Among the numerous bird kingdom there is a very interesting species, whose representatives are distinguished by their dislike for flying. This is very surprising, because birds are made for the sky. Nature rewarded them with wings, but this feathered bird practically does not rise into the air. The name of the bird is a corncrake (see photo below), it is also called a dergach.
In the evenings, unusual crackling sounds are heard from the meadows, they somehow resemble the croaking of frogs. Such a crack is emitted by jerks, because of their fearfulness it is difficult to see them, but it is easy to hear them. About how the corncrake looks like, where it lives, how it survives in the wild, will be discussed in this article.
Description
In terms of size, the corncrake, the photo of which you have already seen, resembles a small, just fledged chicken weighing 125-155 g. Only old, obese jerks gain more weight. The body of the bird visually seems to be flattened from the sides, the tail is rather short, the wing length is 14-16 cm, the beak is short (2-2.2 cm), wide at the base.
Topthe color of the feathers is variegated, reddish-brown. The center of the pen is blackish, the end is grayish. Sides and belly are buffy-white, with reddish stripes. Chest, goiter and neck are gray in color. The iris is red-brown or hazel. In a word, the corncrake bird, aka the dergach, looks modest and does not stand out with the brightness of its plumage.
Area
Tergachi breed in Eurasia, from France and Britain in the west to South Yakutia in the east, from northern taiga lands to semi-deserts. The range of these birds captures the Caucasian foothills. For wintering, the corncrake goes to the warm regions of Southeast Africa.
Dergachi prefer to settle in upland and floodplain meadows, among perennial grasses, in uncultivated overgrown gardens, in forest clearings, in semi-dry areas of swamps. Gardens and grain fields are also suitable for birds to inhabit. They like to have water bodies nearby, but these birds cannot stand excessive humidity in their territories.
Crake: sounds, screams
Talking about the crake bird, it is worth noting that its old Russian name "dergach" came from the jerking, abrupt cry of these birds. The sounds of corncrake birds in open areas can be heard even a kilometer away. Males are especially distinguished in such loud “singing”, females behave more modestly.
Crake, whose sounds are usually heard at night, at dusk or at dawn, is especially different during the mating season. With his loud, as if twitching cry of “geek-geek, geek-geek, geek-geek …”, the male tries to attract the attention of females and at the same time throwschallenge to competitors.
During its mating "songs" the corncrake gets so excited that it won't hear if you get too close to it. It is only necessary to step during the "verses of the song" when the bird calls. At such moments, she simply deafens herself with her own sounds. During the scream, the jerk strongly stretches his neck forward, while turning in different directions.
If the bird is frightened or feels danger, an unusually strong and sharp cry will come from its throat, like the chirping of a magpie. Also, the corncrake can surprise us with another sound, a rapidly repeating "I". It is with its unusual chants that the corncrake bird differs from other feathered birds, the description of its cries and sounds is proof of this.
Lifestyle
Dergach (bird) prefers to choose wet meadows with tall grass as a place of residence. Most often, these birds can be found in fields sown with cereals.
Crake is a solitary nocturnal dweller. Weather permitting, the nimble, indefatigable birds lead an active lifestyle all night long and only in the early morning, at sunrise, go to rest.
It is very difficult to see a twig in the grass, it rises into the air only when absolutely necessary. So this bird is easier to hear than to see. Birds run, bending the front of the body and head to the ground so that the tail is higher. During movement, the bird nods its head all the time to look around, it sometimes straightens up and stretches its neck to its full length. Whenthere is such a short-term inspection, the jerk lets out a special cry, as if cheering himself up and convincing that there is no danger.
If the danger cannot be avoided, the crake bird first of all tries to escape. The runner from this feathered one is unsurpassed, its narrow body contributes to rapid movement in tall dense grass. When escape is not possible, the bird has to take off. She does this somewhat clumsily and slowly. In flight, her legs are lowered down, such an action does not last long, after a few meters the twitch sits down in the grass and continues to escape in a more convenient ground way.
Reproduction
The male jerk can be safely called a skilled suitor and an experienced ladies' man. Although it is fair to say that while he is caring for one female, he does not waste time on others. From the above, it becomes clear that the corncrakes are consistently polygamous.
The mating season runs from April to July. As mentioned earlier, during bird weddings, males become very noisy. In addition to “songs”, they also conquer the hearts of females with dances. When a female enters the field of view of the male, he begins to perform a courtship dance, during which red spots on the wings look favorably. But this is not the limit of the efforts of the “cavalier”, in the heat of passion he can even give his feathered chosen ones “cute” gifts in the form of snails and worms. If the male does not reach such generosity, the female herself can demand a treat from him.
In one season, a male can mate with 2-3 females,on average, there are two girls per boy. His duties do not include building a nest, hatching eggs and caring for offspring. As soon as the female begins to lay eggs, the male goes in search of another darling.
The future feathered mother arranges her nest among small bushes or among dense grass. First, she digs a shallow hole, then lines the bottom with moss, sedge stalks and grasses. In one clutch there are from 7 to 12 eggs. The female incubates them on her own, without the help of a negligent father.
Raising offspring
Dergach (bird) sits on eggs for three weeks, then chicks are born from them. They are covered with brown-black fluff. You can’t call the babies completely helpless, because almost immediately after the fluff dries, the chicks boldly leave the nest and accompany their mother.
The first 3-4 days of life, the corncrake feeds its young from its beak. When the babies are 2 weeks old, they become completely independent, they can get their own food. At the age of one month, young birds begin to make their first flights and leave their mother's care.
Dergach females living in Western Europe can lay two clutches of eggs and hatch two broods of chicks during the summer, while the feathered inhabitants of the eastern territories, due to more severe climatic conditions, make a second clutch very rarely.
Diet
Crake bird is not a vegetarian, it enjoys eating both plant foods and foodanimal origin. Given the fact that the dergach prefers to live in fertile areas, he has no problems with the extraction of food. For example, settling next to a grain field, a bird can always get enough of grain and insects.
The diet of the corncrake includes seeds, young shoots of plants. The menu is complemented by small insects, centipedes, small snails, earthworms.
Population
Crake is a very secretive and cautious bird that hides from human eyes. Therefore, it is very difficult to determine the population size of the dergach. One can only assume that due to the increase in the number of environmentally friendly farms, these birds cannot be attributed to endangered species.
It is, of course, worth noting that compared to previous years, the number of crake is declining. Wet meadows are slowly but surely disappearing from the landscape, as a result, the population of dergachs, which mainly live in such areas, is decreasing.
