White Crane (Siberian Crane): a description of where the interesting facts reside

This snow-white graceful and majestic bird is an ornament of many reserves. However, its population under natural conditions is steadily declining. The white crane (Siberian Crane) nests only on limited areas of the northern territories of Russia.

Sterchus: external features

Sterkh refers to the genus Crane, the Crane family. The bird is large - its growth ranges from one hundred and forty to one hundred and sixty centimeters, weighing about eight kilograms. The sweep of the crane's wings ranges from two hundred and ten to two hundred and thirty centimeters, depending on the population.

Only during winter migrations long-distance flights are made by a white crane. Sterkh in Russia breeds and reproduces. Behind these birds are closely monitored by ornithologists.

Color

The white crane (Siberian Crane) has a characteristic feature, due to which it is difficult to confuse it with another bird - a red long beak, which has sharp jagged edges. There are no feathers around the eyes and beak of the beak, but the skin is colored in a rich red color and is visible from afar.

On the body of the feathers, arranged in two rows - white, on the inside of the wings at the ends of two rows - black. Legs long, pinkish hue. They are great helpers of the Siberian Crane in the swampy territories: they allow you to move in a boggy bog through hummocks.

At first the eyes of the chicks are blue, then they acquire a yellow tinge. The white crane (Siberian Crane) lives for about seventy years, without forming subspecies.

Habitat

To date, there are two populations of cranes of this species. One lives in the Arkhangelsk region, and the second - in the Yamal-Nenets district. This is a very cautious bird - Siberian Crane. The white crane, a short description of which is given in the article, tries in every possible way to avoid meeting people, and this is not in vain: after all, poachers in many areas feel themselves with impunity.

If a bird sees a person - it leaves the nest. The sturgeon can throw not only the clutch, but also the already hatched chicks. Therefore, it is not recommended to disturb birds during this period. The white crane (Siberian Crane), which nests only in Russia, can winter in Azerbaijan and India, Afghanistan and Mongolia, China and Pakistan. In early March, the cranes return to their homeland.

In Yakutia, a Siberian Crane travels to remote areas of the tundra and chooses swampy swamps and impassable forests for accommodation. Here he lives before the winter migration.

Food

Many naturalists are interested in the question: "What does the white crane (Siberian Crane) eat?" The diet of this beautiful bird includes both plant and animal food. Along with aquatic plants: tubers, cotton grass, cranberries and sedge, which Siberian Cranes like very much, they will not refuse to eat large insects, eggs of other birds, rodents, alien chicks, invertebrates and fish. In winter, during migration, Siberian Cranes are limited only to plant foods. It should be noted that these birds never harm agricultural land.

Reproduction

White cranes are monogamous birds. Vapors are formed when the cranes are six years old. In the middle or the end of May the formed pair of birds chooses a place for the future nesting. Like other types of cranes, their reunion of the couple notes loud singing. The cry of these birds is characteristic - long, high and clean. It distinguishes Siberian Cranes from other species.

Nests of Siberian Cranes are built on open water. They are well tamped platforms from the sedge stalks. A prerequisite for choosing a place for nesting is the presence of fresh water, and the pond must be at least 40 centimeters deep.

It's interesting to watch the couple's wedding dance. Initially, both birds tilt their heads and produce melodic, complex and lingering sounds. Performing his "wedding" song, male widely spreads his wings, while his darling holds them folded. At this time, the white cranes begin their dance, which consists of bowing, bouncing, throwing twigs and patting the wings.

The construction of the nest is carried out by both parents. Usually the female lays two gray eggs with small dark spots. In a droughty year there can be one. The offspring are female for twenty-nine days. At this time the male is vigilantly guarding the nest.

Hatching offspring begin a hard struggle for survival. As a result, there remains one of the largest and strongest chick. After seventy-five days, he has brownish-red feathers. In snow-white handsome men, they turn only to three years.

Red Book of Russia: white crane (Siberian Crane)

Sterkh is the largest bird of its family. She leads a predominantly aquatic lifestyle, which makes it difficult to save this species from extinction. Now the population of the Yakut population does not exceed three thousand individuals. For West Siberian Siberian Cranes - the situation is critical: there are not more than twenty of them left.

Seriously, the protection of white cranes took up in 1970. Numerous nurseries, reserve funds have been created, where ornithologists grow these birds from eggs. They also train the chicks to fly over long distances. And nevertheless, the threat remains that the white crane (Siberian Crane) will disappear completely. The Red Book (international) also filled its lists with this endangered species. Hunting for these birds is completely prohibited.

Hope for a revival

Since the mid-nineties of the last century more than a hundred white cranes cultivated in nurseries have been released into the natural environment. Unfortunately, such chicks do not get well (no more than 20%). The reason for such a high mortality rate is the lack of navigation orientation, as well as flight training, which is given by parents in natural conditions.

American scientists tried to correct this problem. They set up an experiment, the essence of which was to carry the chicks along the route, using trikes. In Russia, developed a similar program, which was called "Flight of Hope".

Five trikes were built in 2006, and with their help the young Siberian Cranes were led along a long route from Yamal to Uzbekistan, where the gray cranes lived, and the Siberian Cranes together with them went to winter. In 2012, President Vladimir Putin participated in such a program. But for some reason this time the gray cranes did not accept Siberian Cranes, and ornithologists had to bring seven chicks to Belozersky zakaznik in Tyumen.

Interesting Facts

• In India, a Siberian Crane is called a lily bird. Indira Gandhi issued a decree (1981), according to which the park "Keoladeo" was created in the place of wintering of white cranes, in which the strictest regime is observed and favorable conditions for protecting these magnificent birds are created.
• The white crane (Siberian Crane) overcomes the longest path, in comparison with other cranes: more than five and a half thousand kilometers. Twice a year these cranes fly over nine countries.
• In Dagestan, the territory of which the Siberian Cranes cross during migration, a beautiful legend appeared that the Siberian Cranes are the souls of dead soldiers. The legend formed the basis of the famous song, the words of which were written by Rasul Gamzatov.
• In the mating season, white cranes sleep no more than two hours a day.
• For the Mansi and Khanty people, the white crane is a sacred bird, ancestral totem, an indispensable character of all ritualistic rituals.
• Hunts will never bother the Siberian Crane: there is an unspoken taboo to visit the places where white cranes nest in the spring and summer.
• The ornithologists consider the method of "adoptive parents" and growing of young animals in the reserve to be the most effective methods of breeding these birds. In the first case the eggs of white cranes can be planted in the nests of gray cranes. In the second - the chicks are grown in the reserve, isolated from contacts with the person. Then they are released to adult wild cranes.

Ornithologists continue to develop activities aimed at preserving this magnificent bird. We hope that the white crane (Siberian Crane), the description of which we have presented in this article, will be preserved and the beautiful bird will long please us with its appearance.