What ducks do not fly away in winter. Peculiarities of wintering mallard ducks in the urban environment

Not all people know about this, but ducks are on the list of those birds that do not fly to warmer climes for the winter, and remain to spend the winter in their usual habitats.

If your city has more or less large water bodies, you probably noticed ducks in them at least once, even in winter. And today we will figure out why ducks do not fly away for the winter.

Why do birds fly to warmer climes for the winter?

To begin with, it is worth understanding the very essence of bird flights to warm lands that take place on winter period. The fact is that most birds are not “afraid” of frost at all - their plumage will be quite enough for a quiet wintering in the conditions of a rather severe winter inherent in our country.

There is another aspect that lies in the nutrition of birds - in winter it is quite difficult for birds to find enough food for themselves to calmly cope with wintering and simply not die of hunger.

What ordinary people know about the plumage of ducks is that it is quite beautiful and sometimes also very colorful, but what else you need to know about it is that it is warm enough. Accordingly - allows you to cope with our frosts.

As for the habitats of ducks, even in a harsh winter, not all areas of urban and suburban water bodies freeze, so ducks can be placed in the remaining areas of water. In addition, it is not uncommon to find entire families of ducks near land-dwelling lakes.

And then we got to the very important aspect- the question of nutrition of ducks. As we have already said, most birds go to warmer climes for the winter because they do not have enough resources to feed in the winter. As for ducks, they have no such problems. The explanation for this is that there is a sufficient amount of nutrient resources and organisms in the water bodies that ducks systematically eat. That is, even in winter, the diet of ducks does not change much.

We should also not forget that people often feed ducks by throwing bread to them in their habitats. That is why many ducks are drawn to water bodies located close to parks and all kinds of reserves. And people, in turn, bring bread for ducks in such quantity that the birds are more than enough of it.

Considering that the winter climate is quite suitable for ducks for normal life, and there is also no problem with nutritional resources, the answer to the question of why ducks do not fly away for the winter is extremely obvious.

Text: Ekaterina Khripko

Even the protagonist of Salinger's novel "The Catcher in the Rye" wondered where the ducks go from the ponds of New York. Half a century has passed, and residents of large cities still cannot immediately answer this question. The Village turned to an ornithologist and head of the Moscow Zoo's bird department to find out where ducks winter in the capital, how they adapt to the urban environment, and what not to feed them.

“Sewage water, which is discharged into the Moscow River, does not allow the ice to seize and makes these places suitable for ducks”

Ksenia Avilova

Candidate of Biological Sciences, Leading Researcher, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University

Usually with the onset of cold weather waterfowl fly away to warmer climes. But since there are many non-freezing reservoirs in Moscow and the region, birds refuse long-distance flights.

As soon as it gets cold, the birds fly until they see open water. Technical and sewer waters, which are discharged into the Moscow River and the Yauza, do not allow the ice to seize and make these places suitable for ducks. Yes, the water is really not very clean, but at the same time, mass death of birds has not been noticed anywhere.

Frosts affect ducks only during periods of starvation - this was shown by a comparison of the temperature graph and changes in the number of birds. Therefore, it is very good that the townspeople have a habit of feeding animals. If not for this tradition, then so many ducks would hardly have wintered in Moscow.

The optimal food for ducks is grain, but who in the city will bring wheat or compound feed to birds? As for the rumors that bread is harmful for them, then here we are apparently talking about black bread, which really causes fermentation. White bread in the amount in which it is usually eaten by birds is safe for them.

“Wings are cut only for valuable birds, which in no case should fly away”

Nikolay Skuratov

Head of the Birds Department of the Moscow Zoo

Wild ducks live in Moscow, that is, no one cuts their wings - they are cut only for valuable birds, which in no case should fly away.

Frosts are not terrible for ducks, but only on condition that they are full. With enough food, their instinct to migrate is dulled, and they fly over without relying on their internal compass. You can feed them with grain: wheat, millet, oatmeal, and during the thaw you can bring finely chopped vegetables: cabbage, carrots. They will eat all this with pleasure and will be able to winter normally.

Ducks can also eat bread, even black, although white is still better for them. The fact that such food is harmful to birds is a folk tale, which apparently came from the recommendations for the diet of birds in poultry farms. There, the animals are kept in cages, and it is simply not economically profitable to feed them with bread. And for ducks in wildlife, it is not harmful, even useful. All the same, they find some food themselves - for example, they get it from the bottom of the plant.

Long-distance flights of birds are one of the most interesting phenomena in ornithology. One of these travelers are wild relatives of domestic mallards. For many who see the wedges of these birds in autumn, the question arises: where do the ducks fly to? The answer arises right there - in the notorious warm regions. But there is no such geographical point on the map, so this issue should be considered in more detail. Along with a couple more.

Before answering the question “where”, it would be good to understand the “why”. Yes, it seems that the answer lies on the surface: for warmth and food. In winter in Europe, for the most part, this is a problem. Insects and green fodder are replaced by absolutely inedible snow, and the warm sun, continuing to shine brightly, does not warm at all.

Places with a milder climate (which will be discussed below) have everything necessary so that ducks, like others, migratory birds, got the opportunity to survive the inhospitable and harsh winter of their homeland.

However, not everywhere ducks run (or, rather, fly away) from the cold. IN warm climes in winter they will experience a severe drought, which cannot be called satisfying either, therefore the places chosen by migratory birds for wintering are distinguished by a fair amount of "fertility" in the winter period. And it is there at this time that you can see the most colorful set of various birds, including ducks.

Wintering places

And now the turn has come to answer the question of exactly which places the birds fly away from us for the winter. In this case, many simply say that the ducks fly south. But migratory wedges and migration routes also pass from the south, right? So where to?

One of the main points is the swampy lower reaches of the Nile. In winter, you can see an incredible number of different migratory birds here, including, of course, ducks. One of the most famous and longest rivers provides these travelers with everything they need, including warmth, temporary shelter, and, of course, food like lake and river algae and amphibians.

However, there are species of ducks that prefer slightly different places for wintering. For example, pintails can winter in the Kuban, as well as on the coasts of the Caspian and Mediterranean seas. Mallard ducks can go to the west of Europe, to the Balkan countries, Italy or even Africa.

It is worth noting that even two flocks of ducks living outside the city at a distance of a couple of kilometers from each other can have very different migration routes. However, they all lead to the main points on the map. Among the main (besides the above) it should be noted:

• Iran;
• the lower reaches of the Danube;
• British Isles;
• Transcaucasia;
• Asia Minor;
• Baltic, Black or Azov seas.

In our country, on the territory of the former Soviet Union, in the last couple of decades, such a place as Lake Issyk-Kul, which is located in Kyrgyzstan, has been especially noted. Largely for this reason, several reserves were organized by nearby cities so that ducks (and other migratory birds) could safely spend the winter there.

Migration control

Of course, it is impossible to follow the flight of ducks with your own eyes. Even telescopes and spyglasses cannot do this task for two reasons. The first is the flight distance. Many ducks cross entire continents on their way, and these are impressive distances. And the second - as a rule, they fly at a fairly high altitude and it is not always possible to notice them and, moreover, to make out normally from the ground.

However, there are many inventive minds among us humans. Even before the advent of cutting-edge instruments, a relatively simple and effective method in order to determine how and where ducks fly away during winter migration. This is ringing.

The procedure is quite simple. A special ring is made with the date and place of capture. A duck is caught (using snares, nets and something similar that cannot hurt it) and this ring is fixed on its paw, after which the bird is released. Then a recapture is carried out. It can be held on the shore of another lake, river, or even in the city, but with a certain frequency.

Having found a ringed bird, ornithologists can determine where it was some time ago and, comparing it with their coordinates, draw up its approximate route. Usually, to consolidate the information, a photo of the caught duck is taken.

Of course, this technique is quite cumbersome, does not have perfect accuracy and requires considerable costs in terms of human resources, so today it is resorted to somewhat less frequently. Increasingly, technology is coming to the aid of ornithologists in their hard work. One of the options also requires catching a duck, but only now a special beacon is attached to it, tracking which you can find out the exact route of the bird. The cost of human forces here is much lower, and the effectiveness of the method is an order of magnitude higher.

Reasons for control

But why is it necessary to monitor how and where ducks, as well as other migratory birds, get to? At first glance, this is a meaningless task, but there are reasons for resolving this issue, and they are quite serious.

• Firstly, it is possible to determine which species of ducks prefer to spend the winter abroad where. Why is this needed? Most often, reserves are set up in wintering places to preserve the rarest species. Many birds die during long flights, but their livestock suffers even greater losses from hunters who are not only able to shoot a couple of birds, but also scare and knock them off course, or slow them down, which can lead to the fact that the entire flock is not will be able to reach the destination by entering a city or hunting grounds close to the route.
• Secondly, ringing allows for the control of the bird population. The duration of migration, changing routes, food rations on the way, the causes of death, where and how they live in the “parking lots” - all this, with proper processing, can bring (and has already brought) a lot of useful knowledge about the habits and lifestyle of ducks. This point will be discussed in more detail a little later.

Actually, these are the two main reasons why scientists ring ducks and other migratory birds. Information, knowledge and the desire to preserve as much as possible more species for posterity - that's what drives ornithologists, and why they mark and track the movements of birds. Actually, the reasons are more than worthy and it is quite possible to understand them.

Factors influencing migration

The multiplicity of migration paths has already been discussed above. However, it is worth noting that the same flock from the same field, lake or city can sometimes change its routes throughout its life. This at one time somewhat confused ornithologists.

But what influences the content of the migratory routes of ducks? Among the main factors, the following should be noted:

• hunting;
• climate change;
• change in environmental conditions (especially due to human activity);
• deterioration of the food supply.

Each of the points should be considered in more detail. First, about hunting. When ducks are regularly shot by hunters at any of the points, they quickly begin to avoid dangerous places, changing their route and even the wintering place itself. The starting points can also change, although, as a rule, the bird simply stops returning to its “native lands”, settling several kilometers (or tens of kilometers) away from them.

The next three points on changing migration routes are largely interconnected. When a person arranges active felling on the site of forests, where he subsequently plants fields, this, of course, greatly affects the climate. Land reclamation, factories, exhaust from cars in cities - all this also has a gradual effect. Of course, there are also natural processes of change that should also be taken into account (albeit to a lesser extent due to their slowness).

Ducks also have serious problems with feed, and this is again largely due to humans. When the environment in which all components of the bird's diet were present is destroyed or radically changed, they, of course, have to change their routes.

Features of migration

But enough about where the ducks fly and where they can be in danger. The very process of their migration is very interesting and consists of many "layers". Each of them is highly desirable to consider in detail, for a full understanding of this ornithological phenomenon, as well as the general lifestyle of these birds.

Spring and autumn flights

You should start with the difference between duck flights in autumn and spring. First of all, the composition of the pack. Not in the sense that some fly in one direction, but others return.

No. The fact is that already formed pairs of ducks go flying in the spring, and in the fall there are much more grown-up young animals among them, which hatched after the spring-summer nesting period.

Bird construction scheme

Further - regarding the construction of birds during the flight. As a rule, ducks (and other types of migratory birds) fly in a wedge or a column located at a slight angle towards the course of movement. Why is this being done?

Here it is necessary to remember the air currents. If the birds flew clearly one after another, then the wind raised by the wings of the front would make it difficult for those behind. If they fly a little from the edge, then, on the contrary, those behind receive a little support, spending about 20% less strength.

For the same reason, the strongest birds always fly ahead. And the one who is on the “edge” of the wedge must also monitor the observance of the route. This is a very time-consuming process, so the presenters are periodically replaced, and all the strongest and most experienced birds flocks.

Taking into account the fact that ducks often fly for days on end, they have to spend just a colossal amount of energy, so in the fall, before flying away, birds diligently eat off, increasing their body weight by almost a quarter. If the route is especially long, this figure can increase to 50 or even 100%. At the same time, the young at an accelerated pace are learning to fly for a long time, training wings for the first long journey.

Reasons for returning

Separately, it is worth mentioning why migratory birds, including ducks, after wintering from warm lands, return to their homeland, because the presence of patriotic feelings for their hometown like Vladimir or St. Petersburg is unlikely here, right? The answer lies on the surface, you just need to do a little analytical work.

Even if the climatic conditions of the chosen wintering place allow birds to live there calmly all year round, besides the ducks themselves, many other refugees gather in these places. Cranes, loons, woodcocks and many other representatives of migratory birds. Such abundance leads to the fact that there is not enough food for everyone. After a couple of months, it becomes too small, especially given the presence of a large number of voracious young animals.

Conclusion

The flight of ducks to the south in winter is a very interesting phenomenon, which has a considerable number of features, conditions, causes and factors. If everything is sorted out, it remains only to shrug at the ingenuity of evolution, which has found the ideal mechanism for regulating the population and the work of natural selection built into the lifestyle of birds.

Ducks, cranes and geese belong to the order of migratory birds. They migrate after food. Due to the fact that birds that can fly need to constantly replenish their expended energy, they must eat all the time. When the cold comes, the ground freezes, and food (especially insects) becomes scarce, birds (particularly ducks) look for new places to eat and head south. This happens immediately after the young brood is strong enough and ready for a long flight.

An unusual documentary about ducks

Nesting sites and diet of ducks

Ducks love to nest on water bodies with overgrown reeds or other vegetation on the banks. Very often they arrange their nests on the banks, near water, in places with fallen trees, sticking out roots or in bushes.

It happens that the duck settles in the nests of other birds or tree hollows. But be that as it may, there must be a pond near her nest, where the birds spend most of their time, hiding in reeds or bushes.

Ducks can adapt very well to a variety of habitats as well as a variety of diets.

The main food of ducks:

• small insects;
• small frogs;
• tadpoles;
• small fish;

The duck has special plates in its beak, which can filter water and strain out food.

During feeding, the animal lowers its head, while being almost in an upright position. Thus, she reaches for food.

Where wild ducks, cranes and geese migrate

Duck migrations are quite an interesting process, because they fly not only in search of warmth. Even those individuals that live in the southern latitudes and the equator migrate to other countries. What is it connected with and why do they not stay in place? While the northern ducks fly away from the cold and lack of food, their southern relatives leave their homes due to excessive heat and drought.

In our country, it is ducks, cranes and geese that most clearly show their predisposition to migration. With the arrival of autumn here and there, you can see beautiful flocks of ducks heading south.

But where are the animals going? In order to find out, earlier, scientists were engaged in ringing birds.

A small and lightweight aluminum tag contained information about when and where it was attached. Now such options as telemetry and radar are used.

On the back of the animal, scientists install a small transmitter that captures the full path of a duck, goose or other bird, collecting data not only about its location, but also about its speed, height and stopping places.

It's important to know! Ducks of the same species, but from different flocks, have completely different routes. For example, cranes can fly to African countries, China, India or Egypt (where they winter in the Nile Delta).

It is very exciting to watch the lower reaches of the Nile, namely its swampy expanses in winter. There is a great variety of different representatives of migratory birds.

Among which:

• European ducks;
• cranes;
• wild geese;
• other birds.

All of them are here in order to hide from the cold that has set in in their homeland.

Geese, for example, may not leave the territory of our country, but simply move to the Caspian shores. Or rather, to their southern tip.

Pintail ducks winter in the west of the Caspian Sea. But they are able to spend the cold season both in the Kuban and the Mediterranean Sea. Mallard ducks head to the west of Europe over the territory of Ukraine and Belarus. These birds are also able to fly to Africa, the Balkan countries and Italy.

The flight of birds itself looks very interesting: they move in a strictly specified order, in a flock, which is always led by the leader. Most often, their path lies through terrain rich in food and good aerodynamic conditions. In the spring, ducks and various other birds head back home. If one of the animals did not return, it died on the way.

Migration paths

Immediately before the flight, the animals gather in flocks, make small flights, and prepare for the journey. The flights themselves begin mainly in early autumn.

The main places of migration of ducks:

• Transcaucasia;
• Black and Azov seas;
• Asia Minor;
• islands of Britain;
• Baltic Sea;
• Lower reaches of the Danube;
• India;
• Iran;
• Mediterranean Sea;
• Southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

Some breeds of ducks winter in the expanses of the former USSR, in Turkmenistan, on the territory of Azerbaijan, Lake Issyk-Kul, located in Kyrgyzstan. A lot of birds gather here in winter, even several reserves have been created for their quiet wintering. Ducks fly at relatively high altitudes. Birds are grouped into flocks that look like a wedge, less often like a row. The number of individuals in a flock can vary greatly, from a few to hundreds.

Ducks living in North America (Canada, Greenland) spend the winter in Europe, flying to the islands of Britain. There they unite with relatives from Russia. Further, the ducks fly together along the French and Portuguese coasts to Africa. But having reached Guinea and Senegal, they are separated again. Some of them head to Brazil, across the Atlantic Ocean, their journey ends in Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands.

The second half of the travelers do not leave Africa, and only after the flight through the Cape of Good Hope they go to Antarctica, or rather, to the Ross and Weddell Sea. Already there, ducks are waiting for them, flown in from Alaska, who arrive here, adhering to the western shores of both Americas.

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Twice a year, Arctic terns arrive from the Canadian tundra, covering about 20,000 kilometers! If we take the total length of their way back and forth, it will be equal to the circumference of the earth at the equator. Our birds from Chukotka and Anadyr fly even further. Before heading south, they head west, flying over the Siberian coast of the Arctic Ocean. Then they bypass Scandinavia from the north and head towards Africa. But even there they do not linger for a long time, their path continues to Antarctica.

An oceanographer from Sweden, Dr. Kullenberg, studied the flight paths of polar ducks, comparing them with data obtained from various expeditions. The subject of research was the temperature of the ocean surface throughout the entire path of terns. Kullenberg proved that birds bypass too warm areas, preferring to fly an extra couple of thousand kilometers, just to fly over cool waters. It is there that they are accompanied by food, in the form of small crustaceans and fish.

Important! The migration path of ducks is almost the same as that of baleen whales.

Wintering grounds for our ducks

Mallards, as well as teals, which live on the territory of the western part of the former Soviet Union, depart in September to the west, namely to the Baltic states, closer to the North Sea. It is from there that they begin their journey south. Ducks spend winter in the western part of Europe.

Most often our ducks stop in the following countries:

1. Territory of the former Yugoslavia.
2. Southern part of Germany.
3. Italian coast.
4. Great Britain.
5. France.

Some birds cross the expanses of the Mediterranean Sea and stop in Algeria, on the banks of the Nile in Egypt, and also in Tunisia. Birds from the Trans-Volga region and the western part of Siberia head to the southern coast of the Volga, Don and Ural, after which they fly past the shores of the Azov and Black Seas to the Caucasus.

Next, the ducks are separated. Some of them will stay here all winter, others will fly to Iran and Iraq, others to northern Turkey. Many mallards, having not reached the Transcaucasus a little, are sent through Ukraine to Romania and other Balkan states.

Birds prefer to travel at night, unlike the same swifts and swallows that get insects right in the air.

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Video: Why do they fly away