Piskulka [1] ( lat. Anser erythropus ) is a migratory bird of the duck family, a small goose. Received its name for the squeak published in flight.
| Piskulka |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Anser erythropus ( Linnaeus , 1758 ) |
| Area |
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 Only nests Migration routes Migration areas Random flights Estimated Migration Routes |
| Security status |
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Vulnerable speciesIUCN 3.1 Vulnerable : 22679886 |
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The Red Book of Russia
the population is declining |
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Anser erythropus egg -
Toulouse MuseumContent
Piskulka is similar in color to a white-fronted goose , but much smaller in size. The body length reaches from 53 to 66 cm, the wingspan is from 120 to 135 cm. The mass of an adult bird is from 1.6 to 2.5 kg. The color of the plumage is dominated by gray and brown tones. Against the general background, more dark-colored breasts, goiter and sides stand out, they are covered with brownish-black feathers, and the abdomen and undertail with a beautiful white plumage. By the color of the pen, it is practically impossible to distinguish a female piscule from a male. Their only distinguishing feature is the neck. In the male, it is 25–40% longer than in the female. Around the eyes there is a yellow fringing. It has a shorter than the white-fronted goose, beak, reddish hue, as well as yellow legs. In adult pussies, there is a large white spot on the forehead that extends almost to the crown of the head. Birds fly fast enough, although from the side the flight may seem slow. In addition, pisculi are able to quickly run, swim, and also prefer to stand on one limb. These are flocks of birds, but during breeding they retire in a pair and nest separately.
Piskulka nests in the northern part of Eurasia on the border with the tundra , in the northern taiga and forest-tundra . In Russia, it occurs from the Kola Peninsula to the Anadyr Bay . Also found on the Scandinavian Peninsula . Winters near the Black and Caspian Seas , in Hungary , Romania , Bulgaria , Greece , on the Balkan Peninsula , in Azerbaijan and in China [2] .
With the onset of spring, flocks of birds rush in places of their constant nesting, where they appear in April and arrive until the beginning of June. Piskulka is found in the valleys of large rivers, near lakes and small streams, prefers mountainous and semi-mountainous landscapes. Nests are built in places near ponds. Piscules fly away for the winter of the flock in September or October.
Nutrition
Pisculi is made up of plant foods and animal products. It feeds on horsetail, cotton grass , sedge and some cereals. During wintering, it grazes in the fields, eating alfalfa and oats .
Reproduction
Most often they build their nests near a pond. For nests, birds choose dry places on small hills in the form of tubercles, hills and humps. It is a small hole covered with reed stalks or down. Chicks lead through grassy sedge and mixed grass meadows, in shrubs along the banks of reservoirs. In clutch from 1 to 8 eggs, usually 4-6, painted in a light yellow color. The incubation period lasts from 25 to 28 days. The life span of pussies in nature is about 12 years, while in captivity they live up to 30 years.
The main reason for the decrease in the number of prey is hunting and, possibly, chemical poisoning at wintering grounds. Piskulka is guarded in the Shoyninsky Reserve on the Kanin Peninsula, is bred at the Moscow Zoo .
- ↑ Boehme R. L. , Flint V. E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Ed. ed. Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 31. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- ↑ Lengyel S., Tar J., Rózsa L. Flock size measures of migrating Lesser White-fronted Geese Anser erythropus (Eng.) // Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae: journal. - 2012. - Vol. 58 . - P. 297-303 .
- Red Book of the Russian Federation M .: AST 2001
- Life of animals. T. 6 Birds. M .: Enlightenment 1986
