The cry of a wild goose for hunting. About gray and white-fronted geese, about bean goose and barnacle goose
We know that geese are sociable birds and hunters who are passionate about this hunt need to know and understand their roll calls. If you hunt with wind decoys, then this is easy to learn. With experience, you can easily determine from the voices and behavior of the birds their intentions in relation to your arrangement.
For example, a small flock flies over your stealth at a height of 25-30 meters, the birds actively communicate with each other, respond to calls, and there is every chance to lower the flock even lower. The flock did not break, but flew in one herd, and this is a sign of alertness. On the next lap, the geese flew away - an experienced hunter would have oriented himself in time and managed to get the geese, because the distance allowed him to make a successful shot.
Let's consider another situation, from approximately one point the geese begin to turn around and fly away from your hides, making sounds of danger. For an experienced hunter, this is a hint that something is wrong, for example, in disguise or something else, and you need to look for an error. Or such a situation, a flock of geese flying at a decent height, 300 meters, began to respond to your decoys, the geese circled over the stuffed animals, began to break into many small herds and fly over the stuffed animals several floors (as the hunters say).
At the same time, the geese are actively giving voice, take your time, these geese have intentions to join your stuffed animals. If possible, try to lower the geese as low as possible, as long as you have patience. It is an indescribable feeling when geese fly over you at 5 meters, and some are already stuffed. You hear the flapping of wings, the crackling of feathers - this is a completely different stage of hunting than shooting geese at a distance of 30-40 meters. And now let's listen to the sound files and try to make out the voices of geese:
3. The sound of danger. In our case, the geese noticed the video camera, if these sounds are repeated regularly, look for an error. As a rule, this is disguise or poor quality of profiles or stuffed animals.
5. A flock of white-fronted geese. When the geese give a voice like that and start to break down, you can plant them, everything suits them.
6. This is a continuation of the 5th file. The geese are already flying at a height of 10-15 meters, and there is a further decline. An indescribable feeling.
7. Roll call of a small flock of white-fronted geese. Have fun and lure them point-blank.
8. A mixed flock of white-fronted and bean goose. Only 6 pieces separated from the flock, the rest in one herd - the first sign of doubt. When flying at 15-20 meters, shoot, there are doubting geese in the flock.
Currently, sport hunting for geese is a hobby for millions of people in many countries of the world. A civilized hunter must know the rules of hunting in his region and be able to distinguish protected species of geese from those that are allowed to hunt.
Gray geese, white-fronted geese and bean gooses are included in the Anser genus of the Anatidae family of the Anseriformes order.
GOOSE GRAY |
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Features. Large goose. Body length reaches up to 90 cm, wingspan up to 1.5 - 1.7 meters. The weight of adult males in autumn reaches 3.5 - 5 kg. The females are slightly smaller. The coloration of the plumage is light gray tones. In mature birds, the crop and abdomen are covered with small black transverse mottles. The beak is a solid pink color with a white claw at the end. Paws are red-pink. The eyes are light brown. The voice is sharp, cackling, reminiscent of the sounds made by domestic geese. The flight of gray geese is fast, during long-distance flights they fly high, often lining up in a wedge. They usually do not mix with other types of geese.
Habitat. Mostly lives in the southern half of Russia. Especially willingly nests on large lakes with reed beds, in river deltas, in floodplains and estuaries. The main livestock is concentrated in the Volga delta, Kazakhstan, Western Siberia. In the European part nests unevenly. Prefers biotopes of forest-steppe and steppe zones. Winters in Azerbaijan, in the south of Ukraine, in the republics Central Asia, as well as in Western Europe, South and Southeast Asia.
Number, in last years, has stabilized and, according to some sources, reaches up to 150 thousand individuals.
WHITE-HEADED GOOSE |
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Features. The most numerous species of our geese. Body length 60 - 90 cm, wingspan up to 1.5 meters. The weight of adult males in autumn reaches 2.5 - 3 kg. The color of the plumage of an adult bird is mostly gray, lighter below, the undertail is white. There is a white spot on the forehead, surrounded by a dark border. Sexually mature birds have large transverse black streaks on their belly. The beak is 40-55 mm long, pinkish, with a white claw at the end, the legs are orange. Young birds do not have a white spot on the forehead and there are no dark streaks on the belly. Unlike other species of geese, the white-fronted goose has a tail protruding from under the ends of its folded wings. The voice of the male is high, sharp, shrill, two or three syllables, the female is dominated by low-frequency components.
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gander call |
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Active Gander Call |
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goose call |
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Goose siege |
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Bazaar of a small flock |
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Bazaar of the Resting Pack |
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Bazaar of the Flying Pack |
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tundra (western and eastern) subspecies (Anser Frossicus)
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Features. The most numerous subspecies of bean goose. Body length 70 - 75 cm, wingspan up to 1.5 meters. The weight of the goose of this subspecies reaches 3 - 4 kg. The color of the plumage is dominated by brown-gray tones. The upper part of the small head and neck is dark brown. The goiter and belly are light grey. The rim of the feathers is white. The beak is relatively short, swollen, usually no more than 70 mm. Mandible with a pronounced thickening in the center. The base and claw are black, the band is noticeably narrow, yellow-red. Paws are yellow-orange. The voice is sharp, cackling, creaking, mainly with a predominance of low and medium tones. Habitat. Nests of tundra bean goose are widespread in mainland tundra and forest-tundra swamps. This subspecies is also found on some Arctic islands. They winter in Western Europe, Mediterranean, South and Southeast Asia. |
FOREST subspecies (Anser Fabalis)
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Features. A large bird of dense build. Body length 70 - 90 cm, wingspan 1.5 - 1.7 meters. Weight from 3 to 4.5 kg. The head and neck are brown with a slight buffy tinge. The fore-back and wing-coverts are greyish-brown; the middle of the back, loins and flight feathers are black-brown. The goiter and chest are whitish-gray. Belly and undertail are white. The sides are dark with light transverse stripes, the beak is large and two-colored: black with a wide orange band ending in a black claw, the legs are red- orange color. The voice gives off sharply, basically it is a low-frequency two-three complex nasal guttural gaggle. Habitat. Inhabits forest and forest-tundra biotopes in Western Siberia. Breeds spontaneously, in pairs or small family groups in interfluves and along the edges of deaf lakes. Does not form colonies. A very watchful bird. Winters in Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the countries of South and Southeast Asia. |
TAIGA subspecies (Anser Fabalis Latham)
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Features. Large bird. Body length 70 - 90 cm, wingspan 1.5 - 1.7 meters. Weight 3.5 - 4.5 kg. The color of the plumage is mainly gray-brown, the crop and chest are gray, the undertail is white. On the sides of an adult goose, light transverse stripes are clearly visible, which young birds do not have. The head and neck are noticeably darker than the main background. The beak is large black with an orange-red band and a dark claw. Paws bright orange. Voice in flight ─ low-frequency two-syllable repetitive cackling sounds. An exceptionally alert bird. Habitat. The number of the taiga bean goose within the areola is distributed extremely unevenly. The assessment of the state of this subspecies varies, according to different sources, from 15,000 to 60,000 individuals and reflects the general trend of decreasing numbers. Inhabits forest and forest-tundra biotopes of Eastern Siberia. Winters in Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the countries of South and Southeast Asia. |
Short-beaked subspecies (Anser Brachyrhynchus)
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Features. The smallest among the bean goose. Body length 65 - 68 cm, wingspan up to 1.3 meters. Weight about 3 kg. The plumage is generally dark, on the upper side of the head it is black-brown, on the neck it is rusty-brown, the upper back is matte black, the undertail is white, the chest and belly are gray, the beak is short, thick, dark with a pink-red band. The wings are short, when folded they do not reach the end of the tail, the anterior part of which is noticeably lighter. Voice with short, sharp, cackling sounds of low and medium pitch, characteristic of bean goose. Habitat. Island subspecies of the bean goose. Some ornithologists consider it a separate species, which stood out as a result of geographical isolation from the mainland bean goose. Its nesting areas are located in the internal swamps of Iceland, Svalbard, East Greenland. In Russia, it is found in the north-west of the country. A case of shooting a ringed bird on Lake Ilmen was recorded. Breeds on the Yugorsky Peninsula and Kolguev Island in small numbers. Winters in England, the Netherlands, Greenland. |
barnacle goose |
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Branta Leucopsis
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Features. A small goose of the goose genus, the family of ducks. Body length 60 - 70 cm, wing length 38 - 43 cm, weight 1 - 2.5 kg. It has a two-tone plumage. Black on top, white on bottom. There are gray stripes on the sides of the body. The black "cap" on the head extends to the neck, goiter and forms a sharp border with a light chest. The cheeks are white except for a black frenulum running from the base of the bill to the eyes. Male and female are indistinguishable in color. The voice is sharp and piercing. Reminds hoarse barking or coughing. The flight is fast. Birds often rebuild, break formation, fly in a dense flock.
Habitat. They winter on the shores of the northern seas, in Holland, Germany, Denmark. Spring migration proceeds in a rather narrow front along the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas. Breeds in large numbers on Novaya Zemlya and Vaygach Island. In recent decades, they have mastered open tundra and coastal meadows on the coast of the Barents Sea.
In 1997, it was withdrawn from the Red Book of Russia. At present, the population has increased to half a million and continues to grow rapidly (E.N. Gurtovaya). The first reason for the rise was the protection of wintering grounds and the restoration of fodder lands along the migration paths. Late periods of barnacle geese migration are of great importance. Due to this, the majority of birds fly by after the closing of the spring hunting season (V.B. Zimin). During autumn migration, according to individual tagging (Afanasiev 2005), from nesting sites from the mouth of the Pechora River to wintering in Western Europe (about 3000 km), they make no more than two or three short-term stops and reach the goal in 1 - 3 days .
Characteristics of wintering areas of the white-fronted goose in Europe and Western Asia
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A country |
Number |
Average |
Lim and average geographic coordinates |
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I. Northern European wintering areas of the white-fronted goose |
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England |
1 |
0,35-4,9 |
51.35 N |
2.45W |
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II. Central European wintering areas of the white-fronted goose |
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Hungary |
16 |
0,32-7,62 |
46.15-47.37 N |
17.09-21.36 E |
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III. Southern European wintering areas of the white-fronted goose |
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Bulgaria |
6,2-111,2 |
42.04-44.02N |
24.30-28.32 E |
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IV. European-Period Asian wintering areas of the white-fronted goose |
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Türkiye |
7 |
0,7-10,33 |
38.12-39.32N |
29.56-35.14 E |
Key ornithological territories of the European part of Russia,
in which the white-fronted goose is a significant spring migrant
Olonets spring gatherings of birds. geese
V.B. Zimin, A.V. Artemiev, N.V. Lapshin, A.R. Tyulin. 2007, Nauka publishing house
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Location name |
Geographic |
population |
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Nenets Autonomous Okrug |
66°49"N 46°30"E |
Mass stops |
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Komi Republic |
62°16" N 50°36" E |
500 - 1 000 |
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Arhangelsk region |
61°50" N 38°55" E |
Mass stops |
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Republic of Karelia |
60°56" N 32°55" E |
500 000 - 7 500 000 |
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Kaliningrad region |
54°56" N 21°14" E |
Mass stops |
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Leningrad region |
60°00"N 29°15"E |
3 000 |
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Pskov region |
58°30"N 27°40"E |
Numerous |
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Novgorod region |
58°10"N 31°20"E |
Featured in publications |
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Vologda Region |
59°20" N 38°30" E |
20 000 - 50 000 |
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Yaroslavl region |
57°43" N 39°13" E |
3 000 |
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Ivanovo region |
56°30"N 41°45"E |
Up to 20,000 at the beginning of the span |
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Tver region |
57°00" N 36°30" E |
1 000 - 2 000 |
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Moscow region |
56°42"N 38°02"E |
7 000 |
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Ryazan Oblast |
55°35"N 40°00"E |
10 000 - 12 000 |
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Kaluga region |
54°10" N 35°55" E |
6 000 - 15 000 |
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Bryansk region |
52°30" N 33°37" E |
20 000 |
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Tambov Region |
52°44"N 40°20"E |
4 000 - 5 000 |
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Rostov region |
48°00"N 42°40"E |
Stops |
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Krasnodar region |
46°30" N 38°25" E |
Stops |
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Stavropol region |
45°13"N 42°51"E |
Stops |
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The Republic of Dagestan |
41°52"N 48°30"E |
Common |
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The Republic of Mordovia |
54°23"N 43°50"E |
5 000 - 15 000 |
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Republic of Tatarstan |
56°05"N 49°50"E |
1 500 - 2 000 |
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Saratov region |
50°18"N 48°40"E |
Stops |
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Volgograd region |
50°18"N 46°25"E |
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Republic of Kalmykia |
46°11"N 43°00"E |
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Orenburg region |
50°59"N 61°35"E |
Common |
ACOUSTIC WARNING OF THE WHITE-TRONED GOOSE ANSER ALBIFRONS
(The dissertation of the candidate of biological sciences Krechmar Evgeny Arsenievich, St. Petersburg, 2008)
general characteristics
In birds, acoustic signaling occupies a special place among all forms of communicative behavior. The ability to fly requires both a "mobile" and a remote (at a distance) effective communication channel. Birds are characterized high level variety of sound reactions, which is reflected both in the richness of forms and in the flexibility of their use in the conditions of tasks that change throughout the annual cycle. Birds with a maturonate type of breeding, which include Anseriformes, are characterized by differentiation in the use of acoustic communication when communicating in different social groups at different stages of the breeding season.
The formation of the acoustic repertoire of the white-fronted goose is divided into two main stages. At the first stage, the formation and formation of the youthful (juvenile) repertoire takes place, at the second - the adult (definitive) repertoire.
In the repertoire of females, there are signals comparable in terms of the characteristics of filling the frequency range with males; the main part of their acoustic repertoire has a more pronounced low-frequency content. Males, on the other hand, have a narrower range of frequencies that make up the energy spectral maximum in the signals of the repertoire.
The frequency range used by males is completely covered by the frequency range used in acoustic signaling by females. The voice of female white-fronted goose has a wider frequency range than that of males. At the same time, a significant part of the signals of the repertoire of females is characterized by the predominance of well-defined low-frequency components.
The white-fronted goose is a species in which the multifunctionality of acoustic signals in the repertoire is the norm. An exception is the two-strike call of the male AM11, used to warn the chicks of danger at short distances. Four signals (A2; AM9; AF10; AF14) had a high level of polyfunctionality. In addition to flight, they were used in foraging behavior and in various types of land-water locomotion. Ground contact-orientation "quiet" signal of male AM7 accompanied largest number(6) forms of physical activity. Signals AM7 and AF13 were ground-contact by their nature. They were used in close interactions in tight groups, especially in broods and brood groups. These signals accompany "calm" forms of behavioral activity that are not directly related to a complex of anxiety-defensive actions.
Throughout the life cycle of the white-fronted goose, the stages of development of acoustic signaling are consistent with the stages of ontogeny. The role of acoustic signaling at different stages of the life cycle is changing. The entire sequence of changing age repertoires corresponds to the information needs of various life cycles. At different stages of the life cycle, the conditions and tasks of the existence of geese change. However, there is no direct correlation between the number of tasks corresponding to developmental stages and the diversity of the current repertoire. First of all, this is explained by the phenomenon of the probabilistic specificity of the signal repertoire, in which the multifunctionality of individual signals manifests itself with different levels of probability in different situational contexts.
When solving biological and specific current behavioral problems, the information load is determined by the need for the amount of information necessary and sufficient for the proper implementation of the required forms of behavior. The requirements for the level of information transfer reliability also differ from task to task. In some cases (such as a state of extreme danger, life threatening individuals or brood) the reliability requirements are very high, in other cases (foraging, orientation-demonstrative behavior, for example) the reliability of the communication channel may be low. Acoustic communication channel provides a high level of reliability. A number of physical prerequisites characteristic of acoustic signaling determine the effectiveness of an acoustic communication channel in the conditions of the existence of the white-fronted goose in breeding areas.
Considering the list of parameters that are important when considering the requirements for communication channels for the white-fronted goose, we can note the following important characteristics that make the acoustic channel indispensable: circular directivity, range, noise immunity, stealth, economy and localization. All of the above prerequisites make acoustic signaling in the white-fronted goose the main and most effective channel of communication and orientation.
All other possible channels impose serious restrictions on the possibility of transmitting information in those diverse conditions characteristic of the habitat of this species. Acoustic signaling in the white-fronted goose is a typical example of an optimized, expedient species communication system, flexibly adapted to a wide range of life tasks and functions at different stages of the life cycle.
Signs of white-fronted goose signals.
Andrey Shalygin: I think it's no secret to anyone that such "simple" sounds and their "designation" as "woof-woof-woof" and "meow-meow-meow" - in fact, nothing to do with real sounds published animals do not have. To demonstrate this fact, it is enough to know how the same sounds are called by the inhabitants of other countries.
If anyone does not know yet, it turns out to be cats and dogs different countries meow and bark 'on different languages"completely different. And not at all because they really do it differently. But because each nation historically had its own main species diversity of these animals and its own musical abilities in depicting voices.
Therefore, our (non-corresponding) dog "woof-woof-woof" can somewhere be traditional in the "woof-woof-woof" variant. Albanian dogs do "ham-ham". In Catalonia, dogs bark bap-bap. The Chinese say "wang-wang", the Greek - "bow-bow", the Slovenian - "hov-hov", the Ukrainian - "gaf-gaff". In Iceland it's woff, in Indonesia it's gong-gong, and in Italian it's bau-bau.
"Exit meeting of the School of Manna Hunting". Photo - Olga Frunze.
Of course, as a result, with such a species diversity that geese and ducks present to us, as well as the absurdity that decoy producers demonstrate - the dubious musical abilities of specific people and the "school" superimposed on these factors - as a result show a total "rubbish" , not man. That, however, does not prevent them from selling their products and teaching others for money.
If they also understood the bird, it would be tolerable. And then, as it turned out, even the voices of birds themselves (not just their "language"), are generally unknown to the producers of decoys. They blow some kind of, excuse me, "crap", and they will say that this is "it" ... Yes, have you ever heard this very "it"?
The same pheasant has a voice almost like a crow, but by ear it is quite clear that it is not a crow. At the same time, in flight, he makes an "identification-warning" sound, which I personally designate as a throaty "ktk-ktk". How many people - so many descriptions. And the sound needs to be reproduced accurately.
And even if you take lessons from the most famous beckons in the world, then even the same Fred Zink, regarding the already famous sound imitation of the mallard duck, says that many professional beckons pronounce "stern chatter" like "tygi-dygi", etc. ., although he believes that it actually simply carries the elementary "you-you-you" in the basis ... So the Masters also have disagreements. But this is with the Masters. And here in Russia, as it turned out, many "producers" cannot even determine the species of sound at all, nor have they even heard these sounds.
And someone says, "and they also do like this and like this ...." If you knew what they do at all, you wouldn't say. It is also impossible to interfere with everything in one heap, but these are already "higher matters", and many have big problems with the basics.
It often happens - only half a year ago a person didn’t know anything about mana. He quacked at movies for half a year and is already a "venerable connoisseur", it turns out. But just yesterday, when picking up carp, he brought it to tourists ... Now it's already a "master". I assure you, the greater the limit of your Knowledge, the more you will feel how great your Ignorance is, and the less you will think that you know how to do something.
Honestly? In fact, practically no one knows shit about manna hunting in Russia. It turns out that you need to start from the very basics, even when talking with "professionals" (who, in fact, "neither ear nor snout"). OK. Then let's start with goose mana.
The following types of geese are common in Russia:
- white-fronted goose ( Anser albifrons);
- grey goose ( anser anser);
- white goose ( Anser canagicus);
- white goose ( Anser caerulescens);
- sukhonos ( Anser cygnoides);
- lesser white-fronted pussycat ( Anser erythropus);
- bean goose ( Anser fabalis);
- mountain goose ( Anser indicus).
To date, there is no exact data on their number and distribution. Throughout the world, the gray goose has historically always had the greatest distribution, which for this reason was the first to be domesticated, about 4000 years ago in Egypt. But the big gray goose Lately more and more are being knocked out, and the small bean goose, which nests not only in the North, but also far to the south, including Altai, the eastern border with China and Mongolia, is becoming more and more widespread.
But due to the fact of the modern production of decoys and the distribution of the goose in America (which is the legislator of modern semolina hunting), as well as the fact of the species predominance in the northwestern part of Russia, which is most in demand by the mass hunter, the white-fronted goose is imitated today most massively and predominantly (which is wrong).
Many hunters from St. Petersburg and Moscow will immediately raise a "hustle" - we have only "white-browed", where is this most massive gray goose? Well, so, gentlemen, but Russia, in fact, is not only Moscow and St. Petersburg (as you are all used to), and Tver, where you all (both of them) go hunting. But in Kazakhstan and in the east of Astrakhan, there is practically only one gray, and this is not even a third of Russia to the east. To the north, everyone has a maximum of one road - to Murmansk ... And all natural science ended there. And then who of you was? Well, then we sit quietly and read smart books.
"Goose flock of white-fronted geese" performed by Alexei Manannikov and Igor Babaev
Video - Andrey Shalygin.
It should be borne in mind that this demonstration was not conducted on camera, but during more than an hour of the Manna Hunt lesson, moreover, immediately after the "quack". Therefore, the participants of the "Master Class" did not warm up, but immediately began to "cackle". Therefore, the participants themselves said that "the first 10 seconds in the video should be cut off - this is a warm-up and not" clicking "". But I have already left everything as it is, so that people understand that imitating the voice of birds is not such an easy task as it might seem at first glance.
As an explanation for this video clip, I can reveal a little secret of professional beckons. Usually, all white-fronted beckons, in accordance with American guidelines, use the combination "wo-woo-woo" (Red Bon - Nathan) ,
and here is the Chief hunter National Fund Saint Tryphon Alexei Manannikov empirically established that the combination "lu-hatch" is more consistent with the voice of the white-fronted. Myers teaches "le-luc"". And then Alexei correctly told me that a lot depends on the pronunciation characteristic of a given language (Louisiana Myers, for example, is a former French province and "pronounce" here is a linguistic conditionality, therefore Alexei "cheeps", and Myers "cheers"). So how to "decipher" the sounds of Nature is more a matter of Mastery than tradition.
If someone thinks that he bought a decoy, learned the mallard croak and the standard cackle of the white-browed, - and that's it ... Manilschik! ... Then I dare to disappoint you. Just for example, I put below short descriptions types with demonstrations of a real recording of voices, and after that, I hope, all even professional manufacturers of calls and "specialists" - slightly "the tiles will come off the roof": "Well, where are your calls and mana after that?" ... Here something and it that is very deep ...
We read and listen. And at the same time we compare the "description of sounds" with their real sound. Just do not think that I took it here and outlined everything at once. Descriptions are shortened, views are shortened. This is just a small note, not a monograph. Descriptions of the species are taken from the Guide to Birds and Bird Nests in Central Russia (Bogolyubov A.S., Zhdanova O.V., Kravchenko M.V. Moscow, Ecosystem, 2006).
Andrey Shalygin
Gray goose - Anser anser
Appearance. A large bird (body length about 80 cm, i.e. slightly smaller than a domestic goose) is grayish-brown in color, with an off-white chest and abdomen, on which dark spots are scattered. From like him bean goose it is distinguished by an ash-gray coloring of the lower back (loin) and a dark pink, almost red beak with a light marigold at the end. The legs are pink. There are black spots on the belly of adult birds (hardly visible in flight). The front of the wing appears light in flight.
During migration, it gathers in large flocks. The flock flies in single file or in a wedge. Very careful.
You can listen to the voice of the gray goose by clicking on this button:
The voice is like that of a domestic goose, the well-known cackling “ha-ha-ha”. Although, seriously, there is no "ha-ha-ha" there. Folklore transcribes it in different ways, for example in the southeastern regions of Russia and Ukraine as "taga-tega-tega".
Habitat.
Prefers large calm overgrown lakes, open lands. During non-breeding time, it feeds in fields and meadows.
Spreading.
Distributed in inland waters of Eurasia from Western Europe, where it breeds in the north to Norway, to Primorye in the subzone of mixed forests and steppes.
Economic value.
From the gray goose, the domestic goose traces its history. Geese were kept in Egypt as early as 2000 BC. In the past, it was one of the main game birds in Russia. In recent years, it has become more rare, especially in the European part.
Description of Buturlin
. The wild gray goose is the ancestor of the domestic goose. large the bird is grayish-brown in color, with a dirty white chest and abdomen, on which dark spots are scattered. From like him bean goose it is distinguished by an ash-gray coloring of the lower back (loin) and a dark pink, almost red beak with a light marigold at the end. The legs are pink. The dimensions of the gray goose wing reach 49 centimeters, tail - 16 centimeters, beak - from 4.7 to 7.5 centimeters, weight from 2.6 to 4 kilograms. Rare specimens come across - up to 6.6 kilograms.
This goose is wide widespread from Western Europe, through the entire USSR, to the lower reaches of the Amur. It nests in Karelia, in the delta of the Northern Dvina, in some places in the Volga region and beyond the Urals it reaches 59 ° north latitude, and on the Ob - to the Arctic Circle. It occurs on the Yenisei up to 55 ° north latitude, as well as in Altai, in the Baikal region, Dauria and Mongolia.
The nesting area of the gray goose extends quite far to the south, reaching the northern coast of the Black and southern coasts of the Caspian Seas. In Transcaucasia, we had to meet nesting geese in Armenia, on Lake Gokcha. In Central Asia, this is an ordinary bird that nests in swamps and shallow lakes near Merv and in the lower reaches of the Syr-Darya and Amu-Darya. This goose is also found in Iran and Afghanistan; in southern Europe it breeds in Spain.
gray goose before nestled in large quantities on all the deaf lakes suitable for it, surrounded by swamps and reeds. But the changes that have taken place due to human activity, that is, the drainage of swamps and the burning of reeds, have led to a strong reduction in the habitats of this large and cautious bird. In the central regions of our Union, for example, in Moscow and Tula, geese no longer nest regularly. However, the organization of hunting farms with the proper organization of hunting and game protection in them led to the fact that individual lares of gray geese now began to stop for nesting not far from Moscow. The gray goose is especially numerous on the lakes of the Trans-Urals, in the Baraba steppe and in northern Kazakhstan.
Goose - Anser fabalis
Appearance. Look like gray goose, but the head and neck are dark, which is also clearly visible in a flying bird, the back and rump are dark brown, the beak is black with an orange transverse stripe, and the legs are orange-pink. Tundra bean goose usually differ from taiga ones in a lighter beak (an orange strip along the edge of the upper beak reaches almost to the corners of the mouth).
Habitat.
Lakes, swamps, river valleys with shrub vegetation. On migration occurs along the banks of water bodies, in fields and in the steppe. .
For rest, it uses permanent places, where it returns after feeding in the fields (usually in large flocks).
Spreading
. Distributed throughout the tundra and forest-tundra zone of Eurasia. in Central Siberia and Far East the range goes south to Mongolia and China.
Economic value.
One of the main hunting species, especially in the North. On the shores of the Barents Sea, a subspecies can be found short-billed bean goose — A. fabalis brachyrhynchos(formerly considered a separate species), breeding in Iceland and Svalbard. It differs from the bean goose, young white-fronted goose and white-fronted goose by its lighter coloration and pink legs, from the gray goose by its dark head and neck, and a short beak with a black top. Voice like a bean goose, but higher.
Description of Buturlin . Goose a little less gray goose, from which it differs by its black beak, with a yellow or orange band. Body color greyish-brown. The bean goose never has black spots on its abdomen, like the white-fronted goose. Wing dimensions 40-49 centimeters, weight from 2.75 to 4 kilograms. The bean goose is common in the northern regions of Eastern Europe and in Asia, where it reaches the Land of the Chukchi, Anadyr and Kamchatka. It nests in the tundra of the mainland and on Novaya Zemlya; in Eastern Siberia, it is also found on mountain lakes in the forest belt. To the south, this goose reaches the Baraba steppe, Altai, Sayan and Mongolia. All our bean goose belong to the same species and are divided into four subspecies, of which one - the short-nosed bean goose - is found with us only by chance; it breeds in the northern regions of Western Europe.
Genus River ducks - Anas
In Russia, it includes 12 species: mallard, black mallard, gray duck, wigeon, pintail, killer whale, kloktun teal, whistle teal, cracked teal, marbled teal, shoveler. Interspecific hybrids are rare.
Mallard, or mallard duck, or kryzhen(outdated) — Anas platyrhynchos
Appearance. The most numerous duck in Russia. Large, slightly smaller than a domestic duck, up to 0.5 m in size. The male in breeding plumage has a black head and neck with a green tint, a brown chest, a yellow-green beak (greenish at the end of summer), orange paws, a violet mirror. There is a white collar on the bottom of the neck. The central feathers of the tail are curled upwards. The female is reddish-brown with a lighter belly, the areolet is blue, the beak is pinkish with a dark middle. The silhouette of a flying duck resembles a wine bottle.
You can listen to the voice of the mallard by clicking on this button:
Voice like that of a domestic duck, of which it is an ancestor. In flight, it emits a characteristic ringing quack. To the crackling “reb-reb” during the mating period, the whistling “fiib” also adds.
Habitat.
The mallard is the most flexible type of duck, it is able to adapt to the most different conditions a habitat. Lives in quiet waters with abundant vegetation, especially with thickets of reeds, even in large cities.
Spreading.
The mallard has a very wide distribution - the range goes through all of Europe, North Africa and Asia, south to Mesopotamia, Kashmir, Mongolia and Japan. It is also found in North America. In our country, its northern border coincides approximately with the border between the forest belt and the tundra. The mallard is the most common duck in the northern hemisphere.
Economic value.
One of the main objects of hunting. The domestic duck comes from the mallard.
Description of Buturlin
. Mallard, or mallard duck - if not the most numerous, then perhaps the most famous of all the ducks of our lakes and river valleys. She yields to height and weight the domestic duck that descended from it, however, can still reach a weight of 2 kilograms (the largest and fattest individuals), with a wing length of 30 centimeters. Most often, the weight of adults does not exceed 1.5 kilograms.
Drake he is very handsome in a wedding feather, and his attire at this time exactly sparkles with the colors of various metals. His black head shines with blue and green purple; this color is delimited from below by a narrow white collar. On the dorsal side, the plumage is brown and gray, with wavy white lines and small dashes; goiter and chest chestnut; belly light grey, with darker streaked markings; the undertail is black, with a metallic sheen; the middle tail feathers are black and curled with rings. On the light gray wing, a brilliant blue areolet (brilliant color of the secondary feathers) stands out brightly, framed by velvety black and white borders.
At females the top is dark brown, with buffy-red edges of feathers; the underside is lighter, reddish, with dark spots. There is also a mirror on the wing. The plumage of the female has a protective type.
The drake already in September is dressed in a wedding dress, which he wears all winter and spring, until the beginning of the summer molt. In the summer months, the color of its plumage is similar to that of the female, only slightly darker (especially the top of the head); his beak is lighter than that of the female, greenish; the legs are a brighter orange. Young drakes (hatch last summer) put on the wedding dress later than the old ones. And in old individuals from various reasons autumn molting may be delayed or not fully developed. And in late autumn, sometimes there are drakes, the plumage of which differs little from the plumage of females. It is remarkable that in a species close to the mallard duck, the so-called Chinese black mallard, both sexes are almost the same color throughout the year, similar to our mallard female. This duck is found in the Amur region and the Ussuri region.
wigeon, or fistula, whistler, sviyaga(outdated) — Anas penelope
Appearance. Noticeably smaller mallards. The male is light gray with a small striated pattern, the head is brown with a yellow top, the belly is white, the areolet is green. The female is distinguished by a brown head and chest, a purple mirror. Beak and paws are grey. In flight, white spots on the wings are noticeable (light gray in the female).
You can listen to the voice of the wigeon by clicking on this button:
The voice of the drake is a sharp whistling “swee-u”, the female is a crackling quack “kerr”. The call of the drake can be heard most often on the flight - it is a soft two-syllable whistle.
Habitat.
Common on overgrown rivers and lakes from the tundra to the steppe zone.
Spreading.
It occurs throughout the north of Western Europe, throughout the Volga basin up to the delta, in Siberia up to southern steppes, in Mongolia and the Ussuri region. It comes north farther than other ducks, reaching the forest-tundra. During the migration, large flocks of wigeons appear in the Baltic and North Seas.
Economic value.
An important object of hunting. The wigeon easily tolerates captivity, adapts to life at home and is easily tamed. Its meat is excellent, fluff is considered one of the best.
Description of Buturlin.
The svyaz for her voice is called by hunters a fistula, or a whistler, in some places also a sviyaga. A drake in a wedding dress has a chestnut coloration head and neck, with reddish-white crown. The goiter is reddish in color, the chest and abdomen are white. Other parts of the body are covered with gray plumage with white striation. The mirror is brilliant green, with a black border. In front of the mirror on the wing is a wide white spot. The summer attire of the male retains significant differences from the clothing of the female. In summer, the back of the drake is brown, with chestnut stripes; head and neck brownish. There is also a mirror of the wedding attire. The duck has gray-brown plumage with dark spotting, a white belly and a black-gray mirror without a white spot in front. Legs and beak are gray in both sexes.
Judging by some observations, the male stays close to the female in spring even when she has already settled on the nest, and leaves her only in the second half of the nesting period. In the river basins of the European part of Russia, the wigeon is found in much fewer than mallard and teal species.
Communication is already possible at quite a distance distinguish from other river ducks by rather bright red colors of plumage and by white colors of the mirror and abdomen. When flying in flocks and floating on the water or sitting on the shore, these ducks like to stay close, knocked together. Their flight is quick and easy, and the working wings do not make much noise. Just as teal do, wigeons often seem to turn or sway in flight, showing either side, then a shiny belly or underside of a wing.
In high-flying flocks of wigeons, birds usually emit clear whistling screams. These cries allow us to establish that wigeons in spring and autumn, during their migrations, fly over our river valleys sometimes at night.
This species of taxonomy is usually distinguished into a separate subgenus for a short beak, which in the wigeon is shorter than the metatarsus. Although the size of the body of the wigeon does not exceed the size of the body of the gray duck, its wing is somewhat larger.
Pintail, or pintail, or sharptail, or shilen(outdated) — Anas acuta
Appearance. A little smaller mallards. The neck is long and thin, the tail is sharp, subulate, the beak and paws are dark gray. The male has a dark brown head, a green mirror with a bronze tint, a white belly and chest are striking in flight, the neck is noticeably pubescent. The female is brownish-gray with a mirror without shine.
Habitat.
Prefers to settle in small reservoirs of river valleys and large lakes.
Spreading.
Pintail breeds throughout Europe and in Asia south to Transcaucasia and Primorye. It can be found in the pure tundra, much north of the last islands of crooked forests.
Economic value.
An important object of hunting, especially in the North and Western Siberia, where the pintail is most numerous.
Description of Buturlin.
The pintail, or pintail, whose name comes from the structure of the tail feathers of the drake, is distributed further north than other river ducks.
Not inferior in size to a gray duck, pintail is different from other river ducks, it has a noticeably long neck and a pointed tail, the middle feathers of which are also elongated in the female, while in the male in the breeding plume they can reach 20 centimeters. The breeding attire of the drake has almost no metallic coloration. In this plumage, the male has a brown head and the same neck with white stripes. The bronze-green mirror is bordered in front with a reddish-brown stripe, in the back with black and white. In summer, the drake has a slightly darker brown plumage than the duck, which is similar in color to the mallard and has a yellowish-brown mirror. The drake is left with a shiny mirror of the wedding dress. The legs and beak of birds of both sexes are bluish-gray.
Nest she usually places it in a dry place, often under a bush or under an overgrown sedge tussock. Pintail nests were found in Kazakhstan even 4-6 kilometers from the nearest lakes. In the middle lane, full laying of eggs occurs already in the second half of May - early June. The number of greenish eggs is usually 7-10.
Flight pintail is light, it makes almost no noise with its wings. The meat of her connoisseurs of game is considered more tasty than the meat of mallards and other large ducks.
The long neck makes the landing of this duck on the water somewhat peculiar and distinguishes it from other river ducks on the migration. During flight flocks of pintails usually fly at high altitude and sometimes stay not in a shapeless bunch, but lining up in a wedge, although not as regular as the “key” of geese or cranes. In late autumn, at the stopping places of migrating ducks on the southern seas, pintails are sometimes seen in pairs. The mating call of the male, rather high in tone, differs markedly from the call of the mallard drake.
During span pintails often gather in large flocks. Such flocks are also not uncommon on the western flyways - off the coast of the Baltic and German Seas. Some birds fly to wintering grounds in tropical Africa. The mating season and nesting of the pintail proceed in much the same way as in mallards.
teal whistle, or small teal, or sexual teal(outdated) — Anascrecca
Appearance. The smallest of our ducks: 35 cm long. The head of the drake is chestnut with a shiny dark green stripe across the eye, the chest is pinkish with dark spots, the areolet is bright green with black. The female is brown with reddish streaks, the mirror is bright green. The beak is dark gray, the paws are olive. The flight is fast, silent and very skillful (can reverse direction of flight abruptly). It can take off from water and land almost vertically upwards.
Habitat.
Prefers reservoirs with dense thickets of reeds, is also found in the mountains.
Spreading.
Most numerous in the forest and forest-steppe zones of Russia, less common in the forest-tundra and tundra.
Economic value.
One of the main objects of hunting.
Description of Buturlin. Teal sexual and common teal— the most small from our river ducks. In the European part of the USSR, they are perhaps the most common, as they are unpretentious when choosing nesting and food sites. The sexual teal, whose wing length does not exceed 20 centimeters, and its weight is 0.42 kilograms, is distributed for nesting from the northernmost parts of the mainland (71 ° north latitude on the Yenisei and 73 ° on Taimyr), through all of Europe and Asia, to Turkmenistan, Mongolia and Northern China. For his small stature, he is also called a small teal, sometimes a whistle. It is easily mixed (when in summer plumage) with crackling. But he's good is different a two-tone mirror, which is black outward, metallic green inward, and bordered in front by a white stripe. In breeding drakes, the head and upper part of the neck are red chestnut, a shiny dark green stripe covers the eye on each side and descends to the neck and nape.
cracked teal, or teal crake to, or gray-winged teal(outdated) — Anas querqnedula
Appearance. Slightly larger in size teal-whistle, length about 40 cm. The head of the drake is brown with a white stripe above the eye, the back and chest are brown, the belly is white, the areolea is green. The female is light brown with streaks, the areolet is dull, green without shine. The wings are bluish-gray, the beak is black, the paws are gray. The flight is fast and silent.
You can listen to the voice of the crackling teal by clicking on this button:
The drake has a quiet creaky crackle, the female has a rattling quack. Emits a jerky “klerrb, clerrb”, shrill “knek” or “knerr” during takeoff.
Habitat.
Prefers small rivers, small and shallow reservoirs of river valleys left from the hollow water, ponds near villages and especially likes to settle on small reservoirs in forests.
Spreading.
The most common river duck in the fauna of the European part of Russia. Rare in the north. In Western Europe, its nesting area in the north is limited to 60 ° north latitude, in our country it is the Upper Volga basin. South of these boundaries is not uncommon everywhere up to mediterranean sea and our southern seas, Central Asia and Primorsky Krai.
Economic value.
The cracked teal easily tolerates captivity and breeds well in zoological gardens.
Description of Buturlin. Teal-crake, otherwise crackling, or gray-winged teal, larger (wing length up to 21 centimeters, weight of a fat drake up to 0.6 kilograms) teal-whistle. Drake of this species painted more modest. There are no brilliant flowers on the head: the top of the head is dark brown, the sides of the head and neck are chocolate-colored, with white dashes; a white stripe passes over the eyebrow; the upper side of the body is dark brown, with light edges of feathers. The shoulder feathers are striped and markedly elongated. The mirror is a brilliant blue-steel color and bordered with white stripes. The female, painted in dark brown colors, has a areolet bordered with whitish stripes, brownish-gray, without shine. The drake even in the summer plumage retains a brilliant mirror and a lighter bluish-gray coloration of the wing coverts than that of the female.
Shirokonoska, or soksun, or loponos(outdated) — Anas clypeata
Appearance. The shoveler is easily distinguished from other ducks by its very long and disproportionately wide beak. The head and neck of the drake are black, the chest is white, the belly and sides are red, the beak is black. The female is brown with streaks, the beak is brown. The mirror is green, paws are orange. In flight, black wingtips and bluish secondary wing coverts are visible. On the water, a short neck is noticeable, in flight - a red spot on the belly. They fly relatively slowly.
Habitat.
Heavily overgrown lakes and rivers are everywhere from the southern tundra to the steppe and forest-steppe. This duck is not numerous on the lake and flood plains of the middle belt, although occasionally it is found almost everywhere where mallards and teals nest. But in the lower reaches of the Volga, and especially on the steppe lakes of Kazakhstan and Western Siberia, the shoveler is the most common of ducks.
Spreading.
Distributed in Europe North Africa, Asia and North America. In Western Europe, it is found as far north as Norway; we have to the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina, Pechora and Ob, south to Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan and the Ussuri basin.
Economic value.
An important object of hunting, especially in the south of Russia.
Description of Buturlin.
The broad shovel also stands out in a subgenus and differs from other river ducks in a long beak, greatly expanded at the end. In downy chicks, this increase in the beak is less noticeable. The beautiful breeding plumage of the drake is distinguished by the strong development of bright and metallic-shiny colors. Its neck and head are black with a dark green sheen, the goiter is white, and the bottom of the body is chestnut. The mirror is metallic green, bordered with white stripes above and below. The covering feathers of the wings are blue; yellow eyes, orange paws. The female is similar in plumage color to a mallard, but has a dull mirror bordered with white stripes. The upper flap of the beak is brown, the lower one is orange. A drake in a summer feather looks like a duck, but its mirror remains bright. The legs of the female are also orange. The total length of the bird is about 50 centimeters, the length of the wing is 24 centimeters.
The duck quacks; the voice of the drake is a quiet and hoarse "hut ...".
Before molting, males gather in flocks, several hundred pieces. Such flocks of beautiful drakes, located on a clear lake, are a wonderful sight. Shovelers and in the wild, hatching and feeding during migration in feeding places, usually do not eat much fat. During the day they can often be seen resting, and they seem to feed more at dusk and at night.
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