Puffin: bird of bad weather and the symbol of the sea

Over the expanses of the Antarctic, the air is cut by the wings of the symbol of the revolution - a petrel. This amazing bird from ancient times inspired poets and writers to create outstanding works. So who is the petrel? A bird that has always been associated with something formidable and unchecked?

He nests in very severe places: on the whole coast of the Antarctic, the South Shetland Islands, on the islands of South Georgia and Prince Edward.

Of course, there are nests on the Falkland Islands. In addition, on the shreds of sushi lost in cold waters, a petrel also lives. This bird is unpretentious, and therefore can endure even very difficult conditions.

There are a huge number of representatives of this species, the body size of which varies from 15 cm to a meter. But when they say "petrel", most often imagine a huge bird with a large wingspan.

It is a giant petrel, whose body length reaches 85-90 cm, and the wingspan is a record two meters.

At the first glance at it you can see a massive head and a short, slightly curved beak. By the way, it is so hard that it allows its owner to easily bite the bones of the same penguins. If you look at the beak from the inside, a long and flat tube stretches along its upper arch, divided into two parts by an internal partition. These are the nasal canals.

Yes, one of the few birds that have a wonderful sense of smell is petrel. A bird can not compete in its sharpness with dogs or pigs, but the smell of potential prey feels wonderful.

Special mention deserves powerful legs. Between the three fingers a tight leathery web is stretched over them, and the fourth is set aside and atrophied to the state of a small tubercle.

Oddly enough, walking is not among the favorite petrel occupations: on land, it looks like a very fattened and sluggish duck. But he swims splendidly, and flies even better: there were times when these amazing creatures crossed the oceans, never even sitting down on floating ships.

The nesting begins at the end of November. And again ahead of all birds - he, petrel. The bird does not care about creating at least some decent nest, hatching an egg directly on the ground.

The chick appears in the light after a long two months. Four more parents are always taking care of him. The young petrel reaches sexual maturity only in 5-7 years. Given that the life expectancy of this species is about half a century, 7 years - not so long.

This bird of the petrel family deserved a double glory among the sailors of previous years. On the one hand, people have always admired his ability to soar in the air for days, accompanying the court. On the other - they were not too pleased with the extensive table of this species of birds. The fact is that the petrels eat fish, but do not abandon the corpses of seals, whales, penguins ... and people thrown ashore by waves.

Whatever it was, but it is these creatures that are one of the universally recognized symbols of the sea and related professions. Most of the species of this family are included in the red Book, among them there is a giant petrel. The bird, whose photo allows you to see the beauty and greatness of this representative of the feathered world, needs the protection of a person, otherwise the coming generations will not be seen by her.