Sheep duck
In the duck family there is a variegated variegated sheath duck, otherwise called the atayka duck, which in appearance and behavioral features resembles geese and classic ducks, occupying an intermediate position between these bird groups.
Peganka duck
Uniqueness of appearance
It will not be difficult to distinguish a sheath duck from a photo: its multi-colored plumage combines white, red, gray and brown shades, distributed in the form of spots throughout the bird's body.
The sheath is much larger in size than the mallard, but does not reach the size of the fire. Its weight is 800-1500 g for males, 500-1300 g for females. In length, the atayka grows to 0.58-0.67 m, reaching a wingspan of up to 1.33 m.
Even from a distance, the shelled duck can be seen with the naked eye, thanks to its piebald color, unlike the plumage of other birds.
Against the general white background of the body, the ataika contrastingly attract the eye:
- the head, the feather of which shines with a metallic sheen of green,
- bright red or orange beak,
- a chestnut sling going from the chest towards the shoulder blades,
- black longitudinal stripes in the area of the shoulder blades, turning into black fly wings,
- a green mirror on the secondary flywings, which are a generic sign of attack,
- white tail with a black tip.
In contrast to the female, the male sheath is noticeably brighter during the mating season; it has a red outgrowth on the upper beak. The younger generation is similar to the color of females, but has a snub-nosed beak, and mirrors on their wings appear later.
Habitat geography
Shelf duck can be found in the Eurasian territory. Moreover, the population of these birds is divided into 2 groups according to habitat conditions:
- one of them lives mainly on the European seashore,
- the second prefers the open salt lakes of the arid Central Asian regions.
Sheaths arrange their nests more often in the northwestern part of the European continent on the seashores, starting from the Estonian east, then along the southern Norwegian and Swedish territory, capturing the islands of Britain, and ending with the northern White Sea.
In Russia, the atayka duck can be found in the region of the White Sea islands and in the southern regions of the country in the steppes and forest-steppes. The Red Book of the Russian Federation contains information that hunting for it is limited.
The southern area of residence is limited to the Aegean Sea and the Andriatic, where separate locations of the Ataisk nests were recorded. Shelf duck is more extensively distributed in the east, settling on the Black Sea and Azov coasts, in the steppe regions of the central European part of Russia and in Asia. Separate populations were recorded in Turkey and Iran.
Behavioral character
Depending on which area of residence one or another population of hedge ducks has chosen, they can be both sedentary and migratory, and also partially migratory.
Shelf duck is quite sociable, it is not afraid of a person and often allows it to come close to itself.
Atayka became famous as a vociferous bird.The vocal row of males and females of hedgehogs differs, and noticeably. At the onset of spring, the sheath's drake begins to emit high-frequency sounds in the form of a whistle, similar to the "du". Often he does this while flying in pursuit of a female. In addition, in the singing arsenal of male ataika, there are also deaf compound "ha-ha ...", which he repeats several times.
Unlike the drake, the female heddy nasal, giving out a low-frequency quack, which she repeatedly emits in the form of "eider ..." and often does this while in the air. The bird is able to pronounce up to 12 such syllables per second, as a result of which these cries add up to a single trill. If the female is disturbed by someone, when a danger arises, she begins to scream more loudly.
Features of nesting and reproduction
For nesting, the wild ataika arrives at the appearance of the first thawed patches from late March to early April and prefers places near water bodies or on their shores. The maturity of shelled ducks occurs at the age of two in females and four to five years in males.
The period from April to July begins with the construction of nests by the sheathing duck. Unlike many other waterfowl, the atayka is able to make a nest not only in a hole made in the ground near the water, but also in the hollows of tree trunks and even in structures artificially created by man. Sometimes she chooses old minks of other animals as a place to build a nest.
Conflicts often arise between drakes in the defense of their territory, in which they with a lowered beak stand against each other and begin to push, trying to push the enemy away in order to be able to stay with the female.
The egg-laying of ataika usually contains up to 10 eggs, the shell of which has a creamy color, the egg is distinguished by the absence of any ornaments, specks and spots. Almost from the first hours of life, the chicks begin to independently forage, following their parents, and after 2-3 weeks they already unite in small flocks, accompanied by adult birds. After 45 days from the moment of birth, the younger generation confidently takes the wing.
The basis of the feed ration
In the menu of sheath duck, mainly animal food: small crustaceans, molluscs and insects living on the water and their larvae. Only sometimes sheaths include eggs and fry of small fish species in their diet, and they can feast on earthworms.
The diet of shelves depends on the geography of its habitat and can vary. So, for the representatives living in the North Atlantic, 90% of the food consists of small littoral snails. Those birds that live on the Black Sea and Azov coasts and settled on Asian reservoirs feed mostly on crustaceans of the Artemia species.
The food of shelled birds in winter consists mainly of vegetative components of vegetation and aquatic algae.
The time of feeding the shelves falls on the period of low tide, when, after the water has left, many animal organisms remain on the banks, stuck in the muddy bottom. Shews begin with an extended neck to pass all the silty mass through their beak. While on the water surface, the duck is engaged in prey afloat, but in comparison with other duck representatives it prefers not to dive.