According to the latest data from ornithologists, more and more often wild ducks, mastering the warm sometimes city ponds and other water bodies in parks and squares, prefer to stay in the city in winter. They do not leave their usual habitat. Why this happens, where and how ducks winter, we will tell in this article.
Wintering birds
Everyone knows the picture of the 19th century Russian artist Alexei Savrasov "The Rooks Have Arrived". This picture was painted by Savrasov under the impression of the coming spring, the heralds of which traditionally became the feathered inhabitants who returned from the south. The birds that flew home - rooks, goldfinches, finches and, of course, the same representatives of the Duck family - with their arrival informed people about the imminent warmth, about spring, which was already on the threshold. Even if there was still snow around, the frost pinched the noses of the children playing, decorated the windows with bizarre patterns, the birds that flew in from the south proclaimed the end of winter with their twitter.
But today, many of our modern birds, who have already understood what it means to live next to a person, allmore often they prefer to stay for the winter in cities. Even in the cold season, they successfully find their livelihood near human habitation, visiting the feeders installed by the townspeople, supermarkets and city dumps. Apart from pigeons and sparrows, which have never been migratory, today, for example, gulls, rooks, crows and ducks can be considered sedentary. Of course, we are talking about those bird populations that live within the boundaries of human settlements - cities, towns, etc.
Why do birds need wintering?
With shortening of daylight hours, birds enter the so-called state of "migratory anxiety", while the incentive to migrate is an additional factor in the form of unfavorable weather changes and a decrease in the amount of available food.
However, among the ducks there are also "permanent residents" - those birds that have long since switched to a settled way of life. Among the ducks living in the southern regions of the country and in the Kaliningrad region, there have long been such sedentary mallard populations (and when they talk about a duck, they mean, first of all, this particular species, as the most common). But now these birds wintering in cities are also found in Moscow, and in St. Petersburg, and in Perm, and in other settlements, the climate of which can hardly be called southern.
Despite all the obvious explanations (presence of a food base and non-freezing water bodies), ornithologists do not fully understand the mechanism of extinction of the migratory instinct of ducks. This phenomenon, ornithologists say, is still little studied.
Where does the wild mallard hibernate?
Here we will talk about ducks,living in the wild and not meeting people who are ready to feed them with bread. Ornithology tells us that ducks are migratory birds. Their natural habitat consists of three zones:
- breeding range - in fact, where the duck brings offspring and lives at a favorable time of the year;
- areas where ducks fly to spend the winter, that is, the wintering place;
- those places over which a bird flies, migrating south (migration zones).
Where do ducks from Russia winter? For wintering mallard from the European part of Russia always flies away, as a rule, to the coasts of southern or southwestern Europe. And Siberian and Far Eastern ducks can fly to the shores of the Caspian Sea, to India, China or Japan. But they are not tied to a specific route. Depending on climatic conditions, the geographic areas where mallard ducks winter can be replaced by warmer ones - for example, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, North Africa.
Ducks fly in a wedge, slowly, at low speed (according to measurements, about 50 km / h in calm weather), usually at night, so as not to be attacked by birds of prey. An experienced drake usually flies at the head of the wedge. During the day, birds rest and feed, stopping in favorable places in the migration zones.
Where does it return to?
Mallards are not tied to specific nesting sites like other birds. Therefore, returning from wintering, they often "distract" from the traditional course to the waters they like, and sometimes join other people's flocks. In this regard, mallards are very smart birds - during the construction and filling of a new reservoir, they are the first to "settle" and settle in new lands. This explains why mallards are becoming the most common inhabitants of ponds in the city.
First city ducks
The justification of the first mallards in cities, and specifically the Moscow population, is associated by biologists with the celebration of the World Festival of Youth and Students, which was held in Moscow in 1957. Then, by order of the Moscow City Executive Committee, the city ponds were "revived" - waterfowl were settled in them. Previously, the wings of the mallards were clipped so that they could not fly south. But, as it turned out, this event was completely in vain - the new Moscow ducks successfully settled down and even lured flying wild relatives to them.
In addition, as you know, ducks are bred in hunting farms and farms, which are released into the wild before the season. It is possible that some of these birds also join the ponds and other urban waters.
But genetically, the wintering duck, according to scientific research, is closest to the wild, migratory duck. This fact allowed zoologists to conclude that the majority of the Moscow population consists of wild ducks brought before the festival, which, in turn, lured the flying "strangers".
First duck count
Back in 1981, the first census was conducted (otherwise called"registration") of waterfowl remaining for the winter in the city. The Union for the Protection of Birds of Russia and specifically the zoologist Konstantin Nikolaevich Dobrosklonov became the initiator of the study and calculation of the features of these birds. Today, this census is conducted on the basis of the biological faculty of Moscow State University. Lomonosov.
This year the count was held for the 25th time and took place on January 18th. The census showed that only in Moscow 25 thousand individuals of various species of waterfowl remained to winter. Of these, of course, most of them were common mallards (scientific name - Anas platyrhynchos). There were more than 23 thousand of them. In addition, new species of birds appeared among the "winterers", and the total data for the recorded years showed that their number is constantly growing.
Of course, it was difficult to see all the routes in one day, even only in Moscow (and this must be done at the same time for the purity of research), therefore, all wildlife lovers, volunteers, students are invited to the routes laid specifically for this account and schoolchildren. The total number of all places where ducks winter in the city is 27 Moscow routes, and their length is about 300 km. But this is in the capital, and in other cities - from St. Petersburg to Novosibirsk - such events began to be held only in recent years.
According to science
What good did censuses do:
- Firstly, it showed that the number of waterfowl is constantly (with slight fluctuations over the years) growing: for example, the number of mallards, when the census just started, wasonly about 13 thousand.
- The number of species of birds remaining for the winter in the urban environment is increasing.
- The study also showed an increase in the amount of water surface suitable for birds.
At the same time, urban wintering birds as a natural phenomenon remain a little-studied phenomenon that awaits its researchers.
By the way, scientists have found a direct relationship between the economic well-being of urban residents and the number of urban ducks in the ponds. After the crisis of the 90s, the total number of individuals in the population of ducks in city ponds began to decline and reached the level of 7,000 mallards in 1997. But then the population began to grow again. It has now reached its maximum. But, according to the assumptions of zoologists, this is not the limit yet.
What do ducks eat?
The diet of all mallards is mostly vegetable food. But still, they are not pure vegetarians, because on occasion they do not disdain the larvae of aquatic insects, earthworms and crustaceans. Mallards, unlike other species of ducks, do not like to dive, preferring to reach for food that is close to the surface of the water. True, sometimes lovers of feeding ducks can watch how birds, turning upside down, get something from the bottom. But such scenes are only possible in shallow waters.
The beak of ducks is arranged in a special way: along its edges there are horn plates, a kind of teeth that help to filter water and liquid silt - this way the duck getssmall aquatic plants and crustaceans from the water. But ducks are also happy to pluck young leaves from the thickets on the shore.
Animal food is very important for ducks during the breeding season, that is, in the summer, and in winter they eat plant foods, preferring high-calorie ones. The townspeople who feed the birds with bread come in handy here.
Urban and "urban"
The results of the census revealed another interesting phenomenon. As it turned out, there are two urban groups of ducks.
For some, ponds and small rivers where ducks from Russia winter and where they live and breed chicks have already become quite a familiar place. They are perfectly accustomed to the man and his handouts.
But how do ducks winter in the pond? These birds tolerate cold well, if there is enough food, and if the water of the reservoir in which they live does not freeze through. This usually does not happen, but a reduction in water surface area may result in some birds becoming the prey of stray dogs.
The second duck population lives in more open water spaces near cities. These birds are quite shy and not particularly favorable to humans, but still they try to stay closer to city buildings, fearing hunters who hunt in the countryside. How do wild ducks winter? Usually, with our winters that have ceased to be especially frosty, there is enough food, but the bird's migratory instinct is still on guard - and in adverse climatic periods theyable, without making long-distance flights, to migrate south.
To feed or not to feed?
Ducks and, in particular, mallards adorn the urban landscape that does not spoil us with bright natural colors. Elegant drakes, modest brownish ducks and fluffy motley ducklings - all of them do not leave indifferent either children or adults. But in many American parks there are signs demanding not to feed the birds - after all, they are wild, and you should not make them too dependent on people. Watch, they say, for the birds as much as you like. For birdwatchers (bird watchers) in many parks there are even special sites - the so-called "observation shelters".
Indeed, "feeding" ducks may lead to the fact that birds do not tend to leave their habitual habitats and fly for wintering with the onset of winter cold. This instinct was originally laid in them by nature. However, scientists are not completely sure that only the treat of ducks was the final factor in such behavior, or rather, its absence. Partly proof of this can be considered the presence of populations of pseudo-urban birds, which no one feeds. In addition, during the coldest time of the year, ducks left for the winter in any park pond simply cannot survive without human support.
What to feed?
It is definitely not recommended to feed ducks wintering in the pond with fresh bread or confectionery. The cause of many bird diseases can be fermentation processes that develop due to the presence in fresh baked goods.yeast. Sugar and various additives are also not good for the bird. Do not give peanuts and roasted seeds, as well as cereals.
Feed ducks worth grain or grain mixtures, oatmeal, cottage cheese, fresh or boiled chopped vegetables, fruits, grated cheese. Do not throw treats for birds into the pond, polluting it. It is better to leave it on the shore near the water.
We told you about where and how wild ducks winter.
