Burnt or red. Wild ogar duck: features of the breed

The ruddy duck (lat. Tadorna ferruginea) is a waterfowl of the Anatidae family, related to the shelduck. The bird has orange-brown plumage with a lighter head. The wings are white with black flight feathers. Red ducks swim well, but in flight they look heavy, more like geese than ducks. During the nesting season, in summer, males have a dark ring on their neck, and females usually have a white spot on their head. Their voice is a loud cry, similar to the cackling of geese.

Ogar or red duck

Usually red ducks live in pairs or small groups, much less often in a large flock. But during molting and wintering they can gather in large groups on lakes or slow rivers. In captivity, these birds are usually aggressive and unsociable; it is better to keep them in pairs or in a very large area. Saddlebacks can be kept with other duck species, but they can still be very aggressive during nesting season. In Tibet and Mongolia, the red duck is considered sacred by Buddhists. Cinders are also sacred in Slavic mythology.

The Ogar is one of the most recognizable ducks, primarily due to its characteristic bright red plumage. All of its closest relatives, living in the southern hemisphere and also having red plumage details - the grey-headed shelduck, the Australian and New Zealand shelduck, as well as the Eurasian common shelduck - are noticeably different from each other in head color.

This is a large and tall duck, with its posture, long neck, short beak and rare flapping of wide, blunt wings, it more closely resembles a small goose than a typical duck. The dimensions and proportions are comparable to those of the shelduck: length 61-67 centimeters, wingspan 121-145 centimeters, weight 1000-1600 grams. The plumage of most of the body is intensely rufous, turning whitish-buff on the head and neck. The flight feathers, rump and tail are black, in the last two cases with a greenish tint. In the upper and lower parts of the wing, the coverts have large white spots, clearly visible in a flying bird. Along the anterior edge of the secondary flight feathers there is a green spot - the so-called “mirror”. The iris, beak and legs are black. Along the edges of the mandible and mandible there are thin, sparse and large teeth.

In breeding plumage, the male is distinguished by the presence of a thin black “collar” in the upper part of the neck, and the female, in turn, has lighter, almost white feathers on the sides of the head. Otherwise, the seasonal change in outfits in both sexes is practically not expressed, except that the bright details of the male’s plumage become a little duller. Juveniles resemble the adult female, but are even more faded in comparison, with wing coverts gray rather than white.

Ogar in flight

Loud throughout the year. It has a characteristic vocalization, in which the bird can only be compared with the voice of a Canada goose or, even more distantly, with the neighing of a domestic donkey. The most common cry made on the ground and in flight is a sonorous deep “ang ...” or “gang ...”, sometimes stretched into two syllables and sounding like “aak ...” or “waak ...”. At the end of this cry, you can often hear a dull trill “arrrrr...”. The sounds made by birds of different sexes can be distinguished from each other: the female’s voice is usually louder, deeper and sharper, the sound “a” predominates in it, while the male’s voice emphasizes the sound “o”.

The main nesting area covers the strip of steppes and deserts of Eurasia from Greece east to the western part of Manchuria, the Chinese provinces of Gansu and Sichuan. In addition, small isolated settlements of these birds are found in northwestern Africa and Ethiopia.

The northwest African population of about 2,500 birds is distributed mostly in Morocco south to the Gulf of Dakhla and the adjacent mid-Saharan salt deserts of southern Algeria. In addition, since the mid-1990s, single nesting sites have been recorded in Tunisia in the area of Lake Chott el-Jerid. The Ethiopian portion of the range, which is estimated to contain between 200 and 500 birds, is actually limited to the Bale Mountains National Park in the country's mountainous regions. In Europe, the schard nests on the northern coast of the Aegean Sea in Greece and Turkey, and on the western coast of the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania - the total number of schards in this region is estimated at 20 thousand.

Ogar is quite widespread in Turkey and further to the southeast in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and possibly Syria. In Ukraine, to date, only a small population has survived in the Crimea and the Askania-Nova nature reserve, although at the end of the 18th century, the ogre willingly nested far beyond the borders of this peninsula in the steppe regions, in particular in the valleys of the Svinaya (Odessa district), Southern Bug, and Tyaginka rivers , Dnieper, Konka, Orel and others, located within the current Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov regions, as well as along the Aidar and Belaya rivers.

In Russia, the fire is widespread in the southern part of the country from the eastern Azov region, Otradnensky and Caucasian regions of the Krasnodar Territory east to the Zeya-Bureya Plain in the western part of the Amur region. The northern border of nesting sites, in some places extending into Kazakhstan and China, approximately coincides with the southern border of forests - the birds do not nest in the taiga, but in some places they fly north along the valleys of large rivers up to the Arctic coasts. In the interval between the Volga and the Urals, it passes in the region of the Kamysh-Samar lakes and the mouth of the Ilek, in northern Kazakhstan and the interval between the upper Irtysh and the upper Yenisei along the 54th parallel, on Baikal near the mouth of Barguzin, to the east through the Mui valley. The southern periphery of the breeding range is in the arid regions of Central Asia and south-eastern China south to the northern slopes of the Himalayas (Ladakh), southern Tibet, the central Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Gansu. The duck reaches its greatest numbers in the southeastern arid part of its range - Mongolia, Tyva, Central and Central Asia. There are many fires in the Altai Mountains, on steppe lakes. In Tyva they are found on Lake Karakhol, on the Russian-Mongolian border itself.

Outside their natural range, feral fires sometimes settle in urban areas and acquire the characteristics of synanthropic animals. In particular, these birds can be found on the ponds of some park ensembles in Moscow, for example in Timiryazevsky Park, Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo Estate Park and Kuskovo Forest Park. It is believed that these birds are the descendants of residents of the Moscow Zoo who left its territory after 1948, when they stopped clipping their wings. Unlike their wild relatives, urban fires do not fly away for the winter, but concentrate in non-freezing areas of water bodies, including the territory of zoos, where they are fed by employees.

"City" fire in Stockholm

In Asia (with the exception of Asia Minor and the Middle East), where the vast majority of scorches nest, ducks make regular seasonal migrations in a southerly direction, wintering in the southern Caspian region, Lake Issyk-Kul, in the southern and southeastern parts of the continent from the foothills of the Himalayas and plains in northern and central India east to the Korean Peninsula and the eastern provinces of China, as well as Taiwan. The populations of southeastern Europe and Turkey lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, making only irregular migrations in search of a suitable body of water. In years gone by a large number of birds, presumably from Turkey, wintered on the banks of the White Nile, however, in recent decades, fires have appeared in these places rarely and irregularly. In northwestern Africa, sardines make vertical migrations, descending from the peaks of the Atlas Mountains to the coast in the cold season. Some of the birds nesting here regularly moved to the Iberian Peninsula in the delta of the Guadalquivir River until the mid-1970s.

During the nesting period, it inhabits a wide variety of inland reservoirs with brackish or salty, but also in some places fresh water, from small to very large. Unlike many ducks, the ogre does not require large areas of water for feeding and resting, and for this reason it often settles even at a great distance from water (this is probably why the bird is not found in most of Europe. Despite all the diversity, the bird still chooses open water bodies with or without sparse aquatic, semi-aquatic vegetation, often in the steppe, hilly areas or in the mountains up to 5000 meters above sea level. Avoids taiga, heavily overgrown reservoirs and sea coasts. Outside the breeding season, it settles on temporary floods, sluggish lowland rivers. lack of monsoon precipitation, swamps, ponds and reservoirs near arable lands.

Unlike the shelduck, shelducks often feed on land than on water. It feeds on plant and animal food, generally giving preference to the former. However, the ratio between these two food groups may vary in certain parts of the range and at different times of the year. It feeds on water and on land, but more often on land, which distinguishes this species from the closely related shelduck.

In spring, sardines often forage on green lawns and between dunes, where they pluck out green shoots and seeds of herbaceous plants such as saltwort or various types of cereals. In mid-summer, when couples have offspring, broods can often be found on salt licks, where they hunt for insects (mainly grasshoppers and other locust species). In lakes it feeds on crustaceans (including Artemia salina), aquatic insects, mollusks, small fish, frogs (including tadpoles), and worms. In the second half of summer and autumn, birds visit fields sown with winter crops or harvested, where they obtain grain seeds - wheat, millet, etc. They willingly pick up grain spilled on the roads.

There are cases when ducks, like crows and other synanthropic birds, fed on food waste and even carrion. In search of food, ducks are active mainly at dusk and at night, while they rest during the day.

Most birds begin breeding in the second year of life, monogamen. Pairs appear to persist for several years; their formation occurs in wintering grounds or in the first days of appearance on nesting sites. Like mallards, sardines arrive very early in the spring, when the reservoirs are still covered with ice - in March or the first half of April. Mating is preceded by mating games, in which, judging by observation, it is not the male who chooses the female, but, on the contrary, the female chooses the male. An excited duck with an open beak and constant screams moves around the drake, attracting his attention. From time to time, she takes the so-called “defense pose” from an imaginary enemy, in which she stretches her neck and presses her head to the surface of the water or earth. The drake behaves more passively - either stands in one place with its neck stretched high, or hunched over and lowering its head, dragging its wings, walks near the female. After mating, both birds scream, and the male also raises his wing facing the female. Mating behavior is also characterized by paired flights.

Like the shelduck, the shelduck makes a nest in various niches, sometimes several kilometers from the water and quite high, up to 10 meters and higher from the surface of the earth. Shelters can be very diverse - hollows of clayey steep banks, rock crevices, old stacks of straw, larch hollows, abandoned (and sometimes residential) holes of steppe animals - steppe cats, etc. In the mountains it often makes nests next to mountain finches and choughs on rocky cliffs at an altitude of several tens of meters from the bottom of the gorge. On occasion, artificial buildings are also used - for example, in the Kazakh steppe, a nest can often be found in a burial ground. In urban areas, ducks settle in houses specially made for them on the water, but they can also make a nest in an old barn or in an abandoned attic multi-storey building. On a pond, male sardines behave very aggressively towards other ducks, driving them beyond its boundaries. When competing for the feeding territory of a scorch and a mallard, the former often wins, as it is more massive and assertive. Aggression also manifests itself in relation to drakes of the same species; fights occur between them, including unexpected attacks from the air, blows with wings and beaks. In this case, most often the “owner” of the reservoir emerges victorious in a fight, while the defeated one retreats or occupies a small area on the periphery. The same nest can be used for several years in a row by the same birds. Incubation and breeding of offspring.

Duck burnt. Brood

Egg laying begins a month and a half after arrival. The female lays one egg per day or two; a full clutch contains from seven to seventeen (usually eight to twelve) eggs. The shell is colored cream or creamy white, the size of the eggs is (61-72) x (45-50) millimeters. One female incubates, starting from the last egg, for 27-30 days, the male guards not far from the nest. Like many other burrow-nesting birds, the female, when approaching the nest of a foreign animal, is capable of emitting a loud hiss, reminiscent of that of a large snake - this signal, according to ornithologists, can scare off foxes and other land predators. A nearby male warns in advance of approaching danger and, if necessary, pounces on an intruder, even one as large as a white-tailed eagle or a human.

Down jackets are born almost simultaneously and, having barely dried, soon leave the nest. If necessary, the chicks fearlessly jump from great heights, spreading their wings like a parachute, and then follow the female to a nearby body of water. Sometimes in urban environments you can observe a brood walking towards the pond right along the city streets. It happens that the pond to which the family arrives turns out to be already occupied by another pair of staghorns, and then conflicts between the new owners of the pond and the old ones, including the puffballs, are inevitable. Both parents take care of the offspring until the first one flies, which occurs at approximately 8 and a half weeks of age.

In Altai, breeding times vary greatly depending on the altitude of the area. In the basin of the lake, newly hatched chicks were observed on June 7, June 29 and even July 1, and in the high broods their broods had not yet flown on August 7, but by August 23 all had already fledged.

Thanks to its bright color, the Ogar steppe duck stands out fromAmong the duck family in the Altai steppe, the locals also call it Varnavka. That's what it saysone beautiful legend. A long time ago, a young Altai man fell in love with a girl from a neighboring village, but her parents forgave the wedding because they dreamed of another groom for their daughter. Parents separated lovers. Unable to bear the separation, the girl turned into a scorched duck, and the young man became a demoiselle crane.

Zhu The raven and the steppe duck-scorch choose similar steppe landscapes near rivers and lakes for nesting, and therefore, according to popular belief, they are considered inseparable. Local residents believe that if you shoot one of these birds, the second one will fly in and bring trouble to the hunter. Therefore, the Altai people do not hunt either the smoldering or belladonna.

Only during the Great Patriotic War, already after dispossession, due to hunger and poverty, they began to hunt these beautiful birds for food. Existence of demoiselle cranes in Gorn Altai was under threat. But over the past 60 years their population has recovered. And today you can often see these rare birds listed in the Red Book.

Rufous whistling duck is a medium-sized bird, a representative of the duck family, so named because it produces a loud melodic whistle.

Description of red ducks

Basic data:
Length: 45-53 cm.
Wingspan: 20-24 cm.
Weight: 600-900 g.
Reproduction:
Puberty: from one year onwards.
Nesting period: depends on the region.
Number of eggs: 5-16.
Hatching: 24-26 days.
Feeding chicks: 8-12 weeks.

Lifestyle:
Habits: freshwater birds.
Food: vegetation, insects and invertebrates.

Lifespan: usually 3 years, in captivity even up to 20 years.

Related species. Zoologists distinguish 8 species of wood ducks, or whistling ducks. One of the closest relatives of the rufous whistling duck is the red-billed whistling duck.

Rufous whistling duck is one of eight wood ducks living in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. This bird is cosmopolitan: it is the only waterfowl that lives in almost all warm zones of the Southern Hemisphere.

Food. Red whistling ducks come out to feed early in the morning and late afternoon. They swim in small schools, collecting seeds, leaves and stems of many aquatic plants.

Red ducks hunt small crustaceans and invertebrates that live in the water. They find most of their food in shallow water, as well as on the banks of lakes and slow-flowing rivers. Red whistling ducks often come ashore - on land they look like small geese and, like geese, they nibble grass. Sometimes ducks leave the banks of reservoirs and go to grain fields to feed.

Reproduction of red ducks

Rufous whistling ducks mate for life and find partners as early as one year of age. During the rainy season, at the time of flowering, female red whistling ducks lay 5-16 beige eggs. Red whistling ducks nest in colonies on the banks of freshwater bodies of water, not far from the water. Their nests are built on foundations of compacted marsh plants.

The birds are engaged in the construction of nests together, the males help the females. Red whistling ducks have very large clutches, with 16 eggs per nest - a phenomenon common for this species.

To lay such a number of eggs, a female rufous whistling duck needs more than two weeks. Then both partners take turns incubating the clutch. Newborn chicks of the red whistling duck, as soon as they hatch, descend into the water and swim one after another, touching the tail of their brother or sister with their beak, who are swimming ahead. They develop rather slowly, so they remain with their parents until the next nesting period.

Lifestyle of red ducks

Rufous whistling ducks are social birds that form large flocks with other waterfowl species.

On all four continents, red whistling ducks live in different freshwater bodies of water - from lowland swamps with standing or running water with a weak current to mountain lakes at an altitude of up to 1 thousand 500 meters. They inhabit swampy forests, river banks, and sometimes perch on trees. Red whistling ducks prefer flat, open and clear reservoirs, the banks of which are generously covered with dense vegetation.

This species easily adapts to new food sources. Rufous whistling ducks produce loud, sharp whistles with a metallic sound. In flight, the duck can be recognized by its characteristic silhouette - a humpbacked back and drooping legs.

Red whistling duck and man

Red whistling duck There is a threat of extinction of natural habitats as a result of global pollution of water bodies. In some areas of India this species is quite rare today. In many areas of their range, the numbers of these ducks began to increase after the ban on the use of hazardous pesticides.

Farmers exterminate birds, considering them pests. Whistling ducks are hunted only for sport, since their meat does not have a particular taste.

Despite the large range of the rufous whistling duck, the appearance of the bird looks the same in all regions. Only two subspecies of this duck are known - one inhabits North America, and the other lives in Africa, India and South America.

Red whistling, or wood, ducks sometimes lay eggs in a common nest, as a result of which there may be a large number of eggs - more than 100.

With the exception of Australia and the southern United States, the rufous whistling duck's range is common area range of the cone-billed duck.

Characteristics of the curling duck

Body: The whistling duck has a distinctive profile with a prominent forehead. The beak is black, long and wide. The color is yellowish-brown, with white stripes on the sides and a black pattern on the back of the neck.

Sex: individuals of different sexes are almost indistinguishable from each other in appearance. Birds have the same color throughout their range.

Nest: Birds trample down marsh vegetation to form a base.

Eggs: 5-16 round, light beige eggs. Both the female and the male incubate the clutch.

Where does the red duck live?

The rufous whistling duck lives in the southern United States, Central and South America, as well as Africa, Madagascar and South and Southeast Asia.

Conservation of Red Ducks

Rufous whistling duck easily adapts to various conditions, therefore, despite the destruction of habitats and the active activity of hunters, it is not in danger of extinction.

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Breeds of domestic ducks, according to the direction of their main productivity, are divided into meat, general use and egg-laying.

Ducks for meat production are characterized by large size and live weight, capable of short term provide large quantities of high quality meat.

TO meat breeds ducks include: Peking, gray Ukrainian, black white-breasted, white Moscow, etc.

Peking ducks.

The name of this breed of ducks is given by the place of selection - the birds were bred by Chinese poultry farmers. They were brought to Europe in the second half of the 19th century.

The description of this duck breed is as follows: the head is large, wide with a convex frontal part; the beak is orange-yellow, the legs are low, thick, reddish-orange in color; the eyes are large and shiny. The neck is thick, of medium length; the plumage is white with a yellowish-cream tint. The wings are strong, fitting quite tightly to the sides. The body is long, raised; The chest is wide and deep.

Pay attention to the photo - Peking ducks have a long, wide back:

Live weight of an adult bird: drake 3.5-4 kg, ducks 3-3.5 kg, average weight of one egg - 85 g, duck slaughter weight 89-90%. Peking ducks lay eggs well for 2-3 years. Egg production in one year is in the range of 80-120 pcs. and higher. They are hardy and can easily endure harsh winters.

Bred in the experimental farm "Borki" of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Poultry Farming through directed breeding work with local gray ducks without the participation of other breeds.

Gray Ukrainian ducks, strong and agile, forage well in water bodies, are distinguished by their early maturity, good meat quality, and high egg production.

They have a strong constitution, well-developed muscles, dense, light and abundant plumage. The head is small, slightly elongated, with shiny eyes and a strong beak. Legs are short, strong, widely spaced. The body is wide and deep. Drakes have a dark gray or black head with a shiny greenish tint. The beak is olive, the neck is dark brown with a white collar. Ducks have a dark brown head with two black stripes, and a dark olive beak with a black claw at the end.

These photos show the duck breeds described above:

Ducks of the Ukrainian breed group. The breed group was created by a team of authors under the leadership of M.V. Dakhnovsky using the method of purposeful breeding work with local gray ducks without the use of other breeds.

Key productivity indicators:

Egg production per year of laying - 150-180 pcs.;
The average weight of one egg is 82-86 g,
Live weight at this age: drakes - 3.3-3.7 kg and ducks 3.0-3.2 kg.
The color of the eggs is white.

These are some of the best breeds ducks with record productivity indicators: egg production per year of laying - 195 pcs.; weight of one egg - 92 g; live weight at this age: drakes - 3.9 kg, ducks - 3.5 kg.

White, gray and clay ducks of this breed group have a horizontal body, slightly raised in front, long, wide and deep; the head is small, slightly elongated; the neck is relatively thin; legs short, widely spaced.

White ducks have white plumage and beaks, and yellow legs. The head of gray drakes is black with a green tint; beak dark green; back black-brown; chest red-brown. Females have dark gray plumage, like a wild duck.

Clay drakes have chestnut heads with a bronze tint. The beak is green, the body and chest are brown.

Ducks have a chestnut-brown head with black stripes from the beak to the neck. Ducks of this variety are larger than gray ones. Reproductive ability: average egg fertility 90-94%, average duckling hatch - 70-73%.

Bred by complex reproductive crossing of local Ukrainian black white-breasted ducks with Peking and Khaki Campbell ducks. They have a slightly raised body with a wide, deep chest.

As can be seen in the photographs, ducks of this breed have a wide, long back with a significant slope from the shoulders to the tail:

The plumage is black, part of the belly and chest is white. Drakes have a blue-violet tint to the upper part of their neck. The legs are low, moderately thick, and black. The beak is slightly concave, of medium length; the eyes are black and shiny. The wings are developed, strong and tight to the sides.

The main characteristics of the productivity of ducks of this breed:

Egg production per year of laying - 130-140 pcs.,
Egg weight at 52 weeks - 83-88 g,
Live weight at this age: drakes - 3.5-4 kg, ducks - 3.0-3.5 kg.
The color of the eggs is white.
Record productivity indicators: egg production per year of laying - 210 pcs.; the average weight of one egg at 52 weeks is 93 g, live weight at this age of drakes is 4.5 kg, ducks are 3.8 kg.

Look at the photos of domestic ducks of Ukrainian breeds, the descriptions of which you read above:

Indian runners.

The place of origin of this breed is considered to be South Asia. They were brought to Europe in the first half of the 19th century, but became widespread in Europe in the 1920s. XX century.

Runners differ from other breeds of ducks by their penguin-like body posture, high legs, and long thin neck. When moving, runners do not waddle from side to side like other ducks, but run quickly, which is why they got the name runners.

Pay attention to the photo - domestic ducks of this breed have a long, narrow, vertical body with an elongated small head and a rounded chest:

The most common color is white.

Ducks produce 180-200 eggs per year, the average weight of one egg is 60-70 g. The live weight of drakes is 1.8-2.0 kg, ducks 1.5-1.8 kg. Runners can be successfully bred on land ranges.

Khaki Campbell.

Ducks of this breed were bred at the end of the last century in England using the method of complex reproductive crossing, in which Indian runners and Rouen ducks were used. Ducks of this breed have high egg production - 150-170 eggs per year. There are cases when individual specimens were distinguished by record numbers - 350 or more eggs. The plumage fits tightly to the body; in ducks it is brown (khaki); on the back and on the wings they have a lighter border.

In drakes, the color of the plumage of the head, neck and chest is brown-bronze; on the rest of the body, the feathers have a brown-sand tint; the body is slightly raised; the chest is wide, rounded; the beak of drakes is dark green, that of ducks is greenish-black; neck of medium length; the tail is short, narrow, the legs are orange.

Look what these ducks look like in the photo:

Egg production 150-200 pcs. in year. The weight of drakes is 2.5-3 kg, ducks - 2-2.5 kg, the weight of 65-day-old young animals is 1.3-1.5 kg; ducks are very active and forage well in water bodies.

Brought out in North America, brought to the CIS countries in 1960-1970. They are characterized by predominantly black plumage with a green tint. Muscovy ducks are also called turkey ducks because they have pinkish-red fleshy appendages near the base of their beaks (like turkeys) that secrete musky-smelling fat.

The bird flies well, does not quack, but hisses like a swan, and has lean, tender, tasty meat. Weight of ducks is 2.0-2.5 kg, drakes - 3.5-5.0 kg, egg production - 90-100 eggs, duration - 33-35 days. They are bred in private farms.

For the production of duck meat in large specialized duck farms, Peking and Ukrainian ducks are used, as well as created highly productive crosses: Blagovarsky, Medeo-2, Temp.

These photos show the ducks described on this page.

The most common hybrid. Live weight of hybrids at 7 weeks of age: ducks - 3.2 kg, and drakes - 3.4 kg, hatchability of young animals - 78%, safety of ducklings - 98%, feed costs - 2.8 kg per 1 kg of gain, average daily gain - 64-68 g.

It consists of two factory lines: Beijing breed M, - paternal, has a high growth rate, M2 - maternal, has high fertility. The egg production of ducks in 40 weeks is 175 eggs. Paternal ducks at the age of 44 days have a live weight of 3.1 kg with a feed consumption of 3 kg per 1 kg of gain.

Watch a video demonstrating duck breeds and crosses:

What Domestic Ducks Look Like: Bird Exterior

The exterior of a duck is a description of its appearance.

Interior - features internal structure(anatomical and histological) of individual organs and tissues in various species and breeds of farm animals and poultry, which are in mutual connection with the functional activity of the body and determine the direction and manifestation of the animal’s productivity, ensure the body’s response to changes in the external environment.

The main goal of studying the exterior is to determine, by the nature of the bird’s build, its useful economic qualities.

In addition to productive qualities, by the way a duck looks, that is, based on the study of exterior characteristics, you can determine the breed to which the bird belongs, the strength of its physique, which is especially important when selecting birds for the broodstock.

When selecting and forming a breeding stock of ducks, the following items are most important.

Head Ducks vary in shape, but it should be wide, with a regular beak.
Neck at different breeds comes in various lengths. Ducks with short and thick necks have good fattening qualities. With a narrow body, the bird has an elongated and thin neck.
Eyes- large, convex, clear and shiny.
Breast- deep and convex, well developed.
Back- forms the basis of the entire body, and its size indicates the good development of the lungs, heart and reproductive organs. It should be wide enough not only behind the neck, but also at the tail.
Torso. When examining the body, pay attention to its width, depth and length. The width of the body is judged by the width of the back, abdomen and chest. A wide and deep body indicates sufficient development of the digestive and reproductive organs. A long and wide chest bone indicates a strong physique and developed muscle tissue that covers it. The lower line of the body should be straight; a pendulous rear is common in weak birds.
Wings should fit snugly to the sides; ducks with drooping, dry and inverted wings are culled.
Stomach- lower body; The chest bone, which serves as the base of the abdomen, is straight and even.
Tail- medium length, not compressed from the sides and not drooping. When selecting ducks, it is necessary to take into account that a steeply set tail can be found in birds with a narrow and short back.
Legs should be strong, of medium length and thick in the foot, vertically and widely spaced, which is related to the width of the chest and torso, toes without growths, with normal membranes.

When forming a herd, you should pay attention to the color of the metatarsus with toes - signs inherent in a particular breed.

The plumage is well developed, smooth, shiny and close to the body (except for the period before and during molting).

It is better to select young animals for breeding from those ducklings that were bred in March, April or May. At the same time, during the summer it is necessary to monitor their behavior and development. Those ducklings that were active and eat food with appetite should be left for the winter. The selected ducks should not have any defects in their physique; their weight at 5-6 months of age should be at least 2.5-2.7 kg. Breeding ducklings up to 3.5 months of age are fed in the same way as ducklings intended for fattening. Their diet includes more fresh greens, and whole grains are first given in wet mash, gradually teaching them to eat grain in its pure form.

How long does juvenile and periodic molting last in ducks?

Molting is a change in the feather cover of a bird that occurs at certain times. Adult ducks molt 2 times during the year. The change in feather cover in drakes, which are distinguished by sexual dimorphism in plumage color, is accompanied by a change in feather color (local gray, khaki Campbell, etc.). Depending on the breed, productivity, climate, feeding and housing conditions, the timing of molting in ducks may vary, but, as a rule, the first molting of ducks takes place in the summer, in May - June, and the second in the fall.

During the summer molting, a complete change of plumage occurs; in the fall, the small and medium feathers are renewed. The following processes of plumage change are distinguished: course, intensity, chronology, duration.

Feather loss in ducks during periodic molting occurs in next order. Simultaneously with the beginning of the tail feathers falling out, the abdomen, lower part of the neck and chest molt. The loss of feathers from the front of the back begins days later, but the change of plumage proceeds much faster and ends when the duck is half moulted. The thigh feathers fall out later. Wing molting begins with the simultaneous loss of flight feathers of the 1st and 2nd order. The 1st and 2nd order flight feathers and tail feathers have a typical sequential change.

The loss of flight feathers begins from the inner edge of the wing and spreads further from the body.

The order in which duck tail feathers fall out is as follows: if you number them in pairs, starting from the middle of the tail, then the central pair falls out first, then the 3rd; 5th, etc., and 2nd and 4th fall later. The change of tail feathers characterizes the course of molting.

The duration of molting of flight feathers is significantly shorter. How long does it take for ducks to molt? Normally, the flight feathers fall out completely within 10-15 days. The molting of flight feathers begins a month after the start of molting of the tail feathers, i.e., at the time when the small feathers of ducks have moulted by half.

Summer and autumn molting occur with the same intensity: the duration of each molting is 60 days.

The first (juvenile) moult of Peking and local ducks under various conditions of detention, judging by the loss of tail feathers, begins at the age of 71-80 days. At the same age, ducklings raised on limited ranges shed more intensively. The less intense juvenile molting of ducks raised on a pond is mainly explained by feeding and housing conditions that are close to natural. In wild ducks, intensive feather shedding is also not observed in a short period of time.

When raising Peking ducks on a pond during juvenile molting, the maximum shedding of feathers occurs within two decades, from the 91st to the 110th day, molting ends in the period of the 121st to 130th day; when raising Pekin ducklings on limited ranges, the greatest intensity of molting occurs from the 81st to 100th day, shedding of feathers ends on the 111-120th day.

Duck diseases: photos of symptoms, treatment and prevention

Sick ducks can always be identified during feeding. They, as a rule, do not approach the food, but sit away from the herd. The main measure of disease prevention is to promptly isolate sick birds from the flock. If signs of illness appear in your bird, you should contact your veterinarian.

The most common infectious diseases of ducks are paratyphoid fever, pasteurellosis, helminthiases, and hepatitis. Like all other birds, if there is a lack of protein, minerals and vitamins, ducks may experience pecking and feather loss. In addition, a lack of vitamins A, D and group B causes various changes in the body of ducks.

Hepatitis. A disease that affects the liver. Ducklings are especially affected by this disease. The symptom of this disease in ducks is convulsions, followed by death.

To prevent hepatitis, the room where the bird was kept is thoroughly disinfected. It is necessary to combat rodents and insects, which may primarily be carriers of this disease.

If the first signs of the disease appear (if worms are found in the droppings), at home you can feed the ducks onions, garlic, crushed pine needles, and spruce needles for medicinal purposes. To treat this disease, the duck is administered antihelminthic drugs: phenothiazine, piperazine, etc. The droppings are not left in the room: it must be removed as often as possible.

These photos show the symptoms of duck diseases:

The ruddy duck is a wild waterfowl that belongs to the family of ducks, as well as geese, swans and other waterfowl. Famous for its unusual bright plumage orange - red.

Many residents of the country also call it wood duck. This is enough large bird on high legs, whose weight is approximately 1600 grams, and the height of the largest duck reaches up to 70 cm. This is the largest bird of all duck-like representatives.

Outwardly it resembles a goose. Another breed is known - the red duck, it is considered an ornamental domestic mallard. Such birds like to live in pairs, do not live in flocks, and gather together for the winter. So as not to freeze.

Ogar, like other ducks, is an unpretentious bird. Can settle anywhere, regardless of whether it is a village or a city. She is mainly found in the big city of Moscow.

Such birds settle:

not far from the ponds;
in parks.

Even though the red duck is a waterfowl, it still does not need large bodies of water to live. During mating games, the female has the right to choose her own male. The Ogar duck is very selfish. He doesn’t like it when some strange bird is on the same body of water or nearby on a flat surface of the ground, he immediately drives it away, despite the fact that it is a bird from its own genus, species. All ducks are distinguished by their cry.

Reproduction

When spring comes, when the ice on the lake has not yet completely melted, the red bird begins mating games, the females take the initiative in searching for the drake.

Males, unlike other birds, are no different in terms of dancing; they also dance around females, dragging their wings along the ground behind them with their heads down. They create pairs for many years and try not to change nests for 2-3 years .

The red bird prefers to create a nest:

in fox holes;
in a tree trunk;
in old abandoned buildings;
in the rock;
on the steep banks of a reservoir.

If the nest is located near a pond, then you need to look for it at a distance of about 2-3 kilometers, not closer. The female always lines the nest only with pure white feathers. After mating, the duck lays one egg every day.

The eggs are more cream-colored than milky, weighing up to about 80 grams. In total, there should be no more than 18 eggs in the nest. Depending on the dimensions of the duck itself. When the bird lays the last egg, it immediately sits on the nest, and in the meantime the male guards this place very well.

The duck itself is very aggressive at this time and can attack anyone. I wouldn’t want to fall into the clutches of such a beast. All chicks appear almost simultaneously, but the very first chick appears already on the 29th-30th day.

All ducklings are healthy white, and the top of the head is brown and the wings are slightly blackish. After evaporating all the ducklings, the bird takes them to a pond, where the chicks feel very good, swim and dive. Both parents raise their children the same way. There is no difference in who should do what and why.

Red duck feeding

During the day the bird rests as much as possible, and when it begins to get dark or even when night has already fallen, it begins to look for food. Ogar likes to eat everything and a lot.

The diet may include:

bugs;
spiders;
small fish;
crustaceans;
worms;
various herbs, etc.

They love to get food both on water and on land. In the fall, when people begin to harvest crops from the fields, the duck collects scattered grain on the roads.

Hunting

Previously, they had never hunted the red bird, but when a harsh and terrible war began, people did not have enough food and they began to kill the duck. Its meat is clean, odorless, high in calories and no different in taste from other ducks.

Nowadays, hunters very often hunt ducks, especially the red duck, and kill both the female and the male at once. If you kill one bird, the second will fly over the place where the first duck was killed and scream pitifully. The sight is not pleasant.

Why is the breed valued?

Representatives of this valuable breed are usually bred on private property. Decorative ducks are bred to decorate the poultry yard. The bird is famous not only for its bright color; its down and feathers are no less valuable.

Duck down is very warm and light. They are used mainly in the manufacture of pillows. The red bird is under the watchful supervision of game wardens. The endangered species is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is prohibited. To preserve the population, reserves are created where ducks breed in comfortable conditions.

The price of one red duck at bazaars and various sites, for example on the most popular site Avito, ranges from approximately 1,000 to 3,000 rubles. It all depends on age. The cinder egg itself costs from 50 to 120 rubles, and a day-old chick costs approximately 200 to 300 rubles.

The scorched duck, also called the red duck, is a waterfowl breed of bird. Its closest relative is the shelduck, also from the duck family.

The description of the bird should begin with its appearance:

The plumage is orange or red, the head is covered with light red feathers.
The wings are large and powerful, their color is white, and the flight feathers on them are black.
The duck swims and flies well, although in the sky it looks more like a goose due to its powerful wings.
During the nesting period, a light spot can be seen on the head of females, and a ring of dark feathers surrounds the neck of males.

The voice of smoldering fires is loud and cackling, somewhat similar to that of a goose. Such ducks live in pairs or small groups, although occasionally a large flock can be observed. Ogar ducks usually winter in flocks. They can be seen on some lakes or calm rivers. A flock of red ducks can also be observed during molting.

If birds are kept in captivity, they can become aggressive. Such birds are not inclined to communicate and prefer to stick to their mate. In captivity, sardines must be kept in a large area near a pond.

Scorches are calm towards other bird species, but not during the nesting period. At this time, they become aggressive and can attack other species of waterfowl.

If you look at the photo of these unusual birds, you can immediately distinguish them from other representatives of the bird breed.

External features of fires

The second name for smoldering fires is red duck. She received it thanks to her plumage, which glows brightly in the sun. Since ancient times in Rus', beautiful people were called “red.” Red maidens, red sun, so the fire got its name because of its beautiful plumage. This bird is easy to recognize by its unusual color.

Close relatives of the sardines are also distinguished by their bright plumage. Not all of them live on the territory of our country; there are grey-headed Ogar ducks living in the southern hemisphere. There are ducks living in Australia and New Zealand. All of them are distinguished by unusual plumage, which can be seen from afar.

The bird differs from other duck breeds in its beautiful posture with a long and elastic neck. The legs of the ogre are high and the bird moves on them confidently and firmly. The color of the plumage is brownish-reddish, turning into light feathers on the head. The wings are wide and massive. They are distinguished by their white color with black plumage extending into the tail. At the ends of the wings and tail of the scorch, greenish feathers with a tint are observed.

The color of females is no different from the color of males. Only during the mating season does the female have a white spot on her head, and the male a dark collar.

Young birds have plumage of the same color as adults, only the color scheme is not so saturated, which can sometimes be observed in adult males.

Habitat of the red duck

If you study the habitat of cinders, you can understand that it is very extensive and diverse.

· The bird can be seen both in the southeastern part of European countries and in the southern regions of China.

· This one lives beautiful bird and in Asia.

· A duck with unusual bright plumage is found on the African continent and in Ethiopia.

· You can also find the ogre in Transbaikalia and the Black Sea region.

· Sometimes red ducks can fly close to the Arctic coast.

To Moscow this type birds were introduced in the mid-twentieth century. The ruddy ducks were specially brought to the zoo, but now red ducks can be seen in Moscow in many ponds in park areas. They nest within the city limits in open attics of old buildings that are located near water bodies. Sometimes you can see a funny picture when young ducklings fly out of the attic of a house under the supervision of their parents, and then the family proudly walks through the streets to the water.

The nesting places for fires are the banks of water bodies. Preference is given to salty lakes. Birds build their nests in crevices or abandoned burrows. They can live in abandoned buildings where the vegetation is not too high.

In the wild, these birds love to settle in the holes of foxes and badgers. They also settle in rock crevices or deep slopes, which are found on the banks of rivers and ponds. Sometimes fires can make their home in tree hollows. In desert areas, ducks usually settle in burrows, but choose a place closer to the water.

Bird feeding

The firebug can feed both in a reservoir and on the ground. The main diet of the duck consists of plant seeds and young green shoots of various crops. The bird can feed on locusts and other small insects. In the water, the duck eats crustaceans, small fish or shellfish. Can eat a small frog.

The red duck prefers to feed in the dark. It can fly out into the fields and peck spilled grain or young sprouted shoots.

Pair formation and nesting

In the second year of life, staghorns reach sexual maturity. They are ready to create pairs that last for several seasons. Birds sometimes arrive at nesting sites with an already created pair. If this does not happen, then the scorches choose a companion for themselves during wintering.

Upon returning from wintering, the female chooses a male for herself. She leads a bird dance around the male individual and tries to attract his attention by screaming at the top of her voice. The drake usually stands on one leg and waits for the completion of this action with its neck pulled into its body. When the female has chosen a worthy companion, they fly into the sky and circle in a wedding dance.

After mating, a pair of ducks makes a nest for themselves, which is lined with down. After 1.5 months, the female will lay white or cream eggs on it. Usually one clutch is from 8 to 12 pieces. For 30 days, the female selflessly hatches her offspring, and the drake stands guard, guarding her nest. If the family is in danger, he will not hesitate to attack the one who dares to disturb the peace of his female.

After 30 days, small chicks are born and are ready to follow their mother into the pond immediately after they dry out. They spend the first days of their lives in it, diving and swimming with pleasure. The male and female completely share the care of the offspring. The male helps the mother duck in raising the babies. After 50 days, the babies can already fly and are slowly freed from parental supervision.

Red Book

Ogars in some regions of Russia are listed in the Red Book, although they have now acquired the status of “the state of the species does not cause concern.” The red duck population numbers up to 220 thousand birds.

In some regions of the country located in the northern latitudes of its habitat, hunting it is prohibited.

You can hunt for smoldering fire in Krasnodar region, Stavropol Territory, in the Republic of Kalmykia. Hunting is permitted in the Orenburg, Chita and Astrakhan regions.

The population of the species does not always depend on the shooting of this bird. Sometimes indirect causes have a greater influence on changes in habitat. Since birds love to settle in the burrows of animals, in particular, steppe marmots, the extermination of the latter and the destruction of their burrows leads to the disappearance of the fire. The bird may not be able to lay eggs or they may be accidentally destroyed when plowing the ground.

In order to increase the population of this beauty, artificial nests or burrows are created in some reserves where the bird can settle. Make sure that the water in the reservoir does not freeze and there is constant access during the winter.

Among Buddhists, the ogre is considered a sacred bird, so hunting it is strictly prohibited.

Breeding Ogar duck

The Smoldering Duck does very well in captivity. She very quickly gets used to her home and can regularly give birth to healthy, strong ducklings. But it should be remembered that this bird is still wild, so during the period of hatching eggs it behaves aggressively and does not let anyone near it.

A duck can react aggressively to both humans and other birds. The male, protecting the female, can attack both other ducks and predatory animals or a bird of prey.

Despite its fighting nature, the ogre can take under its care other people's chicks that have been abandoned by their parents. During the rest of the period, the birds get along well with representatives of other bird species and feel great in their environment.
Conditions of detention

If ogar ducks are bred on farms, they try to keep them separate from other breeds of ducks during the period of active sexual maturity, because mixing of different species is possible, which will lead to their hybridity and breeding of the genus.

During severe frosts, fires are usually kept in closed and dry rooms.

Raising little ducklings

Small ducklings are fed with special starter food. Be sure to give duckweed, crushed gruel from green dandelion leaves, spinach, nettles, and lettuce. You can give earthworms and insects: this is a very useful protein that is necessary for the growth of small fires.

Clean water is needed in drinking bowls, which is changed several times a day. Chicks must be constantly grazed and have access to water.

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