Buteo lagopus. Zimnyak

10,000-20,000 rub.

Rough-footed Buzzard, or Rough-legged Buzzard(Buteo lagopus)

Class – Birds

Order – Falconiformes

Family – Accipitridae

Genus – Buzzards

Appearance

Its build is similar to that of a buzzard, but larger, somewhat longer-winged and long-tailed. Below, the predominant color is pale fawn, very light. A characteristic element of the coloration of the underwing is small streaks on the wing coverts, a large dark brown spot on the carpal fold and the dark ends of the flight feathers, forming a wide edging along the rear edge of the wing; there are also 2–4 narrow stripes along the secondary and partially along the primary flight feathers. On top, the wing is relatively even buffy-brown, there is a lightening on the bases of the primaries, the leading edge of the wing is also lighter than the rest of its upper surface. The tail above and below is almost pure white, with a wide apical dark stripe and 1–4 narrower ones. There are suggestions that the male has 2-4 narrow stripes, and the female has only one, less often - 2; in addition, older birds have more tail stripes. On the belly there are concentrations of dark spots, partially merging into large spots on the sides or even into one large spot. There are also numerous streaks on the head and neck. There are observations that the female usually has a darker belly, the male often has a darker head and neck, and a lighter belly. However, the plumage pattern is subject to large individual variations. The female is slightly larger than the male.

Juveniles are generally lighter than adults, but the belly is entirely dark brown; the head, neck and chest are light, with longitudinal streaks, the marginal stripe on the tail is one, wide and blurred, sometimes very pale, the upper wing coverts and back are usually much lighter than in older birds, the light field on the bases of the primaries is usually whiter, fewer streaks on the lower surface of the wing. In the second year of life, the coloration is something intermediate between juvenile and adult plumage.

All birds have light brown or brownish eyes, and the entire tarsus is feathered. They soar willingly and for a long time, with their wings slightly raised above the horizontal. They often hunt in slow flight; when there is wind, they can hover in place, only slightly adjusting their body position with their wings. Weight 700–1700 g, length 50–61, wing of males 40.3–46.0, females – 43.0–47.3, wingspan 120–150 cm.

Habitat

Inhabits tundras and forest-tundras, mountains of the Okhotsk coast and Kamchatka.

In nature

It lives in open spaces - in the tundra and forest-tundra in summer, in fields in winter. The main source of food for the rough-legged beast in summer are lemmings - small mouse-like rodents that live in the tundra. The number of lemmings in each area varies dramatically from year to year; therefore, in years “lean” for rodents, the feathered predators of the tundra, and the rough-legged buzzard in the first place, look for more feeding places, leaving the territories in which they were until recently common.

Reproduction

In April–May they fly in mid-latitudes, appearing in breeding areas on average at the beginning of snowmelt, alone or in pairs. They inhabit very different types of lowland and mountain tundras, forest-tundra, and in the northern taiga they settle near open or open places- meadows, swamps, burnt areas. If there are a lot of lemmings and voles in the tundra, they immediately occupy territories and begin to display, performing circular flights, steep climbs and dives. When depressed, rodents either wander for a long time, or remain sedentary, display, can build a nest and begin laying eggs, but then abandon the territory and nest and continue migrating or migrating. With extensive depressions, rodents may not nest at all and wander throughout the summer.

In treeless tundra, nests are made mainly on high steep banks of rivers and ravines, on hills, or even just on flat tundra. In the forest-tundra and northern taiga, they build nests approximately the size of buzzards in trees, often using crow buildings as a base. In the mountains they often nest on rocks. Nesting material - twigs and branches, lining of dry grass and moss. In the Arctic tundra, where there are no tall bushes, the nest is built from thin twigs, roots washed by the river, wood chips, and fragments of deer antlers. It happens that the eggs just lie in a hole with a lining, and several roots and sticks are scattered around. Sometimes they bring fresh greens to the nest.

Depending on feeding conditions, there are from 1 to 7 eggs, more often 3–4. Their color is white, slightly bluish or greenish. This background is often completely covered with a yellowish, ocher or brownish veil; the spots are most often dim and sparse, reddish, less often clear brown. Egg dimensions are 48–63 x 39–50 mm. Incubation begins with the first egg and lasts 28–31 days for one egg. Mostly the female sits. The bird on the nest is very watchful, does not let a person get close, flies in advance and flies out screaming towards them. Often the alarm is raised by a partner who is not brooding. Usually both adult birds circle and scream incessantly. Some dive threateningly at a person and even hit them. Arctic foxes and dogs are boldly attacked, trying to bite with their claws, and usually they immediately take off running. The first downy outfit is white, slightly grayish on the back, the second is also white, slightly grayish or brownish. The chicks sit in the nest for approx. 6 weeks. In hungry years, rough-legged chicks often abandon their clutches, feed the younger chicks to the older ones, and may themselves eat the remaining ones.

Staying freely in an apartment, especially in the first weeks, is unsafe for a predator. He will hit the windows or hide from you in the cabinets, collecting whitewash. But such a stay will also be burdensome for the owners. Unless, of course, they consider bird droppings to be an interior detail.

It will save you from dirt, but it is even less suitable for keeping a predator. A wild predator is fighting desperately in a cage, and that handsome man whom you have recently been flattered by will soon take on a pitiful appearance, if not even killed to death. A hunter I know once showed me a female sparrowhawk that had fallen into the net of independent small bird hunters.

In fact, it is a spatial compromise between an apartment and a cage. And it is only suitable for very calm and mature birds. But the bird will break its tail and flight feathers on a small aviary. And for an enclosure of sufficient size, there may be a place in the summer at the dacha, but hardly in the apartment the rest of the year.

There is a centuries-old tradition of landing birds of prey in entanglements. There are books that are highly desirable to read for anyone who has decided to have even the smallest feathered predator at home. Among the second-hand books, this is “Hunting with Birds of Prey” by G. P. Dementyev, and among the modern ones, “Falcon on the Glove” by V. E. Flint and A. G. Sorokin. They pay enough attention to the maintenance of birds of prey.

Entangled is the main and only part of a bird of falcon's outfit that will really be useful to your pet. Entanglements (putts) are put on the paws of a predator as soon as it falls into captivity (with the exception of fledgling nests) and are never removed. They are only replaced with new ones as physical wear and tear. A bird can quickly and successfully peck at its first entanglements, but the second and subsequent ones last longer. It’s easy to make entanglements yourself by cutting them out of a piece of leather. The tops of old ones are successfully used for this purpose. women's boots, as long as the skin is thin and soft. A strip 15-20 cm long is cut out. It is better to make its width uneven. The part that covers the tarsus of the paw is about 12 mm, the rest is 7-8 mm. And before cutting the leather, make a pattern out of cardboard. After all, both entanglements must be the same. In the wide part of the entanglement, at a distance of 5-10 mm from the beginning, 2 slits about 10 mm long are made one after the other. The distance between the slots is ideally equal to the circumference of the paw shank. Only in this case the entangled fish will not press or jump off the predator’s paw. A metal, or better yet, plastic ring with a diameter of about 10 mm is sewn to the thin end of the entanglement. (In a haberdashery you can buy a penny hairband with decorations made of plastic rings. These rings will last you for years.) If there are no rings, another slot is made at the thin end of the entanglement with the same parameters.

Once the entanglements are ready, the wide end with the slots is wrapped around the shank of the paw. The tip of the entanglement is pushed into the second slot until the first one comes out. If the first slot extends to its full length, no more or less, the distance between the slots is correct. Then the thin end with the ring is inserted into the first slot and the entanglement is tightened. A bird cannot untie such a knot with its beak.

It is better to put on restraints together. When both entanglements are put on, it is advisable to fold them together and tie them firmly in two places: at the rings and approximately in the middle. This is necessary so that the bird does not catch the perch chair formed from the entanglement ring. But at the same time she could clean her beak with her paw.

Debtor or debtor. This is the name of the strap, the purpose of which is to keep the bird tied to the glove or perch. One end of the debtor is attached to the entanglement, and the other to the ring of the glove or attachment. For a small predator, the easiest way to make a debtor is from an ordinary shoe lace, having first tested it for strength. To each end of the debtor I tie a fishing carabiner No. 1 or 2 with a semicircular clasp and lock (Interlock type). (A straight fastener without a lock easily comes out of the supports and falls apart. In nature, this is fraught with the loss of the bird.) Such a fastener is easily and firmly attached to any of the rings, and the presence of carabiners does not allow the fastener to twist during bird jumps. This is especially important in the perch, where the bird spends almost all the time of the day. The fact that the bird moves a lot on the perch is good for it. If you do not hunt with her or even walk outside, jumping from a perch and back is the only way to maintain her physical health. The debtor without a carabiner is twisted, shortened, twisted and entangled. The bird begins to break its feathers on the perch.

The length of the debtor on the perch is adjusted as follows. When the bird is sitting on a chair and the ring is resting on the base of the perch, the debtor should be extended in a straight line. If the ring hangs, it will be burdensome for the bird. And if the debtor lies for a significant part on the basis of the surcharge, it will be distressing for you. In a short time, the predator will wrap the debtor around a chair leg and tie itself tightly to it, smear itself in droppings and break off its tail.

Perch. Various kinds of perches are arranged for birds of prey to sit on. The most successful are ordinary “chairs”.

The chair consists of a leg and a wooden seat. The leg is made of a stick with a diameter of about 10 mm. The length of the leg depends on the place where the chair is used: for an apartment and walks - 20-40 cm, for keeping on summer cottage- up to 70 cm. One end of the leg, intended for the garden or walking, is sharpened so that it fits deeply and firmly into the ground.

A block of wood with a diameter of 70-90 mm and a height of 60-100 mm is suitable for sitting. It is difficult for a bird to sit on a log of smaller diameter, and a seat with a larger diameter will have to be washed frequently to remove droppings. On one side of the log, in the middle, a hole 30-40 mm deep is drilled, into which the leg is attached with glue. The other side of the log is upholstered with cloth, felt, or, if you find it, astroturf.

A ring with a diameter of 30-40 mm is put on the chair leg, to which the debtor’s carabiner is attached. If you are at the dacha, all you have to do is firmly stick the chair into the ground and the planting is ready. For the apartment you will need to make a base.

The base is a board or chipboard slab measuring about 300x300 mm, thickness - 30 mm. A hole is drilled in the middle of the slab for the blunt end of the chair leg so that the leg fits into the hole with considerable force. Otherwise, the bird may pull the chair out of its base during its jumps. Especially if the bird flies up and hits the ring under the seat of the chair. In this case, it is advisable to make another debtor - a ring retainer on the chair leg. One side is attached to the ring using a carabiner, and the other is tightly attached to the side of the base. Its length is such that the ring rises along the leg no higher than 5 cm. It is worth fixing the ring when kept outdoors, if your pet is too active. Just make sure that if you use a retainer, the bird does not wrap the main debtor around the chair leg.

An adult bird that has already caught itself in the wild can create some difficulty for you in feeding. At the first moment, refuse not only a piece of meat or chicken, but even a dead animal or bird. “Meat” for her is only what is in feathers and moves. Steady reflex. In this case, a selected wounded animal or, due to an oversight, purchased on the market wild bird you need to offer a live animal or bird. So that a predator begins to eat in captivity. Let him grab the first one and eat it on his own at the perch. The second or third time, holding the bonds, invite the predator to eat on the glove. He will most likely try to fly away with the prey more than once. Don't let him, and he will humble himself and start eating. And then it is advisable to “transition the predator to meat,” i.e. accustom to natural food substitutes. Since the latter has the property of running out just at the moment when it is most difficult for you to get it. To do this, during the first stable meals on the glove, when the predator tears apart its usual food, add pieces of food that is new to it. Usually 2-3 sessions are enough for the predator to completely switch to another food.

Life expectancy is up to 30 years.

You can buy everything you need on our website.

Rough-footed Buzzard, or Rough-legged Buzzard- a bird of the hawk family.

Description

The coloration is quite variable, generally more contrasting compared to that of the buzzard and buzzard. The upperparts are light brown to very dark, with diffuse light and dark spots. The head, throat, neck and chest can be light, almost white, or dark, mottled, but in this case separated from the dark belly by a light semi-lunar band.

Occasionally dark spot not on the belly, but the dark color of the head is preserved (a type of coloring more characteristic of males). On the sides and “pants”, dark transverse streaks are developed against a light background; condensing on the belly, they form a dark field. As an exception, there are individuals with entirely light underparts. As a rule, the underwing is light, with the exception of the carpal fold and the tips of the flight feathers.

The juvenile is generally lighter than the adult, but with an even more contrasting dark belly. The buffy and fawn shades in its plumage are more developed than in the adult Rough-legged Buzzard; the streaks on the sides and “pants” are longitudinal rather than transverse.

The iris is lighter - to pale yellow. The dark edges along the edge of the tail and the rear edge of the wings are not clearly expressed. On the top of the wing there is a light “window” in the area of ​​the primary flight feathers; in an adult, the wing above appears evenly colored.

Very characteristic are the almost black belly with a light crescent band above it, large dark spots on the folds of the wings, a white tail above and below with a contrasting black apical stripe; the male has several thinner preapical stripes.

Some birds from a distance appear black and white, piebald. It also differs from the buzzard in more long tail and wings and generally lighter plumage without noticeable red-chestnut tones. The wings below are more contrasting. In addition to the color of the body and tail, it differs from the Buzzard by, on the contrary, slightly shorter wings and tail.

Voice

Distribution, status

It has a circumpolar breeding range in the tundras and forest-tundras of Eurasia and North America, but is absent from Greenland, Iceland, and most other Arctic islands. For the winter, it migrates to the zone of steppes and forest-steppes of Eurasia and North America, often appearing in agricultural landscapes (the appearance of birds there in winter determined its name). The background species of tundra predators, presence in a particular area, and abundance vary greatly from year to year depending on rodent abundance. Generally common on migrations in the middle zone European Russia, winters in the southern half of the region.

Nutrition

The diet consists mainly of small mammals. The daily menu is dominated by voles and lemmings. If there are few rodents, predators hunt meadow grouse, white and gray partridges. From time to time they hunt hares and only occasionally feed on reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and carrion.

Hunting is most often carried out from an observation post in open areas. If necessary, the rough-legged frog can hover over one place for a long time, looking for prey at a height of up to 100 m above the ground. The victim is localized using acute vision. The buzzard grabs her with his claws and kills her with a powerful blow of his beak.

In windy weather and in the absence of a suitable observation point, the rough-legged buzzard spins at an altitude of 20-50 m.

Noticing a potential victim, it descends and catches it in low-level flight. During a hunt, a small area of ​​up to 2 square meters is usually patrolled. km.

A small hunting trophy is swallowed immediately, while a larger one is torn into pieces that are easy to swallow.

Reproduction

Nests are built from twigs and located on the ground, rarely on trees or rocks. The number of eggs in a clutch varies depending on feeding conditions, mainly on the number of lemmings. Usually there are 3-5 eggs in a clutch, in favorable years up to 7, and in bad years 2-3. In the absence of lemmings, they do not reproduce at all. The female incubates for 30-35 days. The chicks fly out of the nests at the age of 6-7 weeks.

Buzzard migrations

Rough-legged Buzzards migrate to the middle zone of the European part at the end of September. In the middle of winter, birds are no longer visible in their usual habitats; they migrate to the southern regions. Rough-legged buzzards can be found in Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, and the Ussuri taiga.

Birds migrate north to their nesting sites as early as early March, although some individuals live until April.

• The buzzard is called bushy-footed because its legs are feathered down to the toes.
• The common buzzard does not like to guard its prey from the air, as the common buzzard does. He lies in wait for rodents and deftly grabs them when they run out of their holes.
• The buzzard considers its territory not only the ground, but also the air, on average up to 250 meters from the ground. If a stranger is within these limits, the bird attacks him and tries to drive him out of his habitat.
• An adult bird eats up to 30 small rodents per day. This is up to 11,000 per year. Thanks to this feeding behavior, the predator benefits environment, as it destroys harmful animals. If there are a lot of mice, then buzzards do not touch other living creatures.

Video

Sources

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxnonogij_buzzard http://www.ebirds.ru/vid/80.htm http://newpokrovka.ru/zimnyak-ili-moxnonogij-kanyuk/

The rough-legged buzzard belongs to the accipitridae family and is part of the genus of true buzzards. This is a northern bird, nesting in the Arctic regions of Eurasia and North America. In winter, the American population migrates to the United States, and Eurasian birds move to the Central, Eastern Europe and central Asia. Representatives of the species winter from October to March in the steppes, swamps, and agricultural areas. In April, they begin to migrate to nesting sites in the tundra and adjacent forest-tundra. There are 3 subspecies in this species. They differ in the color of their plumage.

This feathered predator has quite big sizes. The body length is 48-62 cm. The wingspan reaches 120-155 cm. Body weight varies from 800 to 1600 g. Females are larger and heavier than males. The plumage is dominated by brown tones. The limbs have feathers right down to the fingers. This is where the name of the bird comes from. The tail has white feathers with a few dark ones. The covert feathers have black line, walking along the edge. Females have a brown back, while males have a dark gray back. One of the subspecies has dark plumage. Only on the tail are white stripes observed. Juveniles are generally similar to females, but have different eye colors and rust-colored stripes under the wings and tail.

Puberty occurs at the age of 2 years. The breeding season mainly occurs in the month of May. Pairs are monogamous and mate for several years in a row. Birds begin to build nests immediately after arriving at the nesting sites. They are made from branches and twigs and are located on the ground. It is very rare to see a nest on a tree or rock. The diameter of the nest is 60-90 cm. It reaches a height of 35-60 cm. There are an average of 3-4 eggs in the clutch. If there are a lot of rodents around, then the number of eggs can reach up to 7. But if there are few rodents, then the female can lay only 1 egg.

The incubation period lasts from 31 to 35 days. The female incubates the clutch, and the male carries the food. Chicks fledge at the age of 5-6 weeks. After leaving the nest, they stay near their parents for another 3-4 weeks, and then become independent. In the wild, the rough-footed buzzard lives up to 19 years. In zoos, individual birds live 23-24 years. However, the average life expectancy is only 2 years. This is explained by the high mortality rate of young animals.

Behavior and nutrition

The diet consists of 80% small mammals. The main ones are lemmings and voles. According to some reports, buzzards are able to see fragrant secretions that rodents use to mark their territory. But for humans, such secretions are visible only in the ultraviolet range. In addition to rodents, birds are eaten mainly from the passerine family. If there are few rodents, then feathered predators switch to more big catch. These are muskrats, gophers, weasels and hares. Carrion is also eaten.

An adult bird requires up to 120 g of food per day. Hunting is carried out during the daytime. The predator either hovers in the air, looking for prey, or sits on an elevated surface. This type controls the number of rodents, and therefore benefits both people and nature. The population is stable because the buzzard is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is forbidden to hunt, catch and kill it.

Casmatanogi buzzard

The entire territory of Belarus

Accipitridae family - Accipitridae

A common transit migratory and wintering species, it nests in the tundras of Europe and Asia. It is found throughout the republic.

The silhouette and color of the plumage is similar to a buzzard (but is never uniformly brown or red). In addition, the rough-legged buzzard is larger, somewhat longer-winged and long-tailed. It differs from the common buzzard in having an almost white tail (above and below) and a tarsus feathered down to the toes. Male weight 800-1105 g, female 925-1550 g. Body length (both sexes) 50-61 cm, wingspan 109-144 cm. For the territory of Russia, slightly different data are given (with a greater amplitude): weight 700-1700 g; length 50-61, wing of males 40.3-46.0, females - 43.0-47.3, wingspan 120-150 cm.

Below, the predominant color is pale fawn, very light. A characteristic element of the coloration of the underwing is small streaks on the wing coverts, a large dark brown spot on the carpal fold and the dark ends of the flight feathers, forming a wide edging along the rear edge of the wing; there are also 2-4 narrow stripes along the secondary and partially along the primary flight feathers. On top, the wing is colored relatively evenly - buffy-brown, there is a lighter color on the bases of the primary flight feathers, the leading edge of the wing is also lighter than the rest of its upper surface. The tail is almost pure white above and below, with a wide apical dark stripe and 1-4 narrower ones. There are suggestions that the male has 2-4 narrow stripes, and the female has only one, less often - 2; in addition, older birds have more tail stripes. On the belly there are concentrations of dark spots, partially merging into large spots on the sides or even into one large spot. There are also numerous streaks on the head and neck. The female usually has a darker belly, while the male often has a darker head and neck and a lighter belly. However, the plumage pattern is subject to large individual variations. The female is slightly larger than the male.

Juveniles are generally lighter than adults, but the belly is entirely dark brown; the head, neck and chest are light, with longitudinal streaks, the marginal stripe on the tail is single, wide and blurred, sometimes very pale, the upper wing coverts and back are usually much lighter than those of older birds, the light field on the bases of the primaries is usually whiter, fewer streaks on the lower surface of the wing.

In the second year of life, the coloration is something intermediate between juvenile and adult plumage.

All birds have light brown or brownish eyes, and the entire tarsus is feathered.

The voice is very similar to the voice of a buzzard: mournful, drawn-out, high-pitched nasal screams, if a flying bird, then trembling. There are individual characteristics of the voice - higher or lower tone, hoarseness, etc. When mating, the male shouts “eeee” in a high-pitched and nasal voice.

They soar willingly and for a long time, with their wings slightly raised above the horizontal. They often hunt in slow flight; when there is wind, they can hover in place, only slightly adjusting their body position with their wings.

The number of both migrating birds and those staying for the winter varies from year to year. The number of migrating buzzards depends on the number of lemmings (the main summer food supply) in the tundra and forest-tundra in a particular year. In “mouse” years, the Buzzard is second only to the Buzzard in terms of numbers on migration. The number of buzzards remaining over the winter also depends on the “harvest” of local populations for mouse-like rodents and the state of the snow cover: the thinner the snow cover, the more buzzards there are, and vice versa.

During migrations and wintering they adhere to open biotopes: mown but not plowed fields, open swamps and floodplains, extensive fresh clearings in the forest, etc. Most often, hunting buzzards are found above fields, less often in open raised bogs, and sometimes in other biotopes. Up to a dozen individuals can accumulate in particularly feeding areas. During the hunt, birds either hover low, often hovering in one place, often flapping their wings like a kestrel, or they watch for prey from a perch, using poles, stacks of hay and straw, and individual trees among fields for this purpose.

The diet of this species is based on mouse-like rodents, mainly voles. As an isolated case, ferrets were caught in prey. During particularly difficult wintering periods, the rough-legged rough-legged frog does not disdain carrion.

All tagged birds poached in Poozerie,

belong to the Lapland population and have had chicks ringed in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Reproductive age is reached at 1-2 years of age.

The maximum age recorded in Europe is 18 years 9 months.

Vladimir Bondar, Chaussky district (Mogilev region)

Buzzards, or buzzards, are typical predators. These are medium-sized (for predators) birds with wide, rounded wings and a short tail.

A very characteristic color detail is a large dark spot on the fold of the wing. And the tail is also noticeable - pure white, with a wide dark stripe along the edge and several thinner stripes closer to the top.

NAME DETAILS

The Russian name “buzzard” comes from the word “buzzard” (and possibly vice versa): these birds have a rather large birds more like the plaintive meow of a small kitten than the menacing squawk of an eagle. The ruffed buzzard is the northernmost representative of the genus. Its nesting places are tundra, forest-tundra and northern taiga. In more southern latitudes, it appears only in winter (hence another name - rough-legged buzzard). Compared to other representatives of the genus of buzzards (and there are four of them), the buzzard is lighter in color and is truly hairy - the entire tarsus (an additional section of the bird's leg, which is an elongated and modified foot) is covered with feathers right up to the toes.

HOME TO THE NORTH

Buzzards are migratory birds. In September-October they leave their native places and begin to migrate to the south. They winter in the temperate zone, forest-steppe, and sometimes fly to Central Asia and the Black Sea region. And in April-May, home again, to the north, to the mountainous or flat tundra, which is cold even in summer, to glades or burnt areas in the taiga, to river valleys with steep banks. Usually, ruffed buzzards appear “at home” in May, when the snow in the tundra has not yet completely melted, and wait for suitable places, when the sun becomes generous and frees up space for the nest from the snow. What to do, there are a lot of competitors, just get distracted and a convenient cliff or ledge on a rock is already occupied. They wait, of course, not just sitting at the cliff: the males show off, attracting a female and performing beautiful pirouettes in the air.

THERE IS FOOD, THERE WILL BE A NEST

The requirements for a nesting site for this bird are not too strict: rocks and cliffs are, of course, preferable, but in their absence, trees, hills, and even just a flat area of ​​tundra will do. The bushy buzzard's nests are built from dry branches, wood chips, and sometimes fragments of reindeer antlers. The lining is dry grass, moss, and thin roots. The whole building is rather careless and loose, but it’s enough for one season. A good nest is not the most important thing for a bird; food must come first. All buzzards are myophagous predators (that is, specialized mouse eaters).

The life of the buzzards depends on the number of tundra rodents (voles and lemmings): if there is food, there will be a nest and chicks, if not, there will be nothing. In good “mouse” years, the predator can lay up to 7 eggs, in bad years - 1-2, and if there is very little prey, the rough-legged buzzards simply abandon the clutches they have started or do not make them at all. It also makes no sense to occupy permanent areas in such years, so buzzards continue to wander across the expanses of the tundra in search of at least some food. Hunted different birds(from small passerines to ducks, partridges and even geese), hares, and can feed on carrion.

BETWEEN SPARROWS AND DUCKS

As is known, development in birds can proceed in two ways. In chicks (this includes most passerines, pigeons, woodpeckers, etc.), babies hatch naked, blind and absolutely helpless. In brood birds (ducks, geese, chickens, etc.), the chicks run quickly and actively feed themselves a few hours after hatching. Birds of prey fall somewhere in the middle. Their babies emerge from the eggs as fluffy lumps, after a while the first outfit is replaced by a second, also downy (the second down is usually shorter and thicker), and only after that a real feather grows. All this time the baby sits in the nest. The term of “home” life for Rough-legged Buzzards is up to six weeks. Parents bravely protect the brood, swooping down on offenders and using sharp claws. This turns out to be quite enough for the arctic fox to run away from the nest without looking back...

FEATURES OF Buzzard HUNTING

In the tundra, the choice of food is not so great - lemmings and voles, and among the bird predators that compete for them are the buzzard and the snowy owl. Both are large, both are gluttonous, and competition is not good for them at all. Wise nature took care to reduce it. The Rough-legged Buzzard prefers to live in river valleys, where northern species voles. The polar owl (unlike other owls, it has to hunt during the day - but what can you do if there is no night in the tundra in summer) nests where lemmings predominate and feeds mainly on them.

Rodents are accessible food, numerous, but mobile, so the hunting techniques of Buzzards can be quite interesting. For example, stalking a mink: a large bird sits above a residential colony, hiding like a cat, and deftly grabs an animal that has decided to stick its head out of its saving shelter. Or an attack from the air: the rough-legged buzzard hovers above the ground, fluttering its wings, and then rushes down, extending its paws with formidable claws, and grabs the victim. Few of the large birds know how to “hang” like this - this is a painfully energy-consuming task. Of the local predators, only the small falcon, kestrel, and osprey hunt this way.

INTERESTING FACTS

Typically, birds of prey build a large nest and occupy it for many years in a row. Sometimes such dwellings reach enormous sizes and even break the trees on which they are located. The Rough-legged Buzzard almost never nests in old housing and builds a new one on the same site.

The Rough-legged Rough-legged Bird, like other birds of prey, begins incubation from the first egg laid. As a result, the chicks do not hatch all at once, but one at a time. A fully feathered chick and a small fluffy feather can sit in one nest at the same time. This downy little guy rarely manages to stand on his wing. Most of the food that caring parents bring to children (and the buzzards also feed their chicks with mouse-like rodents) goes to the stronger and older chicks; the younger ones survive only in the most favorable years. When there is no food, the elders simply eat them.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Class: birds.
Order: Falconiformes, or diurnal birds of prey.
Family: Accipitridae.
Genus: buzzards.
Species: Rough-legged buzzard or rough-legged buzzard.
Latin name: Buteo lagopus.
Size: body length - 50-61 cm, wingspan - 120-150 cm.
Weight: 700-1700 g.
Color: brownish above, light, almost white below.
Life expectancy: about 20 years.