Shelducks are classified as members of the duck family; scientists consider them a species intermediate between ordinary ducks and geese. In Russia, this bird is called the ground duck or lumpy duck, as well as atayka, khorkhal. Let's consider a description of the species, where it lives, what it eats, what kind of life it leads, how it reproduces and raises its offspring. Features of domesticated shelducks, how to keep and care for them.
Description of the bird
Due to the fact that shelducks occupy a sort of middle position between real ducks and geese, they have characteristics inherent in both. In size they are larger than wild ducks, but smaller than geese: the weight of a drake is 0.9-1.6 kg, of ducks - 0.6-1.3 kg. Wings with a wide span - 1.1-1.3 m. The body is large, proportionally folded, legs are high, the tail is of medium length. The beak is a rich red color; drakes have a well-defined bump, by which they can be distinguished from females.
Atayka has a characteristic plumage color: on the head it is black with greenery, the neck is also black, but with a white base and craw. White back and sides. A wide reddish-brown stripe runs along the shoulders, sides and belly. It has black feathers interspersed on its belly. The flight feathers of the wings of shelducks are black, the undertail is bright red, the ends of the tail feathers are black. The eyes of the shelduck are red-brown, the legs and beak are red. Shelducks molt 2 times a year: in summer and autumn. The young animals are colored like females, which have the same coloring as males, but its shade is more modest.
Habitat of the shelduck
Ducks form 2 different populations in their areas of residence. The living conditions in them are different: in one, the birds make nests on sea coasts, in the other they live on open salt lakes and estuaries (dry areas of Central Asia).
In Russia, shelducks settled on the islands of the White Sea, in Western and Eastern Siberia. Ducks also live in the southern steppes and forest-steppes, in the Northern Black Sea region, and Transbaikalia. In addition to Russian territory, they are found in the Baltic countries, Britain, Ukraine, Greece, and Moldova.Shelducks build nests on sandy hills, screes, and in coastal thickets.
Breed nutrition
The shelduck duck, or galgaz, prefers to settle in bodies of salt water. The diet consists of plant foods and the animals that live there. The basis of the diet is small mollusks, snails, crustaceans, small fish and fish roe. Aquatic insects, their larvae and pupae. Shelducks and terrestrial insects eat when they come ashore, for example, beetles, locusts, and earthworms. From plant foods, they consume algae, and sometimes eat grass and seeds.
Ducks collect aquatic life from the surface of the water; adults do not dive, although young animals retain this ability. When going out to the seashore, they filter the silt left after the low tide.
Lifestyle and social behavior
The shelduck can be a sedentary, migratory or partly migratory bird. Migratory ducks winter in the Eurasian subtropics, in the Black Sea region, and in the countries of the Mediterranean Sea. European shelducks do not migrate. After the nesting period ends, the ducks fly to large bodies of water, gathering in flocks of several thousand. They spend a month there, during which they are unable to fly.
When the molting ends, some ducks fly back to their nests, while others move from cold areas to warm ones for wintering.
Shelducks often make characteristic sounds that differ between drakes and females. In the spring, when males rush after females, they whistle in high tones. Drakes are characterized by another cry - a dull “ga-ga”, which is repeated several times. Females emit a dull quack, repeated several times, and at high speed. When frightened, the cry “ha-ga” is pronounced loudly and resoundingly.
Reproduction and parental behavior
Shelduck ducks can give birth at 2 years of age, drakes mate later - at 4-5 years. Courtship begins in March or April, 2 weeks after arrival. One female shelduck can be courted by up to 10 drakes at once.
Shelduck nests are built in the burrows of foxes, rabbits, marmots, and badgers. Several ducks can hatch eggs in a large hole. If there is no hole, they can occupy crevices, abandoned nests, hollows, and build nests in pipes, buildings, tree roots, and haystacks.
Sheldung can hatch 8-16 eggs. Their shell is creamy or creamy white. Incubation lasts 27-31 days. The drake guards the hole while the duck is sitting. As soon as the ducklings hatch, they head with their parents to the pond. Each duckling is immediately able to move quickly, swim and find its own food. By 2 months of age they become completely independent. By bird standards, shelducks live a long time - up to 15 years.
Domestication of the breed
Ducks are not shy, they are not afraid of people. You can try to train them. They can live in poultry houses with other birds, and they can even be bred. The shelducks need to be fed a balanced diet of different types of grain, vegetables, fruits, young grass, and duckweed. Wild ducks can live in an ordinary poultry house with a walk and a bathing area. In general, keeping them is no different from keeping domestic ducks.
Red Book
In Russia, the shelduck is listed in the Red Book of the Republics of Khakassia and Tyva. The species has rare status on the periphery of its nesting area. There are no measures taken to protect or distribute ducks.
Shelduck is an interesting species of ducks that resemble geese in appearance and habits. They can be found in salt water bodies and can be distinguished from other inhabitants by their characteristic white-black-red color and red beak with a bump.They are hunted for their meat, which, like all game, is tougher than that of domestic ducks and has a specific smell.
