The most common and numerous bird in Russia is the duck. This small waterfowl lives in almost all fresh water bodies and slightly saline seas. Of all the ducks, the mallard settled the most. This bird can be found everywhere in Russia.
All ducks have a wide streamlined body. The beak is flattened, and the paws are webbed. The neck is long and flexible. The plumage is dense, impervious to water. A layer of subcutaneous fat is well developed.
Migratory and resident ducks
Many species of wild ducks that do not fly away for the winter choose warm climate zones for permanent residence. Mallard is a migratory duck that prefers to live on rivers. But not all mallards are migratory - there are sedentary birds as well.
Birds fly in small flocks. Pairs are formed in autumn or already during wintering, if individuals hibernate together. The final formation of the pair occurs in the spring during nesting.
Species of geese and ducks inhabiting the Russian expanses number dozens. Ducks belong to the order Anseriformes. Migrate to warmer climes for wintering: pintail, tangerine, mallard, teal, shelduck, killer whale, shelduck, etc.
Breeds of domestic ducks
On the plot they usually contain meat and decorative types of ducks. The first species is represented by the domesticated mallard and Muscovy duck. One comes from Russia, the second is a typical representative of the American continent.
Breeding and domestication of ducks began a long time ago, several millennia ago. So all representatives of numerous modern species belong to these two breeds.
The Bashkir colored duck is considered the best in Russia, it is slightly larger than the mallard in size and weight. The Indian runner is a medium-sized species of ducks that has a peculiar posture and resembles a penguin. The Indian duck, or Muscovy duck, has skin growths on its head, like a turkey.
Types of domestic ducks include decorative representatives. They are kept solely for beauty and are not used for food. Cape Teal, Mandarin Ducks and Caroline Ducks are very bright and beautiful birds.
Mandarin duck originally - East Asia. For nesting, it arrives in the Amur and Sakhalin regions, the Khabarovsk Territory and Primorye. She took a fancy to mountain rivers and adjacent forests. It is a good swimmer, flies quickly and maneuverably. It is forbidden to hunt the mandarin duck, it is listed in the Red Book.
Representatives of meat breeds
Peking duck is the best representative of the meat breed. The breed was bred by Chinese poultry farmers more than 300 years ago in the foothills of Beijing. Gradually, the breed spread throughout the world.
Large head, short and thick legs, long torso, slightly raised. The neck is not very long, the wings fit snugly to the body. Peking duck plumagecreamy white-yellow color. This species is rapidly fattening and gaining mass. Hardy, strong and well endure severe cold.
Ukrainian breed has a well-developed musculature and a thin bone skeleton. The plumage is dense, the color is gray, white and reddish. They develop quickly and gain weight, have normal egg production.
The Moscow white duck is similar in physique to the Beijing duck. The breed was bred in the Moscow region. The bird has a long neck, protruding chest, broad back and short legs. The plumage is snow-white with no signs of yellowness.
Muscovy duck is often dark in color with a few light feathers. It has fleshy red growths on its head, for which it is often called a warty duck. The body of the bird is large, massive, the neck is short. The birds got their name because of the special musky smell that the skin and feathers emit. Ducks are undemanding to feed, hardy and not susceptible to disease. Gaining body weight quickly.
Meat-egg breeds
Khaki Campbell was bred by crossing several species. The body is elongated, the chest is wide, the neck is of medium length. The bird is active, mobile, unpretentious in food. Yields eggs and tasty, tender meat.
Mirror duck has a light brown almost white color. The name of the breed was due to the mirror shine of plumage. The body of the bird is long and wide, with a short neck and low legs.
Egg breed
Indian runner hasthe vertical position of the body, which is very reminiscent of a penguin. The bird is mobile and active. The duck has a long neck and long legs that allow it to run fast. In addition to a large number of eggs, it gives delicious tender meat.
Wild ducks inhabiting Russia
Birds of the Duck family live throughout Russia. From the most northern latitudes to Eastern Siberia, their range has spread. Many species of wild ducks are hunted.
The most common trophy is mallard. Mobile, quickly disappears under water if it feels danger. Pintail, on the contrary, quickly rises from the water and flies away, which is of great interest to hunters.
Types of wild ducks in Russia, living in nature, are divided into two groups. The first includes: mallard, shoveler, pintail, wigeon, cracked teal, etc. They feed in shallow water, spend a lot of time on river islands and meadows. These birds can be found in the oak forest, where whole acorns serve as food. The common name for this species is river ducks. Birds have a well-defined tail. River ducks differ in body shape from diving ducks.
Mallard duck-standard
These are the most numerous representatives of river wild ducks. Hunter's favorite trophy. Represented in the world by 12 species, but the mallard is the most famous among them.
The appearance of a duck can be taken as a standard. Compared to others, these types of ducks have a more streamlined body shape and a shorter neck. The beak is flattened, there are tiny teeth on the sides, through which the bird filters water for feeding on smallplankton and living creatures.
The wings are powerful, but not long, which indicates good flying abilities of the duck. The tail is slightly narrowed laterally, short and as if cut off at the tip. Paws set back a little, short. The mallard has a well-developed oil gland, which is responsible for the water-repellent properties of plumage.
The body of a bird reaches a length of 40-60 cm. The weight of a duck is up to 1 kg, the drake is slightly larger than the female. But the plumage and coloration of the male are pronounced. The female mallard has a modest color, which is dominated by brown-red tones. Along the edge, each feather has a whitish border, this gives a flowing pattern to her body.
Drake has no speck at all or only in small areas. The main color is brown, gray and black. The head and neck are dark green, turning purple-blue in the sun. The paws of the bird are bright orange.
The range of the mallard is the most extensive. They chose for themselves the shores of fresh water bodies, which are overgrown with dense reeds, reeds and shrubs. Ducks get used to the presence of a person and settle in the city on ponds and canals.
Species of ducks in Russia that live in the north are migratory. Mallards from Eastern Europe leave the northern part of the country from early September to mid-October, they head to northern Africa and Asia Minor. Ducks from Siberia head to China for the winter.
During the migration and wintering, flocks numbering thousands of birds are formed, but when they return back to their nesting sites, they break up intosmall flocks of 10–15 ducks.
Diving ducks
Representatives of the second group - diving ducks. They need to dive to the depth, while helping themselves with their paws, since these birds have to get food at the bottom. Diving species of ducks in Russia: red-nosed duck, red-headed duck, crested black, goldeneye.
This is a large group of birds that inhabits the vast territory of Russia. They live and nest on sea coasts. In winter they migrate to warm climate zones. Species of diving ducks are represented by birds of rather large weight, which have a massive physique and short legs. They are excellent swimmers and divers and can stay underwater for up to 3 minutes.
Blacken
Representative of the genus of ducks. Refers to diving ducks. It has a short neck and large head. These are small and stocky species of ducks. The photo and name of the duck can be easily identified. The collared black has a black head and neck, as if it were wearing a collar. The red-headed pochard has a bright red, almost copper-colored head color. You can easily recognize him.
Duck spends a lot of time on the water. If necessary, get food from the bottom, dives completely or partially, leaving the back of the body on the surface of the water.
Diving species of ducks can be easily distinguished from river ducks by their silhouette. The former have a lower landing and they keep the tail lowered. To take off, they need a small run-up, and river ones can take off almost vertically. It rarely comes out black on land.
On the territory of Russia, 5 species of black chernets live and nest. crested black, red-headeddive, rem dive live on the European territory of the country to Primorye.
Ducks living in northern Russia
In the northern latitudes of Russia, in the Yamalo-Nenets district, 23 species live, and 18 are in the nesting phase. According to the latest estimates, the number of all ducks living in the district reaches 12 million.
Black sea blubber
Sea duck - northern duck. Species have chosen the tundra zones of Russia, from the west to the east of the country, the subarctic and arctic latitudes of Eurasia. In Russia, the duck can be found west of the Urals (up to the coast of the Arctic Ocean) and in Yamal.
The blacken is a migratory bird that stops for the winter on the sea coast of temperate latitude. On wintering it swims from the coast at a distance of 10 m. Prefers narrow bays and lagoons.
Male are more colorful. The plumage is black and white, the wings and back are pockmarked. The legs are bluish-grey. The female has a modest coloration. The plumage is dominated by brown tones. Black rises quickly from the reservoir, flies easily and swiftly. Great diving to great depths. Chicks can dive into the water on the day of hatching, but just for a second, due to their light weight. But 6 weeks after birth, they calmly swim under water up to 15 m.
Places for nesting prefer swampy, mostly bushy lakes. He arranges his nests on the ground near the water itself in sedge thickets. The black-tailed duck is a migratory bird and flies to the sea coasts of temperate latitude for wintering.
Food is molluscs, small fish, leaves, seeds and green parts of aquatic plants, which are mined at the bottom by the northern duck. Duck species are predominantly kept in small flocks. Serve as trophies for hunters.
