is the largest, then comes the small and the baby-groom. The latter type is the smallest, the weight of an individual hardly reaches 100 g.

View Features

1. The birds of this family are best observed in late spring or early May. It is this period that gives rise to reproduction, that is, individuals get acquainted, break up in flocks, and couples form. Male representatives poke on beautiful ladies, wanting to show themselves in all their glory.
2. Birds prefer to settle on the seashores, where there are a lot of stones and fairly hard soil. This terrain is ideal for building nests.
3. The individuals are more active in the morning and in the late afternoon. These time intervals will show you all the mysteries of marriage rituals. If you follow the opinion of scientists, there are more than 5 different exclamations and 10 poses with which the birds communicate.
4. The drake takes a stand, comfortably sitting on rocky terrain. First he pulls his neck forward, then spreads his feathers and stops for a while. When the ladies appreciate this, the male representative begins to sing and shake the crest, tilting and raising his head.
5. When the mating season begins, the bird smells of citruses. And since they can distinguish smells, they distinguish individuals from the category of similar ones by their pleasant aroma. These individuals literally filter odors, filtering out strangers. Such a citrus aroma is emitted by wick feathers located between the shoulder blades.

Behavior

1. When the drakes begin to show off, the females rise into the air and observe the representatives of the male half. If one of them liked a particular male, then the female will go down to the ground and approach him.
2. Cases have been recorded when up to 30 females were concentrated next to one defiant male. In this breed, a distinctive feature is that the females chase the drakes, and not vice versa.
3. The female bends, craning her neck, approaches the drake. At first he behaves aggressively and can even provoke a lady if he did not like her. After this, the drake is waiting for the next.
4. When the male representative of the family decided on the lady, dancing begins. Satellites kiss their beaks, sniff each other, beautifully wriggle. All these actions indicate that the pair is formed.
5. To start mating, a couple goes to the sea. They mate exclusively in the aquatic environment. And this fact does not mean at all that it is among these satellites that nesting will take place. Representatives of the group can change their partner 3 times before building a home for posterity.

Breeding

1. The surprising fact is that representatives of this species do not dig holes and do not build nests on their own. Often, the individuals in question simply lay an egg between the stones or in suitable recesses.
2. Between themselves, the considered individuals settle quite densely. The distance between neighboring nests sometimes does not exceed 10 cm. It can be estimated that only 200 m2 per 100 birds. Individuals that live in Chukotka begin to lay their eggs in mid-June.
3. Often, a couple leaves only one white egg. At the same time, adults are engaged in hatching offspring in turn. The procedure can take up to 6 weeks. After the young growth is born, parents begin to feed the chicks with small plankton.
4. Moreover, in water, the birds are collected in a special bag, which is located on their neck. During a food search, the individuals in question can leave nesting limits of up to 30 km. In addition, birds dive into the water per day up to 800 times. An adult can bring up to 30 grams per flight. food.

Interesting Facts

1. Single males and young animals are knocked down in certain flocks. During the breeding season, bachelors stick together. In rare cases, males torture happiness in search of their second half.
2. An amazing feature of this type is that bachelors can go to visit couples.
3. At the same time, single males can often current in front of the nest. Bachelors respect subordination and respect the male host.

It should be noted that grooms represent a special kind of birds. These individuals have a unique temperament and characteristic features. Birds are unique in nature. They do not belong to monogamous individuals. Moreover, in mating time, the behavior of the auklet is very different from other birds. Bachelors may try to steal the female from the male. Moreover, a loner can do this only when the owner is not nearby.

Video: large auklets (Aethia cristatella)