What is a bird like the Caucasian black grouse? What is the lifestyle? Where does it live? What does it eat? How does it reproduce? Let's look at the description of the Caucasian black grouse with a photo, and also try to answer the above questions.
Habitats
The most numerous populations of the Caucasian black grouse are observed in the highlands of the Caucasus, for which, in fact, the bird got its name. Representatives of the species are also found in adjacent regions, in particular in the vast Armenian Highlands and the Pontic Mountains.
The life of the Caucasian black grouse, the photo of which can be seen in our article, takes place in the areas where the upper border of the forest is located. Below a height of about one and a half kilometers above sea level, the bird prefers not to descend. Basically, the Caucasian black grouse lives in thickets of bushes, inhabits small groves.
Appearance
Starting the description of the Caucasian black grouse, it should be noted that the bird has a rather interesting appearance. Males have a dense plumage of a coal hue with a velvety sheen. According to their appearance, they resemble black grouse. However, they differ from the latter by the presence of a black undertail and a white area in the area of the wings. Extreme tail unit bent down.
It is noteworthy that the males of the Caucasian black grouse put on a black outfit only in the second year of life. Before that, they are practically indistinguishable from females. With the advent of summer heat, the plumage of males at the throat turns white. The back of the head and sides of the neck become brownish.
As for the females of the Caucasian black grouse, they have a brownish variegated plumage with a reddish tint. You can distinguish them by their more modest size and refined stature. If the weight of males can reach more than 900 grams, then females grow up to 700-800 grams.
Lifestyle
The behavior of male and female Caucasian black grouse is significantly different. In summer, males undergo a seasonal molt. Around July, their wings begin to lose their flight feathers. However, the process is absolutely not reflected in the deterioration of the ability to fly. In September, the flight feathers of males are completely renewed and noticeably grow in length. It is worth noting that during the molt, cocks of the Caucasian black grouse prefer to hide in dense thickets and only occasionally go out in search of food. During this period, they climb much higher than their usual habitats.
Males show increased activity in the morning, when they fly from their forest shelters to open spaces where they look for food. In such places, flocks of roosters usually form.black grouse. By noon, birds move closer to the water. Here they spend the second half of their day.
Grouped in flocks, males show extreme caution. Hearing the approach of another living creature at a long distance, the birds immediately take off. The cocks of the Caucasian black grouse prefer to hide in dense tall grass while looking for food.
Unlike males, female Caucasian grouse do not make daily flights from place to place. They prefer to move slowly through high mountain meadows in search of food. Juveniles are in flocks with females. Their seasonal molt occurs a few weeks later compared to males.
Turning
The behavior of the Caucasian black grouse during mating practically does not differ from the usual kosach. Males, tail held high, are located from each other within visible limits. Birds periodically perform jumps, turning around in the air. Fights between males are extremely rare. During mating, animals flap their wings loudly, click their beaks, and make wheezing throat sounds.
Food
What does a bird eat? The basis of the daily diet of the Caucasian black grouse is vegetation. In the summer, these birds prefer to eat mountain plantain, chamomile and buttercup, yellow hazel grouse, doronicum, alpine buckwheat. Most birds like unripe fruits and flowers of plants.
Insects are becomingprey of representatives of the species is extremely rare. Mostly young individuals hunt for such prey, which travel along green meadows with females.
With the advent of autumn, the Caucasian black grouse switches to eating blueberries and lingonberries. As soon as the snow falls, the birds eat the needles, as well as the juniper.
Reproduction
The mating season of the Caucasian black grouse starts in early spring. Birds do not form pairs. Nest building and incubation are carried out exclusively by females. Usually in clutches there are about 5-8 eggs, which have a grayish-yellow tint with brown patches. Female nests are formed in thickets of shrubs or in small depressions in the soil under overhanging stones.
After a few days after the birth of the young, mothers leave their shelters, trying to climb higher into the expanses of mountain meadows. At the first danger, the females try to divert the attention of predators from the offspring to themselves, flying up to the tree with loud cries. In turn, the young are in a hurry to quickly hide in dense thickets and hide. As soon as the danger passes, the female hurries to call the chicks back.
It is worth noting that female black grouse are extremely caring towards their offspring. They show the chicks suitable food, walk with them in places where it is easier to find prey, in particular, young greens and small insects.
Black grouse gain weight and size slowly. A week after birth, the chicks reach a mass of only 20-30grams. Over the course of a month, they grow to no more than 200 grams. It is noteworthy that the chicks begin to learn to use the wings as early as a week of age. After about a month, they fly quite well. During this period, females no longer have to take the threat to themselves. At the first need, the brood flies to safety with the mother.
Conservation status
These birds belong to a rapidly declining species. Currently, there are no more than 70 thousand individuals in the wild. In which book is the Caucasian black grouse? Feathered is under the protection of the Red Book of the Krasnodar Territory. There are a number of factors that affect the decline in the number of representatives of the species, which will be discussed below.
Why is the Caucasian black grouse in the Red Book? The reduction in the number of these birds is affected, first of all, by human economic activity. People resort to active development of territories that are habitats and nesting places for black grouse. The problem is grazing in the highlands, laying roads, active hunting for such birds.
The Caucasian black grouse also appeared in the Red Book as a result of an increase in the number of predators in the natural environment. These birds are easy prey for numerous packs of wolves, carnivorous birds. Particularly affected is the young growth of the black grouse, which often does not have the opportunity to hide from predators by flying up into the trees. All of the above factors have led conservation organizations to give the Caucasian black grouse a special status.
Bconclusion
So we talked about the beautiful bird of the Caucasian black grouse. As you can see, representatives of the species have rather unusual habits and lead an interesting lifestyle. Unfortunately, the population of the species is steadily declining. To get a chance to save the Caucasian black grouse, a person needs to reconsider his attitude to nature, in particular, give up hunting the bird.
