Gray duck - description, habitat, interesting facts

Among the diversity of the duck family, gray mornings, called seruga, are very popular. The presented individuals live presumably in the southern part of our country, so there they can be found in all their diversity. Some uninformed “experts” confuse individuals with other varieties of ducks (for example, mallard or pintail). In fact, there are differences between the presented categories, including external data, sizes, behavioral characteristics, etc.

Description - how is a gray duck different from relatives

1. Since gray ducks are often confused with self-similar, it makes sense to consider the differences between these pets from other possible ones. People as soon as they do not call these individuals: half-mallard, gray-cherries, ear -rings, seed-seeds, etc.
2. For example, the size of the mallard is larger, while the gray duck, by its overall characteristics, hardly crosses 1 kg.
3. The name “seruga” alone should tell you that the bird is famous for its characteristic gray color. Mallard is brownish or rather multifaceted. It contains reddish, bodily, brownish shades. The body weight of such individuals is twice as much, that is 2 kg.
4. The presented individuals are almost all gray in structure, only brown outlines are found in the area of ​​the wings. Mallards also consist of one pattern, which is 1 cm in size per strip.
5. The features of the presented birds include the presence of white mirrors on the wings. Males are much larger than women. However, external data between them is available. Males differ from females in that they often quack, which resembles a raven.
6. The female has bright transverse stripes, in their shade light gray or brown. The feathers have brownish blotches, but, as a rule, they focus in the neck and wings. The beak and paws are yellowish in females; in male representatives, the beak is grayish.
7. When the mating season begins, the males throw off the old plumage, acquiring a new one. And the female, during the offspring hatching, completely falls into the molting period. When the drake replaces feathers, it will become like a duck.
8. Twice a year, the represented birds molt. The first time - in the summer, the second time - in the winter. Even during molting, ducks can fly, but they try to protect themselves, so they hide in reeds or tall grass.
9. When they first mentioned these birds, they proved that they are derived from sickle ducks. It happened in 1758, opened the view of Karl Piney.

Habitat and nutrition

1. Hunters who go to serugs with a video gun argue that you can meet representatives of this family in the southern and eastern parts of the CIS countries. There is also a high probability that these individuals will be found in the North Atlantic on its islands.
2. Relatively recently discussed birds began to build nests in European countries on the western side. In the vastness of our homeland, they are found in the forest-steppe. Birds living in Russia go to Europe for wintering and no further.
3. When migration to warmer climatic regions is planned, it is carried out in numerous flocks. Birds always stop at slowly flowing water sources, such as ponds, ponds or lakes. Also, feathered friends do not mind stopping in the swamp area. In any case, they always choose a water source with a minimum of salt.
4. Since serugs love to feast on plant foods, they need to have more algae and other grass in their habitat. Only when they begin to multiply, small fish, insects, and mollusks are introduced into everyday food.
5. Gray ducks dive after the fish, but not too deep. Usually they catch prey that lives near the water surface. Birds eat crops, whether wheat or oats.

Nesting and breeding

1. When the male is ready for mating, he proudly stretches his neck and “pops”. In appearance, the bird looks luxurious with its tail open and its habits.
2. The mating season in these ducks originates from wintering. Feathered friends fly from warm places in pairs. Chicks appear once a year, the mating process itself is carried out in the water.
3. Ducks are preparing for the construction of nests after arrival, rested and ready for procreation. First, the expectant mother pulls out a hole, then brings grass and sprinkles with her plumage. In size, the nest leaves about 20 by 20 cm. With a depth of 15 cm.
4. In some cases, a couple ready for breeding occupies nests that remain abandoned in the trees. This is due to the late spill of the rivers, as one of the reasons.
5. During laying, the feathered birds can often give up to 10-11 eggs. In rare cases, this number is larger. The eggs are small in size with olive color. The female lays only 1 egg every day. Only after it demolishes everything does it begin to hatch.
6. Only in rare cases, the female is distracted in search of food. After about a month, the chicks begin to be born. The males of this species are nomads by nature. Therefore, they do not particularly care about their offspring.
7. Often the drakes adhere to constant night flights. They begin to search for food, after which, in a leisurely rhythm, they go to warm countries for wintering. In parallel, they again begin to molt. At this time, individuals begin to lose small feathers.
8. The same thing happens with the female during the hatching of eggs. Feathers have time to completely change at the moment when the female is engaged in the younger generation. As a rule, ducklings have their own diet. They love to enjoy worms, bugs and crustaceans.
9. Birds naturally have caution, so they try to shun dense thickets and forests. As soon as the offspring grows up, the considered individuals try to stay close to the water bodies. Young growth is completely covered with feathers at the age of two months. At the same time, the chicks can already fully fly.

Unique view features

1. Ducks are lightweight and small in size, however, this does not stop the hunters from hunting them. Therefore, gray individuals often become prey, like the rest of the game. Due to the reduction in nesting and extermination by hunters, the bird population has declined.
2. The gray duck is protected in some regions and is listed in the Red Book. Also considered individuals belong to brood individuals. This means that only 35% of the yolk is present in the egg. The rest is presented as a supply of food for the chicks.
3. As a result, after hatching, the chicks can still feed. In addition, they are born already completely sighted. Young growth is able to move around, and is covered in dense fluff. Chickens, cranes, geese and swans belong to the same group of birds.

Interesting Facts

1. In ancient times, the Egyptians were able to domesticate ducks without any problems. In addition, these individuals are most popular in China. Every year about 2 million individuals are raised in this country.
2. As for Latin America, in this country almost no one uses the considered game as food.
3. Worldwide, there are about 110 varieties of ducks.Separately, it is worth noting that the quacking of such individuals does not have an echo.
4. During the extraction of food and hunting for fish, the presented ducks are able to immerse themselves in water to a depth of 7 m.
5. What remains interesting is that only female ducks are able to reproduce quacking. Males are not capable of this.
6. It is worth knowing that the neck vertebrae of such a game are much larger than that of a giraffe, and this despite the fact that ducks have this body part shorter.
7. When ducklings are born, they perceive as a mother any creature that they see first. To whom, if the feathers of the bird were not processed in any way, it is impossible to wet them.

Gray ducks have a very beautiful appearance. Due to the reduction of habitats and constant hunting for individuals, the number of this species has greatly decreased. In some regions of our country, game is protected. Males of this species by their nature remain nomads. The female independently engages in offspring and grows it.

Video: gray duck (Anas strepera)