Gyratory - a bird unusual and hardy

As already known, representatives of the falcon family are predators. The largest of them is the gyrfalcon. The bird (the photo reflects all the beauty) is very original.

Gyrfalcon is very hardy. But their population has recently declined. And this is mainly due to human intervention. People destroy the nests of gyrfalcon, destroy birds for fun (make stuffed) or material gain. As a few centuries ago, so in our times they are used in falconry. An excellent assistant is the gyrfalcon, a bird, the description of which is read further.

Description

Krechet differs in its beautiful, motley colors. Abdomen is whitish with a dark shade. This is a beautiful disguise during the hatching of eggs. Large pointed wings have a gyrfalcon. The bird (the photo clearly shows all its features) has a rather unusual coloring.

Paws are powerful, yellow in color. It is by color that it is possible to distinguish adult individuals from young animals. The first coloring is more pronounced. The color of the bird consists of brown, gray and white shades.

Gyrfalcon is a large bird. With a body length of about 60 cm, the wingspan is up to 135 cm. This is quite impressive. And females are much larger than males. The weight of an adult reaches 2 kg. But this does not prevent the krichet after 2-3 swings of the wing to gain lightning speed, which is important during the hunt. Gyrfalcon - the bird is very hardy. He can pursue his prey about 1 km.

Externally, the gyrfalcon is very similar to the peregrine falcon, but the first tail is longer and less visible under the eyes.

Habitat

Krechet is a nomad bird. Prefers cooler areas of habitat. Most of them fly south in winter. But some members of this family lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Gyrfalconas are common in Asia, Europe and North America. So, in Europe the largest number of these birds was recorded in Iceland (about 2 hundred pairs).

In Russia, the most popular gypsies were in the south of Yamal and in Kamchatka.

The main habitats are river valleys, seashores, tundra. Nests gyrfalks away from man.

They migrate not only horizontally, but also vertically. So, the Central Asian kirchet changes the Alpine zone to the valley.

Feeding the Gyrfalcon

As already noted, the gyrfalcon is a bird of prey. Food for them are small birds and animals: squirrels, rabbits, ground squirrels, ducks, owls and others. The daily need for food is 200 g. Gyrfalconas are hunted either individually or in pairs, in turn forcing the prey.

They are looking for their sacrifice from a height. They hunt, like all falcons: they overtake the lightning fast and claw their heads. Then they kill, breaking the neck of the victim's beak.

The diet of the gyrfalcon varies depending on the season. So, in the summer they hunt birds, grabbing them on the fly. In winter, such a prey is less, so the gypsies begin to catch small animals. If this food is not enough, these predators do not mind eating fish and amphibians.

There is one peculiarity in gyrfalco: they never lead a hunt for their small neighbors. Moreover, the gyrfalcon do not allow this to be done by other predators, driving them from their territory.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity at the gyrfalco occurs at the age of two. They choose a couple for life. The mating season begins in the winter. The breeding season lasts a week. In April, with a periodicity of 3 days, the female lays one egg each. Nests are rarely built. They prefer to take strangers or nest in the rocks under a canopy. The diameter of the nest is about 1 m and in height - about 50 cm. It consists of dried grass, moss and feathers. Nests gerfalts try not to change. There have been cases of nesting these birds in one place for many decades.

Cultivation of offspring

As a rule, the female lays 3-4 eggs. The chicks appear about a month later. Family responsibilities at the gyrfalconists are strictly divided. After the appearance of the offspring the female looks after the chicks, warming them, and the male extracts food. And before you bring prey, he plucks it away from the nest. More skilled females sometimes can leave nests and take part in hunting.

Survival of the progeny of gyrfalcones is directly dependent on the availability of food. An important factor is that the appearance of nestlings should coincide with the addition of their victims in the family (for example, whites). After a large prey to bring a male into the nest simply can not. And little gypsies can die of hunger.

Therefore, the number of offspring of these birds varies depending on the season.

At the age of 1.5 months the chicks of gyrfalco begin to fly and try to hunt themselves. But far from the nest they do not fly away. The grown-up chicks begin their independent life in the autumn.

Interesting information

Gyrfalcon is a bird of the tundra. Since ancient times, gerfalets have been valued as a commodity. They were specially caught and resold for participation in falconry. Bird training took about 2 weeks. Specially trained birds per day could do up to 70 sorties for prey. On the hunt, the gyrfalcon was used for about 10 years. Because of their stamina, they were very appreciated. They were even changed for horses. In the 17-18 centuries, these birds were specially caught in Russia for further sale to the East.

Gyrfalcon is a rare bird. Today, the number of gyrfalcones is rapidly declining. This is due to the reduction of natural food for these predators. Suffering gyrfalcon and from poachers. So, abroad, the approximate cost of these birds is 30 thousand dollars.

In order to preserve this species of birds of prey, hunting is forbidden, especially in reserves. In addition, America, Japan and Russia signed an agreement on the conservation of these birds.