Wildlife Fact File - Birds - Pgs. 271-280

KEY FACTS

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RED-BREASTED MERGANSER

I SIZES GROUP 2 : BIRDS

Length: 1~-2 ft.

ORDER

FAMILY

GENUS & SPECIES

Wingspan: 2 ~-3 ft.

Anseriformes

Anatidae

Mergus serra tor

Weight: 2-3 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 2 years. Breeding season: Summer. No. of broods: 1. Eggs: 8-11; greenish or buff. Incubation: 1 month . Fledging: About 2 months. LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable, living in flocks.

Range of the red-breasted merganser.

Frequents coastal waters in winter; some birds move inland to breed. Diet: Small fish and other water-

DISTRIBUTION

dwelling animals; also some water

Found across much of northern Europe, Asia, and North Amer-

plants. Lifespan: Oldest recorded, 9 years.

ica, mainly near the coast but also near large inland waters. CONSERVATION Although persecuted because it eats fish, the red-breasted mer-

RELATED SPECIES

ganser is not seriously threatened. The population in Europe is

A close relative is the common mer-

about 50,000. In North America, it is close to 250,000.

ganser, Mergus merganser.

FEATURES OF THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER Body: Long , giving a slender, elegant shape . Bill: Long and thin . Red in both sexes, with black line along the top .

Flight: Reveals white flashes

on wings (male shown) . Male: Mainly gray plumage

with speckled , reddish breast and white neck. Bottle-green head has a ragged double crest.

Female: Pale gray, scalloped

plumage with brownish head and a long, shaggy double crest like that of the male.

The red-breasted merganser is an excellent swimmer and diver. A slender, graceful bird, it flies low and fast over the water and is one of the fastest ducks in the world. MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

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THE MERGANSER'S BILL

One of the so-called sawbills, the duck has finely serrated edges on its bill for gripping slippery fish.

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~ BREEDING

The red-breasted merganser is a type of duck known as a sawbill. The serrated edges on its long, thin bill make it ideal for grasping small, slippery fish. This birds liking for salmon has brought it into conflict with anglers, but despite some persecution its populations are not seriously threatened. In North America, it is the most numerous merganser species, with a population of almost 250,000.

~ HABITAT In winter the red-breasted merganser lives in a flock that usually numbers 20 to 30 birds but sometimes up to a thousand. At this time of year, the flocks are found in coastal areas. The birds prefer sheltered, shallow bays, estuaries, and inlets with clear waters and plenty of suitable banks where they can rest. In summer many red-breasted mergansers stay in their coastal habitats, but others move inland to breed near clear lakes

The male red-breasted merganser tries to attract a mate with a series of displays, including the "curtsy." In this display, he dips his neck, raises his back out of the water, and then points his tail down. The male also chases females and rivals across the water. After pairing up, the birds stay together only to mate. The male usually leaves when the female begins incubating. The female finds a nest site among dense vegetation, with grass, brambles, or heather for cover. The approach to the nest is often a tunnel through thick

plant growth. The bird may also nest among tree roots or boulders or in an old rabbit burrow. The nest is a shallow dent in the ground lined with grass, leaves, and the female's down. She lays 8 to 11 eggs, which she covers with down when away from the nest. The ducklings can find their own food soon after hatching but are watched very closely by their mother. Broods often join together when the females begin to leave the young on their own. Often one female is left to watch several sets of young.

Left: In the breeding season, the female red-breasted merganser watches for courting males.

Right: After a dive, the duck may rise up from the surface to shake water off its wings.

DID YOU KNOW? • One red-breasted merganser was recorded flying at a speed of about 37 miles per hour over Alaska. • The red-breasted merganser has a variety of nicknames. It is called the spring sheldrake or sea robin in the United States, the popping wigeon or beldrake in Ireland, and the her-

aid or earl duck in Scotland. ct In 1898 a red-breasted merganser became the first duck to be banded. The experiment helped to establish banding as a method for tracking birds. • The red-breasted merganser eats large quantities of fish. A duckling eats over 45 pounds in its first three months of life.

BIRDWATCH The red-breasted merganser usually lives in small flocks in the winter. The birds are easy to spot in their coastal habitats. In the summer the bird breeds in boreal forests and in swampy tundra, usually near the coast but also on inland

lakes and rivers. The very well hidden nest is obvious only when the ducklings appear. The red-breasted merganser is not noisy. In the breeding season the female utters a rasping call, and the male responds with a catlike call.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING or rivers. The migrating birds tend to settle in the band of coniferous forest that runs around the lands south of the Arctic Circle. There they find dense vegetation for nesting and watery habitats for feeding. In summer, as in winter, they are sociable birds, nesting in colonies. After breeding, the migrating populations come back to their winter quarters on the coasts. Separate flocks mix quite freely during the winter months.

The red-breasted merganser feeds mainly on fish. In fresh waters it favors salmon, sticklebacks, pike, and eels. In coastal waters it eats herring, flounder, sand eels, and gobies. It also feeds on aquatic insect larvae, crabs, and shrimps, as well as the seeds, leaves, and roots of underwater plants. The duck dips its head below Left: Primarily coastal, the redbreasted merganser favors sheltered areas, where it dives for fish.

the water's surface to look for food, then dives quickly and propels itself through the water with its wings and feet. It can stay submerged for up to two minutes, but it usually surfaces in half a minute. It often feeds in a small group, moving across the water in a line to force fish into the shallows and then diving for them. It generally brings food to the surface to eat and, like many fish-eating birds, takes a sip of water after eating.

KEY FACTS

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SNOW BUNTING ,

"'-

. . . ORDER ~ Passeriformes

SIZES Length: 6-7 in . Weight: 1-1 ~ oz .

GROUP 2 : BIRDS FAMILY Emberizidae

GENUS &: SPECIES Plectrophenax nivalis

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: May to July. No. of broods: 1-2. Eggs: Usually 4-6, occasionally 7-8. Incubation: 12-13 days. Fledging period: 10-12 days. LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable outside the breeding season. Diet: Insects in summer and seeds in winter. Call: Short, descending whistle or loud, warbling song . Lifespan: 4 years recorded . RELATED SPECIES The closest relative of the snow bunting is McKay's bunting, Plectrophenax hyperboreus, which nests only on islands in the Bering Sea.

r

Breeding range of the snow bunting.

Winter range.

DISTRIBUTION The snow bunting breeds along the northern coasts of North America, Europe, and Asia and on islands in Arctic waters. Most populations winter farther south. CONSERVATION The snow bunting is a common bird on its northern breeding grounds. It is also common, but more spread out, on its wintering grounds farther south.

ATURES OF THE SNOW BUNTING Female, winter plumage: Rusty brown and white. Has less white on her wings than the male. Flight: Undulating . Large white flashes on wings. Male in rusty brown winter plumage is shown above.

Bill: Black in the summer. Yellow with black tip during winter.

Male, summer plumage: Mostly white except for black back, tail, and primary wing feathers .

The snow bunting rears its young farther north than any other land bird. Its nesting sites include the northernmost tip of Greenland, within 370 miles of the North Pole.

Feet: Typical for perching bird : 3 toes ' point forward and 1 backward . © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

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0160200851 PACKET 85

~ BREEDING

The snow bunting is named both for its extreme northerly breeding grounds and for its predominately snow-white breeding plumage. During the winter months, the bird usually moves south to more temperate regions in Europe, Asia, and North America. At that time the snow bunting can sometimes be spotted in the United States along the coasts as well as on inland hills and fields.

~ HABITAT

The snow bunting lives as well as breeds on the northernmost coasts of North America, Asia, and Europe and on islands in the Arctic. Its breeding range stretches south to Labrador. This bird inhabits tundra and rocky coasts in addition

~I I

You are most likely to see the

snow bunting during the win-

lichens. She lines it with fine grass and sometimes wool and feathers. She usually lays four to six eggs, which vary from pale yellow to bluish green, and incubates them for 12 to 1 3 days. Both parents feed the nestlings day and night. The young can fly after about 10 days. The adults may have time to raise a second brood, especially in the southern parts of the range.

Left: The snow bunting sings its loud musical song both in flight and when perching.

Right: The female incubates her

eggs for up to two weeks while the male feeds her. Left: After molting (shedding)

DID YOU KNOW? • In some regions people call snow buntings "snowflakes" because flying winter flocks resemble a flurry of snow. • Reports of inland sightings of the snow bunting are often mistaken. A partially albino sparrow is usually responsible for the confusion. • No more than 15 pairs of

snow buntings breed and winter in Great Britain. They are all confined to Scotland. • Almost all snow buntings fly south for the winter, but the birds that breed in Iceland do not usually migrate. • McKay's bunting is a rare bird that was not discovered until 1879.

in the fall, the male snow bunting acquires his winter plumage. His head, breast, and upperparts gain a reddish tinge, and his usually black bill becomes yellow with a black tip.

~ FOOD & FEEDING

to bare mountaintops and outcrops in glaciers, usually at elevations over 3,000 feet. In the extreme north of its range, it also lives at sea level. In winter it flies south to grassy coastal areas, sand dunes, and open inland fields.

BIRDWATCH

During the mating season, the adult male snow bunting is almost unmistakable in flight. His breeding plumage appears to be almost entirely white.

The male snow bunting displays his bold black-and-white coloring when the breeding season begins in May. He struts away from the female with his wing and tail feathers spread . Then he turns and runs back toward her and repeats the ritual. He also sings a flutelike tune, either in flight or on the ground. The female builds a nest of dead grasses, stalks, moss, and

ter, when it visits the northern states and southern Canada. It is easiest to spot on the coasts but may also be seen inland . This bird almost never perches in trees, preferring to run or to hop across the ground.

The snow bunting eats seeds, grasses, buds, and insects. In summer, air currents carry insects as far as the Arctic snow fields, where they are stranded as well as paralyzed by the cold. Snow buntings spot the insects against the white snow and pick them off easily. Young birds eat almost nothing but insects. Large winter flocks feed on seeds and grains in fields . The snow buntings "leapfrog" over one another as the flock moves forward. Sometimes the birds comb beaches for food. Left: The snow bunting eats mostly insects, but its diet varies in the fall and winter.

KEY FACTS

MERLIN

SIZES

GROUP 2: BIRDS ORDER

FAMILY

GENUS & SPECIES

Falconiformes

Fa/canidae

Falco columbarius

Length: About 1 ft. Wingspan: 1 ~-2 ft. Weight: Male, 5-6 oz. Female, 7-8 oz. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Male, 2 years. Female, 1 year. Breeding season: May to July. No. of broods: 1. Eggs: 2-7, usually 5-6. Incubation: 1 month. Fledging period: About 1 month. LIFESTYLE

Breeding range of the merlin.

Winter range.

Habit: Mainly solitary; day-active. Diet: Mainly small birds; some in-

DISTRIBUTION

sects and small mammals.

Breeds from Iceland, Scotland, and northern Asia east across

Call: High-pitched cackling cries.

the Bering Strait to Alaska and across Canada to Newfound-

lifespan: Oldest recorded, 1O~

land. Winters in Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, Chi-

years.

na, western and southern United States, Central America, and

RElATED SPECIES

northwestern South America.

There are 37 species in the genus

CONSERVATION

Falca, including the American kestrel, F. sparverius.

Merlin numbers have declined in North America and Europe.

FEATURES OF THE MERLIN Male: Pale streaked face. Slate-blue crown. Bluegray back and tail feathers. Whitish underparts with brown streaks.

Eyes: Large, providing very good vision.

Flight (female shown): Rapid, shallow movement of scythelike wings. Unlike other birds of prey, the merlin rarely soars. It makes short glides with its . wings tucked close to its body. The bird flies about 3 feet above the ground when hunting.

Eggs: Pale buff with light or heavy sprinklir:lg of rusty brown.

The merlin is a bird of prey that hunts by day. A daring and determined predator, it dashes out from its perch at great speed to strike down small birds with deadly accuracy. © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

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0160200851 PACKET 85

~ FOOD & HUNTING

The merlin usually hunts alone, but it will sometimes join forces with its mate. It feeds almost

ties, dragonflies, and butterflies. The merlin often watches for prey from a low perch. When it

exclusively on small birds, hunting songbirds and shorebirds such as dunlins, sandpipers, and plovers. It snatches up tiny kinglets but may also prey on flickers, which are around the same

spots a bird in flight, the merlin flies out and assaults its victim with a surprise attack. If this fails to bring the quarry down to the ground, the merlin pursues it, following every twist and turn. As it closes in, the merlin flies up and then descends onto its victim, knocking it to the ground.

size as the merlin. Occasionally it preys on shrews, voles, lemmings, and bats, as well as beeLeft: Like all birds of prey, the merlin has exceptionally keen eyes that face forward.

The merlin is a small member of the falcon family. It sometimes engages in /Imasked hunting, /I imitating

the flight pattern of its bird prey so that it can approach unnoticed. The merlin then moves in quickly to attack, uttering high-pitched cackling cries of excitement.

~ HABITAT

The merlin prefers open country in northern uplands and in foothills. The bird flies low and fast over rough vegetation and then perches on a wall or a fence to survey its surroundings. In North America, it inhabits the Rockies, where high ledges offer a good view of the landscape. While rough northern terrains

Right: The merlin often rips off a

s

victim head at a favorite perch before eating.

Left: When it hatches, the merlin is covered in creamy white down. The chicks upper beak is already strongly hooked for tearing flesh.

DID YOU KNOW? • If a human approaches a merlin's nest when the chicks are small, the parent is likely to attack the intruder boldly. • Merlin pairs play and chase together. One pair chased a

hooded crow for 20 minutes. • Falconers refer to the male as the "jack" or "jack merlin." • In North America the merlin is called the pigeon hawk, even though it is not a hawk.

~ BREEDING

are the merlin's summer home, it moves south to lower ground in winter. When migrating the bird sometimes abandons its solitary lifestyle to fly with two or three other birds. The merlin is at home on low-lying farmland and open valleys, but it also frequents marshes as well as coastal dunes until spring.

t!1

BIRDWATCH

Merlins are common in the United States during migration . The best place to spot them is on the coasts as they

ing during the long journey to their winter home. The merlin's flight is distinctive. This bird has the fastest,

fly south along the dunes every fall. They often catch birds while migrating, rarely paus-

most clipped motion of all falcons. It rarely soars but glides with its wings close to its body.

At the beginning of May, the male merlin performs display flights. He slowly circles high in the air to attract a mate. When a female enters his territory, the two birds fly high, then swoop down together and chase each other. The pair bond lasts only for a single season, but the two birds may winter together. The pair looks for a suitable nest site on the ground or occasionally on a cliff ledge near a large open area. The nest is a bare hollow, which is lined with grass if the soil is sandy. Sometimes a pair uses the tree nest of a large bird such as a crow. The female usually lays five or Left: The male does most of the hunting, but the female feeds the chicks at the nest.

six eggs at two-day intervals. She does most of the incubating and relies on her mate to bring her food. The chicks hatch in about a month. At first the female broods the chicks, covering them with her wings while her mate hunts for food. In a single day he usually brings three to six kills to the nest. They are frequently young waders or small birds such as the meadow pipit. When the chicks have all their feathers at 1 8 days, the female begins to leave the nest to hunt. By the time the offspring are a month old, they are able to fly out from the nest to take food from their parents. But they remain nearby for another month until completely independent.

KEY FACTS

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OILBIRD

SIZES Length: 14-18 in .

GROUP 2: BIRDS ORDER Caprimulgiformes

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..... FAMILY '11IIIIIIII Steatornithidae

Wingspan: 3-4 ft.

GENUS & SPECIES Steatornis coripensis

Weight: 1 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: Year-round, but mainly January to March . Eggs: 2-4; white. Incubation: 1 month. Fledging period: 3-4 months. LIFESTYLE Habit: Night-active and sociable.

Range of the oilbird.

Lives in caves . Diet: Fruits of forest trees such as

DISTRIBUTION

palm, bay, laurel, and ivy.

Found in caves in the more remote mountain regions of Pana-

Call: Eerie shriek if disturbed .

ma, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. Also

Lifespan: 12-15 years .

thrives in the coastal caves of northwest Trinidad .

RELATED SPECIES

CONSERVATION

The oilbird is the only species in the family Steatornithidae. It is part of

Native Americans once hunted oilbird nestlings to use their fat for cooking oil. This is now illegal almost everywhere, and oil-

a large order of night-active birds

bird numbers seem to be stable.

that includes night jars.

FEATURES OF THE OILBIRD Plumage : Chocolate brown with sparse white spots . Wings and tail have faint , thin bars of darker brown . Eyes: Dark red . Give good vision in dim light, but cannot see in the pitch black nesting cave , where the bird relies on echolocation .

Seedlings: The oilbird 's habit of regurgitating seeds produces tiny sprouts on the cave floor.

y

Bill : Strong and hooked for grabbing fruit from branches . Surrounded by stiff black bristles .

The oilbird is the only night-active, fruit-eating bird in the world. lust like a bat, it uses echolocation to find its way through the dark depths of its tropical nesting caves. ~, MCMXCII

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0160200931 PACKET 93

~ FOOD &: FEEDING

The oilbirds nestlings feed heavily during their first two months, building up stores of fat in preparation for learning to fly. In the past, Native Americans used to venture into the remote nesting caves to hunt the plump young birds. They then extracted the fat and processed it

The oilbird feeds on fruit, especially the fruit of oily trees such as laurel, palm, and balsam fir. Foraging trips start at dusk and may take the bird 30 miles from

side a branch and then plucking its prize with its strong, hooked bill. It may at times perch on a branch to feed . The oilbird swallows the fruit

its nesting cave. The oilbird has a keen sense of smell, which helps it find the flavorful or spicy fruit that it generally eats. After it picks up the scent of a food source, the bird uses its acute night vision to locate the tree. It usually seizes the fruit in flight, hovering be-

whole or in large chunks and retains the food in its stomach until it returns to the cave before sunrise. The following day

Left: The oilbird's large eyes and hooked bill help it feed from fruit trees at night.

Right: The oilbird can fly through a pitch-black cave without bumping into anything.

it stays in its nest, digesting its meal. It then regurgitates the seeds, which drop to the cave floor and form a layer of sprouting humus.

Left: The oilbird chick feeds intensively on regurgitated oily fruit, and it soon grows very fat. By the time it is ready to fly, it weighs more than an adult oilbird.

I DID YOU KNOW? • Using echolocation, the oilbird can detect objects only if they are 14 inches or more in width. But the bird can fly the entire length of a 2,600-foot cave without hitting anything. • Trinidadians call the oilbird

into a pure oil that was used for cooking food and burning

diablo tin, which means "little

in lamps. This practice is the origin of the oilbird's name.

devil," because of its shrieking, bansheelike call. Similarly, its

Spanish name is gu6charo, or "the yelling one." • Only one other bird-the cave swiftlet of southern India and southeast Asia--€mploys echolocation to navigate. • The oilbird is one of the few birds that has a keen sense of smell. Others include the kiwis and storm petrels.

~ HABITS The oil bird inhabits deep mountain caves in Panama, northern South America, and on Trinidad's northern coast. Up to 50 pairs nest in the pitch-black depths. They shun light, waiting until dusk to leave their cave. The oilbird is well adapted to its dark environment. It moves skillfully through the crowded cave on its long wings, and its large eyes give it keen night vision. It cannot see in total darkness, however. Some nests are 2,600 feet from the cave's entrance-the only source of light. In these depths, the bird navi-

gates by echolocation, emitting high-pitched clicking sounds as it flies. The sound waves bounce off cave walls and stalactites, as well as other birds. The echoes then help the oilbird judge its distance from these objects. The bird's clicks become more frequent as it nears an object, providing an accurate idea of the object's location The clicking in oilbird caves is audible to humans. If a human enters or if the beam of a flashlight penetrates the darkness, the cave erupts with the shrieking calls of frightened birds.

An oilbird pair breeds in the same nest each year. Set high on a cave ledge, the shallow nest is made from a paste of re-

replaced by a second coat of down after three weeks. Feathers appear when the chick is 10 weeks old . Until then, the par-

gurgitated fruit. The nest gets higher and bulkier over time as

ents feed the youngster regurgitated oily fruits three or four

the birds add more paste to it. Oilbirds can breed at any time but mate most often early in the year. The female lays two to four

times a night, until the chick has eaten a third of its body weight. This intensive feeding makes the nestling fat. By the time its

eggs at intervals of a few days, and both sexes incubate them for about a month. The hatchling's sparse down is

feathers appear, it weighs one and a half times as much as an adult. It loses this weight during the strenuous period of learning to fly. The young bird remains in

Left: Tiny seedlings sprout from regurgitated seeds on cave ledges where the oilbird roosts.

the nest until it is three to four months old .

CARD 275

SANDGROUSE GROUP 2 : BIRDS ORDER Co/umbiformes

FAMILY Pteroclidae

GENERA Pterocles, Syrrhaptes

KEY FACTS SIZES Length: 10-16 in. Wingspan: 1~-2 ft. Weight: 9-11 oz. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: Usually April to July. Eggs: Usually 2-3. Incubation: 19-24 days. Fledging period : 4-5 weeks. LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable, often forming flocks of 1,000 or more birds. Diet: Mainly seeds and grains. Sometimes berries and insects. Call: Musical calls as well as raucous gurgling. RELATED SPECIES There are 16 species in 2 genera. They include the pin-tailed sandgrouse, Pterocles a/chata, as well

Range of sandgrouse. DISTRIBUTION Found from southern France, Spain, and Mongolia in the north to China and India in the east and Madagascar and southern Africa in the south. CONSERVATION Because sandgrouse thrive in arid habitats, they are rarely affected by human interference and are in no danger.

as Pallas's sandgrouse, Syrrhaptes paradoxus.

FEATURES OF SANDGROUSE Eggs: Usually 2 or 3, sometimes 4. Glossy with reddish brown speckles. Incubated by both sexes.

Adult: Brown or buff base coloring provides camouflage . The male's body feathers have a specialized structure that enables him to carry water to his offspring.

Namaqua sand grouse: Lives in southwestern Africa.

Sandgrouse are hardy birds that live on open, arid terrain. Their ability to go without water for days enables them to inhabit some of the world's most inhospitable deserts. " MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

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~ FOOD &: FEEDING

Sandgrouse feed primarily on seeds and grains. They also eat berries if these are available. The

chestnut-bellied sandgrouse of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula feeds on black ants. Most sandgrouse forage in the morning or evening. Some species feed in huge flocks. The pin-tailed sandgrouse, for example, forms large groups that move very slowly across newly planted fields, eating seeds. This species is found in the western Mediterranean, North Africa, and central Asia. If water is scarce, sandgrouse

There are 16 species of sandgrouse, and all cope very well with the often harsh conditions of their habitats. By nesting out in the open, where most animals cannot endure the heat these birds are able to avoid many predators. Sandgrouse have a number of other remarkable survival tactics. One example is the ingenious way in which the male carries water to his offspring over distances of many miles.

~ HABITS Sandgrouse are found in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. These hardy birds can survive in difficult conditions. Many species inhabit arid regions, but the Tibetan sandgrouse lives in a cold climate at 10,000 to 20,000 feet, and the Malagasy sandgrouse dwells in hilly green areas. Sandgrouse are fast fliers and may cover 50 miles in a day to find food. They are also highly sociable, often roosting and flying in large groups. Some spe-

can go without drinking for up to five days. When water is available, they gather in flocks of 20 to over a thousand birds and fly to drinking sites. A flock generally lands a few yards from the edge of the watering hole. The birds wait for a minute or two, taking off at the slightest noise. If there is no sign of danger, they run to the water and drink, immersing their bills to eye level and sucking up the water. After drinking, a bird may wait to leave with its flock or fly back alone to its roost or feeding ground.

Left: Lichtenstein's sandgrouse of

Right: The pin-tailed sandgrouse

East Africa rests when the daytime heat is most intense.

is one of the two species that nest

DID YOU KNOW? • A sandgrouse can fly at 37 miles per hour. This is faster than some birds of prey. • Large flocks of crowned sandgrouse in Egypt gather on main roads to feed on grain that spills from trucks. • Flocks of 50,000 pin-tailed sandgrouse have been seen in Turkey.

in Europe. Left: A clutch of five eggs is unusual. 5andgrouse usually lay two or three eggs.

Right: The

young suck moisture from the male's specially adapted breast feathers.

cies roost at night. Others, such

Most sandgrouse species breed

as Lichtenstein's sandgrouse of East Africa, rest during the hot-

and nest between April and July. When courting, the male walks stiffly, lowers and fans his tail,

test part of the day. This bird rubs its rump in the ground to make a cool hollow in which to lie. Sandgrouse are wary birds. They crouch on the ground so that their buff or brown coloring blends with the surroundings. When disturbed, a flock rises almost vertically. The birds rapidly attain a great height, calling loudly to each other.

and then jumps a few feet. A sandgrouse nests in a small natural depression or shallow scrape on the ground. It often surrounds its nest with a ring of large pebbles. The female usual-

both sexes incubate for 21 to 23 days. Often the female incubates during the day, and the male takes his turn at night. The hatchlings are covered with thick down and can feed themselves almost at once. But the male supplies them with wa-

Left: Mottled down helps to cam-

ter by soaking his breast feathers at a watering site and then returning to the nest-which may be a flight of 20 miles or

ouflage chicks against sandy or rocky surroundings.

more. The young then suck the water from his plumage.

ly lays two or three eggs, which

KEY FACTS

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PIED FLYCATCHER GROU P 2: BIRDS ORDER

FAMILY

GENUS & SPECIES

Passeriformes

Muscicapidae

Ficedula hypoleuca

SIZES Length: 5 in . Weight:

l4-~

oz.

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: May to July. No. of broods: 1. Eggs: 4-7; pale blue, glossy. Incubation: 12-13 days. Fledging period: 13-16 days. LIFESTYLE Habit: Pairs occupy separate territories during the breeding season.

Breeding range of the pied flycatcher.

Winter range.

Male usually has one mate but may have two or even three. Diet: Invertebrates. Call: A soft "wheet" and a sharp ticking note. Lifespan: Up to 9 years.

DISTRIBUTION Breeds in mature woodlands across Europe, from western Scotland and Wales east to central Siberia . All pied flycatcher popu lations winter in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, migrating via southwestern Europe.

RELATED SPECIES There are 147 species of flycatcher.

CONSERVATION

The pied flycatcher's closest relative

The pied flycatcher does not seem to be in any immediate dan-

is the collared flycatcher, Ficedula

ger, although loss of habitat may pose a threat.

albicollis.

FEATURES OF THE PIED FLYCATCHER Eggs: 4 to 7; pale blue. Color may help adults see the eggs in the nest hole.

Female: Brown upperparts. Has buff-white bars on her wings and on the sides of her tail.

Male: Breeding

plumage features black tail, wing feathers, and upperparts. Underparts and forehead are white. Wintering males and birds in their first winter resemble the female.

The pied flycatcher is a lively little bird that breeds in mature woodland, nesting in tree holes as well as birdhouses. It migrates long distances to winter in parts of Africa.

Juvenile: Brownbuff plumage. Distinguished by scaled and spotted feathers.

When perched , the pied flycatcher constantly flicks its wings and jerks its tail up and down. © MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

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~ BREEDI NG

The pied flycatcher lives up to its name by catching insectj in midair. Howeve" it obtains a great deal of its food from foraging on the ground as well as in foliage and the bark of tree trunks. Only the male during the breeding season

displays the species' distinctive bold, pied plumage.

~ HABITAT

The pied flycatcher prefers hillside woods-especially those near water, which attracts abundant insect prey. Its ideal habitat contains mature trees that show signs of decay and possess nest holes made by woodpeckers. In some parts of its range, the

pied flycatcher has benefited a great deal from the provision of birdhouses. Often a lack of tree holes for nesting keeps this bird from colonizing a wooded area. Breeding density in regions with birdhouses can be twice that of areas without them .

~ FOOD &: FEED ING The pied flycatcher catches flies, beetles, butterflies, and other flying insects in midair. It supplements this diet with grubs

and worms from the ground. It also hovers to pick insects from foliage or clings briefly to trees to take insects from the bark.

Male pied flycatchers return to the breeding grounds in spring, often to the nest holes that they used the previous year. The females arrive several days later. Each male defends a small territory around his nest hole. He sings, often from a high perch, to proclaim ownership and attract a mate. The male usually has one mate, but he occasionally has two or even three. After the female has built her nest and begun incubating, the male may court another female at another nest site. But after she lays her eggs, he abandons her and returns to his first mate to help raise the chicks. By moving up to two miles away from his

first nest site, the male may be able to deceive the second female into believing that he is unmated. Many males try this strategy, but most fail and have just one mate. The broods that hatch early are more successful than later ones. This is because the young eat mainly caterpillars, which become scarce as the season progresses. The average clutch size also declines later in the season, since the female does not waste energy hatching chicks that she will be unable to feed . In an attempt to lessen feeding visits, the nestlings are often fed prey that is larger than what the adults eat.

Left: The agile pied flycatcher can hover near foliage to snatch larvae.

Right: Pied flycatcher parents may feed their chicks 30 times an hour.

DID YOU KNOW? • The ranges of the collared and pied flycatchers overlap in eastern Europe. The two species interbreed, and hybrid birds form up to 10 percent of the combined population.

• The male pied flycatcher sings from late April to June. Before pairing, he may sing over 3,000 times in one day. After finding a mate, he sings only about 1,000 times a day.

~

~ BIRDWATCH In the breeding season, the pied flycatcher is found in mature woodlands. The male has a white fo rehead and a large white area on each wing. Fe-

~ M IGRATION

Pied flycatchers migrate across southwestern Europe to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of them settle in the moist coastal forests of the Gulf of Guinea. Because of their roundabout migration route, some eastern populations fly westward for over 1,500 miles before turning south for Africa. For most birds, the stopover area is in northern Portugal. There they devour berries and other food for about a Left: The pied flycatcher often nests in an abandoned woodpecker hole.

males and winter males have similar plumage: brown above and buff below, with less white on thei r wings and none on their foreheads.

month to acquire adequate reserves to sustain them on their long journey. To obtain enough food, they may defend feeding territories. From Portugal, the birds fly without stopping across the Mediterranean and the Sahara, taking just a few days to reach their winter quarters. On the return trip in spring, pied flycatchers take a quicker route, flying farther to the east. This enables them to arrive early at the breeding grounds in order to find the best nest sites.

KEY FACTS

CORN CRAKE

,,~----------------------ORDER Gruiformes

FAMILY Rallidae

GENUS & SPECIES Crex crex

SIZES Length: 11-12 in. Wingspan: 18-21 in. Weight: 5-7 oz. BREEDING Mating season: May and June. No. of broods: 1, occasionally 2. Eggs: 6-14, usually 8-12. Grayish green or buff with rust, gray, and purple spots. Incubation: 14-18 days. Fledging period: 5 weeks. LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary; night-active. Diet: Seeds and grain, as well as small invertebrates. Call: Male repeats loud, rasping "crek-crek" for long periods in the breeding season. RELATED SPECIES Closely related to the 13 species in the genus Porzana, including the North American sora, P. carolina.

Breeding range of the corn crake.

Winter range.

DISTRIBUTION The corn crake breeds in northern Europe from Ireland east to central Asia. It winters in southern Africa. CONSERVATION The corn crake population has declined in some parts of Europe as a result of modern farming methods. The bird is still common in eastern Europe, where traditional farming survives.

FEATURES OF THE CORN CRAKE Bill: Small and Plumage: Feathers on upperparts

are black in the center and edged with brown , giving a scalloped effect. Buff underparts barred with chestnut. Chestnut patches on wings. Gray throat and breast.

stubby for picking up seeds and grains.

Flight: Legs trail limply behind the narrow body and the short, pointed tail. Strong flight during migration, with the legs almost horizontal. Chick: Covered

with blackish down . Coloring is unusual for a grassland bird.

Eggs: Up to 14 per clutch . Grayish green or buff, blotched with rust, gray, and purple.

The corn croke is more often heard than seen, since it spends most of its time concealed in tall grass. When disturbed, this bird runs quickly instead of revealing its position by taking flight. © MCMXCII IMP BV/ IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

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~ BREEDING

In the past, when farmers cut their fields by hand, the corn croke was quite common in European meadows. The bird found ideal nesting sites in hay fields, which were not cut down until late summer. Today, however, the corn croke is

a victim of modern farming practices. Grass is cut earlier in the year to be stored as fodder, and the birds have no escape from the blades of modern mowers.

weeks. She feeds her chicks for three or four days, after which they find their own food. They stay with her for another month or so until they can fly. The young are very vulnerable in their first weeks, as farmers move in from the edges of fields with mowing and harvesting machines. Left with no escape routes, the chicks fall victim to the machines. Unwilling to abandon her offspring, the female is often killed too.

Left: The male corn crake repeats his noisy mating call day and night for hours at a time.

Right: At one day old, the chick is

already moving around in the grass near the nest.

DID YOU KNOW? • The male corn crake may emerge from cover to investigate the presence of a nearby rival, so bird-watchers try to lure the bird out by making a sound that is much like the male's call. To make this sound they rub a stick over a notched piece of wood . • Prior to the decline of the

corn crake population, the birds occasionally appeared in eastern North America during the fall migration. The last corn crake on record in this area was discovered on Long Island in 1963. • The corn crake's scientific name, (rex crex, sounds like the male's characteristic call.

t'!1

BIRDWATCH

The corn crake spends spring and summer in northern Europe and central Asia and migrates to Africa in fall. In flight, it can be identified by chestnut patches on its wings. Unlike other crakes, which frequent marshes, the corn

crake is most often found in meadows. But because of its secretive nature and nocturnal habits, the bird is rarely seen . During the mating season, however, the male's repetitive, raucous" crek-crek" call can often be heard.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING

~ HABITS The corn crake usually lives in meadows and grasslands but sometimes frequents marshes and farmland as well. It is active after sunset, occasionally until dawn. The solitary, reclusive corn crake is rarely seen in the open. It creeps about in tall grass, bent low on its long legs and with its head stooped below the level of its tail. From time to time, it cranes its neck above the grass to look around or call noisily. The bird takes to the air only when absolutely necessary. If disturbed, it may fly slowly for

In spring the male corn crake tries to attract a mate. With his head stretched up, he repeatedly utters a very loud, rasping "crek-crek" call. When a female comes near, the male displays by strutting and showing off his chestnut wing patches. He may also give her a gift like a worm or snail. The female nests alone in tall grasses or occasionally in cornfields. She lays up to 14 eggs, which hatch after about two

several yards with its legs dangling, then drop back into the grass. But, instead of flying, the corn crake prefers to run from danger. It sounds more like a scurrying rat than a bird as it rushes through the grass. In fall, the corn crake leaves its European breeding grounds and migrates to Africa. On these migration flights, it flies strongly, with its legs almost horizontal. By mid-April, it has returned to its breeding grounds. Right: The corn crake is the only

crake that lives mainly in grassland rather than marshes.

Grassy meadows and farmland provide the corn crake with an abundant supply of seeds and grain, which the bird picks up with its stubby bill. The corn crake also eats insects and their larvae as well as other small invertebrates. These include slugs, millipedes, snails, earthworms, and spiders. Like many seed-eating birds that inhabit fields and meadows, the corn crake has suffered from insecticides. These chemicals kill off the bird's insect prey and coat crop seeds with a poisonous film.

KEY FACTS

--------------------------------------------------------~

CRESTED LARK GROUP 2: BIRDS

ORDER Passeriformes

FAMILY Alaudidae

------

GENUS & SPECIES Galerida cristata

SIZES Length: 7 in. Wingspan: 11-15 in. Weight: 1~ oz. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: March to July. No. of broods: 2-3. Eggs: 3-5; chalky white with dark brown and gray speckles. Incubation: 11-13 days. Fledging period: 15-18 days. LIFESTYLE Habit: Forms pairs or small flocks of up to 15 birds. Diet: Insects, seeds, and leaves. Call: 3 liquid notes. RELATED SPECIES There are about 80 species of lark. The crested lark's closest relatives are the 4 other Galerida species, including the Thekla lark, G. theklae.

Range of the crested lark. DISTRIBUTION The crested lark is found in open, arid, and grassy country. It ranges across southern and central Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia as far east as China and Korea. CONSERVATION Populations of the crested lark have declined dramatically in western Europe. This is mainly due to intensive farming and the increasing use of pesticides.

FEATURES OF THE CRESTED LARK Flight: Rounded wings and short tail give the bird a compact appearance.

Eggs: Chalky white, speckled with dark brown and gray. 3 to 5 per clutch .

Female: Keeps her crest erect while watching the male display.

his chest plumage and cocks his tail

The crested lark is named for the striking crest of feathers on its head. It raises this crest when it is excited or alarmed. This bird spends most of its day on the ground, searching for food.

Plumage: Pale brown with speckled chest and sandy underparts.

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~ FOOD &: FEEDING

The crested lark is found in open arid regions in Europe, Asia, and Africa. This bird makes up for its dull brown plumage and stocky appearance with its melodious voice. It sings tirelesslYt whether high in the air., on the ground, or on a low perch. The crested lark has a wide repertoire of twittering, whistling, and fluting sounds. But it also imitates other birds, including thrushes, sparrows, and starlings.

~ HABITAT The crested lark likes flat, open country with sparse vegetation. It may stray into farmland but avoids dense crop fields. It prefers hard, dry soil where it can walk about freely. The crested lark thrives in dry climates. It is found in many des-

~ HABITS

The crested lark forms pairs or groups of three or four. Flocks of up to 15 birds may gather to feed, drink, and migrate, but older breeding pairs tend to remain together. With its rounded wings and short tail, the bird looks compact in the air, but its flight is

The crested lark feeds primarilyon the ground. It digs in the soil with its long bill to extract beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and ants. It also catches dragonflies and flies in the air, then removes their wings before devouring them. In addition, the bird eats spiders, snails, and small worms, as well as seeds, seedlings, buds,

flowers, grain, and leaves. During the winter it eats fewer insects and a greater number of seeds, especially grass seeds. The crested lark employs its conical bill as a hammer to soften the tough, protective shells of some insects before it eats them. The bird also strips the husks off grains and seeds by crushing them on the ground.

Left: The crested lark's sandy plum-

Right: The crested lark spends most

age provides good camouflage in arid areas.

of its day foraging for insects and roosts at night.

I•DID YOU KNOW?

The crested lark enjoys taking a sand or dust bath, especially on a dusty road, so its plumage often looks dirty. • The crested lark fends off a rival for food by singing to the other bird. Squabbles rarely become physical. • In cold weather crested lark fledglings can fall into comas

if they are left alone too long. But they revive when they are warmed up. • If a snake or another enemy approaches her nest, a female crested lark will lure it away by running just ahead of it and calling loudly. • A crested lark can be taught to imitate human speech. --..J Left: The fe-

ert and semidesert regions such as Saudi Arabia, where it is resident all year. In northern areas such as the Russian and Ukrainian steppes, it migrates south before cold weather arrives. But a few hardy birds stay in these regions during mild winters.

not graceful. It prefers to walk. The crested lark spends most of the day foraging for food. At sunset it settles down to roost in a hollow in the ground, ruffling its feathers for warmth. Right: A crested lark parent generally gives the most food to the off-

spring that opens its mouth widest.

male lays her speckled eggs in a grass-lined nest that she makes on the ground. She may produce two or even three clutches each year.

The crested lark pairs for life. In spring the male displays to the female . He puffs out his chest, cocks and fans his tail, and holds his crest erect while flapping his wings and singing loudly. Meanwhile the female crouches, with her crest raised and tail fanned. The female makes a nest, lining a ground scrape with grass. She may add a dome for shelter, using the lower branches of a bush. She incubates the three to five eggs for 11 to 13 days, taking breaks to feed and preen. Instead of returning directly to the nest, she lands some distance away and looks around first. While the female sits on the nest, the male sings from a low

perch and watches for danger. If disturbed, the female may abandon her eggs or chicks. But she lays a replacement clutch later. The hatchlings are blind and covered in straw-colored down. Both parents answer their offsprings' cheeping calls for food by supplying them with insects, especially caterpillars. Some of the young may die because the parents tend to give the most food to the offspring that opens its mouth widest. The young can leave the nest at about nine days old, but the parents feed them until they can fly at about three weeks. When threatened, the young crouch flat or hide in the grass.

KEYFACT~ S

SNOWY SHEATHBILL GROUP 2: BIRDS ORDER Charadriiformes

FAMILY Chionididae

GENUS & SPECIES Chionis alba

____________________________~

SIZES Length: 14-16 in . Wingspan : Up to 2 %; ft. Weight: 1 %; lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Mating season: From December to January. Eggs: 2-4. Off-white with gray and brown markings. Incubation: 4 weeks . Fledging period: 7-8 %; weeks. LIFESTYLE Range of the snowy sheath bill.

Habit: Day-active in small flocks. Diet: Marine invertebrates, birds '

DISTRIBUTION

eggs and young . Also scavenges from penguins and humans.

The snowy sheath bill lives on or close to the shores of Antarctica

Call: Screeches loudly during dis-

and the southernmost islands of the Atlantic. Some birds spend

putes. Growls as a threat.

the winter in the Falkland Islands and in Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America .

Lifespan: 10 years or more. RELATED SPECIES

CONSERVATION

The lesser, or black-billed, sheath bill,

A remote habitat and plentiful food supplies ensure that the

Chionis minor, is the only other mem-

snowy sheath bill faces no immediate threat.

ber of the family.

FEATURES OF THE SNOWY SHEATHBILL Bill: Short and sturdy, reinforced by a horny sheath that gives the bird its name. This strengthens the bill so the bird can dig for food between rocks.

Body: Squat, plump appearance is due to the ~-inch-thick layer 0 fat under the skin. . ,/

Face: Partly naked , with warty pink skin . Facial feathers would be easily soiled by the snowy sheaffi6i II 's

scavenging.

'"

The snowy sheathbill is an aggressive hunter and scavenger that lives on the harsh shores of Antarctica. It feeds on anything from seaweed and tiny krill to young penguins.

Legs: Short and pink. Feet are not webbed like those of gulls, although the snowy sheathbill is a strong swimmer. Sharp claws are used for grabbing food and as weapons in disputes.

Chick: The down turns gray after about a week. White adult plumage appears at about 1 year.

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~ FOOD &: FEEDING

The snowy sheathbill is both a

sheath bill haunts seal colonies as

predator and scavenger. It feeds on the eggs and young of terns, petrels, and other seabirds. It

well, looking for afterbirths and stealing food from the young . Snowy sheath bills are greedy

snaps up small fish and mollusks that wash up on shore and eats large amounts of seaweed for

birds that compete with each other for food. Fierce quarrels, accompanied by loud screech-

the plankton and krill it contains. The snowy sheath bill will also

ing and furious wing flapping, often develop over stolen food. The snowy sheath bill exploits

raid penguin colonies, especially during the breeding season. It scampers among the birds as they feed their chicks. Avoiding their darting bills, it harasses the penguins by fluttering its wings and pecking at them. Then it makes off with theirfood . The Left: The snowy sheathbill is protected from chilly temperatures by a layer of fat.

Although the Antarctic shoreline looks bleak, it provides the

its encounters with humans to obtain food. It raids garbage bins at scientific stations and explorers' camps. In the past it was frequently found in South Atlantic whaling stations, feasting on whale carcasses. Right: A snowy sheathbill will stab at a penguin 5" egg until the tough shell breaks.

even a moment's hesitation, this bird will go from pecking at

• The snowy sheathbill and its relative the lesser sheath bill are the only land-based birds that

closely related to a common ancestor of the two groups. Although it looks like a gull, it

breed exclusively in the South Polar region.

behaves more like a wader.

seaweed to pouncing on a mollusk or stranded fish. The

snowy sheathbill with an abundant supply of food. Without

snowy sheathbill is also an expert scavenger that tolerates humans in order to receive handouts or sift through refuse.

Left: Snowy sheathbills scavenge for anything they can find. They will fight violently over a nutritious morsel such as the placenta of a seal.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The snowy sheath bill may be a "missing link" between gulls and wading birds-possibly .

• The snowy sheath bill is also called the kelp pigeon because it has a pigeon like shape and it eats seaweed .

~ HABITS The snowy sheath bill lives on the shores of one of the world's harshest habitats. It has waterresistant down and a thick layer of fat to protect it in severe winters. This sheath bill can remain on the Antarctic mainland yearround. But occasionally it mi-

when pursued. This bird spends most of the day hopping or trotting along the shore in search of food. It flaps its wings in order to propel itself forward or to threaten rivals.

The snowy sheath bill mates in the brief Antarctic summer from December to January. It requires a nesting site that is isolated and has a ready food source, so it of-

debris such as grass and snail shells. They use feathers and seaweed to make a cushion for the eggs. During the breeding period, the pair continues to feed with the flock but always

The snowy sheathbill lives in small flocks and never strays far

ten uses a crevice in a rock overlooking a penguin colony. The nest may be hidden three feet

grates north to winter on South Atlantic islands such as the Falklands or South Georgia.

from the sea. It is a very strong swimmer, even though its feet are barely webbed. It uses its

inside the crevice. As a further precaution, the pair approaches the site by a roundabout route.

Although it can fly hundreds of miles, the snowy sheath bill prefers to stay on the ground.

sharp claws to snatch food and for defense. It also uses a small,

Both sexes build the nest from

incubating the two to four eggs for four weeks. The eggs hatch at intervals of eight or nine days. The parents usually rear only

Left: The brown down of the newly hatched chicks becomes gray after about a week.

one chick successfully. The others fall victim to birds of prey, including other sheathbills.

It seems reluctant to fly, even

sharp spur at the base of each wing as a weapon .

returns to the nest afterward. Male and female take turns

'\J

CARD 280

COMMON POCHARD GROUP 2: BIRDS ORDER Anseriformes

FAMILY Anatidae

~ ~

KEY FACTS

SIZES Length: 1~ ft. Male usually larger than female. Wingspan: About 2 ~ ft. Weight: 1%-2~ lb. Male heavier

GENUS & SPECIES Aythya ferina

than female . BREEDING Sexual maturity: Usually 1 year. Breeding season: April to June. No. of broods: 1. Eggs: 6-11; pale green. Incubation: Almost 4 weeks. LIFESTYLE Habit: Social; lives in a flock for most of the year. Diet: Aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates. Call: Usually silent. Male utters a soft, wheezing call and female a harsh "karr, karr" when courting. RELATED SPECIES Closely related to the tufted duck, Aythya fuligula, and the greater

Breeding range of the common pochard.

•

Winter range.

DISTRIBUTION Breeds across most of Europe and Asia from Great Britain and Ireland eastward to Siberia and Mongolia. Winters in parts of Africa and southern Asia. CONSERVATION Although the common pochard's habitat has been destroyed in some areas by land drainage, this duck has adapted well to new habitats. It is common throughout its range.

scaup, A. marila.

FEATURES OF THE COMMON POCHARD Flight: The duck has trouble taking off from the water. It patters over the surface for some distance before

Female: Mostly soft brown and gray. Pale tJelly visible in flight.

The common pochard is one of Europe ~ most attractive diving ducks. The male ~ chestnut, black, and gray plumage is a familiar sight on large stretches of fresh water.

Male: Bright chestnut head , glossy black chest and rump , pale gray back and flan ks. Dark bill with broad grayish band .

Body: Plump and rounded . Sits low in the water.

Legs: Set well back on the body to facilitate diving . Makes the dyeR "trQJJt-heavy" and lumsy on land . ~

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~ BREEDING Common pochards usually pair up while still in their winter quar-

lays her eggs in dense vegetation near water or in the shal-

ters. In spring they fly north to their breeding grounds for the mating season, which lasts from

lows, normally in a down-lined depression on a heap of plants

mid-April to June and several weeks longer in the northernmost parts of the range. The male remains with the fe-

bates them for almost a month. The ducklings can leave the nest soon after hatching. The

male until she lays her eggs but does not usually help incubate or rear the chicks. The female

water until they are independent at about eight weeks old.

Left: The male common pochard's gray, black, and chestnut plumage makes him easy to identify.

The common pochard is a sociable bird that lives in a flock

DID YOU KNOW?

for most of the year. It is frequently seen on European lakes

• In Europe, the common pochard is found only in fresh

and ponds in urban parks, often in the company of other diving ducks. The common pochard spends most of its time on the water and rarely ventures onto land. This bird even sleeps on the water with its head tucked underneath its wing.

Europe's most common diving ducks. Its breeding range covers

water, but in the Asian parts of its range, it also frequents saltwater habitats. • Migrating pochards often cover great distances. One bird banded in Great Britain

mother supervises them in the

Right: The female pochard watches over her ducklings during their first weeks on the water.

was recovered on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the extreme northeast of Siberia. • A huge flock of 50,000 molting pochards, mainly males, congregates yearly on Lake Ijssel in the Netherlands.

~I BIRDWATCH The common pochard can be seen across much of Europe during the breeding season, from April to June. These diving ducks gather in big flocks on lakes, gravel pits, and reservoirs, as well as in smaller

groups on ponds in city parks. The male common pochard can be easily identified by his chestnut, black, and pale gray plumage. The female is not as distinctive, with her soft gray and brown plumage.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING

~ HABITS The common pochard is one of

and weeds. She usually lays 6 to 11 pale green eggs and incu-

of 3,000 or more birds gather to molt (shed their feathers). The common pochard often associates with other ducks---€special-

The common pochard eats almost anything it can find when it dives underwater. It feeds pri-

Iy the tufted duck and greater

marily on the seeds, roots, buds, and leaves of water plants such

golia. Some birds winter in western Europe; others migrate to southern Asia and parts of Africa.

scaup. However, it tends to stay with its own species when it is resting on the water.

as pondweed and stonewort. It also eats mollusks, crustaceans, worms, and some insect larvae.

This pochard can be found in a variety of habitats, including

The common pochard has the typical diving duck profile, with legs set well back on its body to

most of Europe, and it extends across Asia to Siberia and Mon-

lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams, as well as marshes and gravel pits. It also frequents reservoirs with banks that are covered by reeds or irises. The common pochard spends most of the year in a flock. Large groups of up to 500 ducks frequently form "rafts" on the water in winter. Even larger flocks

make diving easier. It is reluctant to fly and prefers to swim out of danger. This is not surprising because its takeoff requires a long run, with rapid wing beats and much pattering over the water. But once it is in the air, the common pochard flies quickly and directly, often in a V formation.

The duck feeds mainly in the early morning and evening, diving underwater with a jump up from the surface . It usually stays submerged for 13 to 16 seconds. It prefers to feed in clear water from 3 to 12 feet deep, but it can feed in the shallows by upending instead of diving. Left: Like most diving ducks, the common pochard is "front-heavy" and waddles awkwardly on land.