Avdotka - Burhinus oedicnemus- a bird, about the size of a dove, 40-44 cm long, weight 400-500 g, wingspan 77-85 cm. The color is typical - sandy with mottled top, white bottom, narrow black and white longitudinal stripes stand out on the folded wing. The voice is a characteristic mournful lingering whistle of “burrchia”, hence the generic Latin. During the current, whistling signals of different duration alternate rapidly.
Avdotki arrive at their nesting sites in April, prefer clay areas with poor vegetation, takyrs, salt licks. In Europe, they nest in fields and pastures. For driving, a clayey or sandy dry soil surface suitable for running is required, and the proximity of water within 20 km.
Avdotka has one brood per season, sometimes two. In case of loss of chicks, re-laying is possible.
Clutch contains 1-3 eggs. Avdotka lays eggs with an interval of two days, incubation begins, like in most waders, from the last egg and lasts 25-27 days. The background of the shell is clayey, densely spotted with brown and black spots, curls, lines. The female incubates slightly more than the male. At first, the parents feed the chicks from the beak, then they feed on their own. The rise of chicks on the wing occurs at the age of about 6 weeks. Maximum age 15 years 9 months. Avdotka feeds on animal food. Its diet is dominated by large insects, lizards, occasionally it kills small rodents.
Advocacy is widespread mainly in the arid regions of Eurasia, as well as in northern Africa and tropical Asia south to Ceylon and Indochina. In Europe, it reaches the middle of England, the Baltic countries, along the moorlands and dunes, but the range of the avdotka is mosaic here. In Russia, it inhabits steppes, semi-deserts and deserts from the valley of the middle reaches of the Don, Volga to the south. Orenburg region, where it occurs regularly, occurs on the Curonian Spit, as well as south of the forest zone in the European part and the Urals, possibly still nests in Altai and Tuva, there are flights to the south, up to Equatorial Africa.
In Europe, the species is fairly common, with a population of 160,000 pairs. In Russia - a rare cautious bird, the number is falling, the range is shrinking as a result of anthropogenic transformation of deserts and semi-deserts. Hardly more than 10,000 pairs nest in the country every year, the species is included in the Red Book of Russia.
Finding this secretive bird is very difficult. Therefore, when we saw that avdotka appeared in the same quarry, I decided to try my luck. From improvised means, we built a small ambush and left it not far from last year's nesting site in the hope that the Avdotka - that's the name of this bird - will nest somewhere nearby. And so it happened.
A little story about these secretive birds.
Photos and text Wild Life Photo
- Avdotka - migrant winters in Africa. Returns in April, apparently already formed pairs.
- A carnivorous bird, the basis of its diet is insects, snails, frogs, lizards, mice, and possibly eggs of other birds.
- It is nocturnal and has acute hearing.
- The classification of Avdotka is controversial among ornithologists. Some believe that the closest relatives of the Avdotka are waders, while others opt for bustards.
- Having dried, the chicks immediately leave the place where they hatched, and never return there.
2. Shooting a carnivore is an activity for the patient, and there was no need to expect much variety from them. The only moments that were a little entertaining from contemplating the long sitting of the avdotka on the eggs were the moments of the shift change.
3. Shooting in the rain was a particular challenge. And for me, and for avdotka. But you can’t leave during the rain, because the eggs cool down very quickly under water. I had to get wet with the birds. But I still had some protection, unlike them.
4. The main intrigue in the shooting was the hatching date. We saw birds in the quarry for the first time on April 14, and the eggs were discovered on May 1. The hatching period according to various sources is from 22 to 30 days. This is a big spread.
It was generally unrealistic to understand the exact date by the behavior of birds - in terms of "frostbite" the avdotki will give odds to sentries at the Tower of London. She sits, sleeps, shifts pebbles from place to place, and then bam - she is blown up and carried away into the distance on her stilts. A couple of minutes later, from the other side, a second bird creeps up to the masonry, as if walking through a minefield. It is very difficult to catch two birds in the frame at once.
And so, around the 15th, it seemed to me that the egg jumped. I was sure of what I saw, and began to expect hatching any day. But daily trips did not give any result, only another sitting and contemplation of the imperturbable avdotka. Thanks to the hare for which at least he entertained with his appearances. I was already desperate to capture the moment of hatching, but my patience was rewarded. Not exactly as we would like, but still on May 27 I managed to see a newly born Avdotik.
I thought that in the process of hatching, the avdotka would rise from the eggs, and I would be able to film the very moment of appearance, but this did not happen. Avdotka continued to sit on her eggs and the only thing that seemed strange to me was that she picked up something from under herself and ate. I thought that it was her, as usual, out of boredom, sorting out stones and shells near the nest, but as I now understand, it was she who destroyed the shells from a broken egg.
And then she gets up, and I see a wet little black chick. The shell lay aside, everything was opened in a circle, like a can opener. After some time, the crowberry grabbed the shell and dragged it away from the nest.
6. Despite the fact that Avdotik was just born, he was very restless. Half an hour later, when trying to get up, he slid down a small slope a few tens of centimeters from the second egg. Avdotka sat for some time and warmed the egg and the chick in turn, but then she rolled the egg to the chick and sat on both of them.
7. The next day the nest was already empty. I sat down in a hiding place and began to watch the quarry, because they could not have gone far. After some time, about 10 meters away, the baby stirred and was immediately covered with a mother who appeared from nowhere. Parents protect chicks much more than eggs. If during incubation the hare could easily pass between me and the bird, now he had the imprudence to go aside much further, as the avdotki almost cooked him in sour cream sauce.
8. It was funny to watch how parents taught babies to feed. They picked up food with their beaks and threw it back, letting the baby try to repeat the same thing. The kid at first smeared, and the parent repeated it again and again.
9. Day old baby:
10. Well, about the safety of filming. Despite the fact that the birds got used to the ambush itself and did not pay attention to it, it was still impossible to climb into it unnoticed. Usually, in such cases, they try to get to the shooting location before dawn, but the Avdotki are very active at night, and they see perfectly in the dark. So she had to be driven away.
The first time was the most painful. We decided that if the bird does not return within 40 minutes, then we will abandon the shooting and try our luck remotely. But the avdotka came in 5 minutes!
Avdotka - interesting bird which is rarely seen. The back is sandy - gray color with black stripes allows her to perfectly camouflage among the dry grass.
In length, the bird reaches 45 cm, of which 25 cm is the tail. Quite long legs allow the bird to run fast. However, this long-tailed the beauty prefers to lie down during the day without unnecessary movement. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to notice a bird.
Ornithologists still cannot come to a final decision regarding the species. Some scientists believe that Avdotka is the closest relative, when others are sure that avdotka -.
While disputes are going on, the bird feels great among the poor vegetation of the steppes and deserts, hunts, breeds chicks, that is, lives its usual life.
Central Asia is considered the birthplace of this bird, North Africa and the countries of the South. It is there that there are vast steppe areas where the bird settles.
But the Avdotka is not limited to these places, it lives in India, Persia, Syria, Holland and Great Britain. Even in Germany, Avdotka populates the same places every now and then. The bird cannot winter in cold countries, therefore, with the onset of autumn, it flies to warmer areas.
Avdotki rarely fly, but very well and masterfully
But the Mediterranean Sea is like an avdotka at any time of the year and here it does not change its habitat. So it's hard to say migratory bird or not.
The habitat of these birds is vast and varied. But this is only at first glance. In fact, these birds choose places that resemble the desert. They clearly obey three rules: the place of their settlement should be far and well visible, there should be water nearby and a good shelter.
Lifestyle
Yes, Avdotka is not a flock of sparrows, she does not like companies, she likes loneliness more. And she does not get along with relatives. The bird is too cautious, does not trust either its feathered relatives or other animals. But he doesn't sound like an arrogant either.
The Avdotka has a very useful quality - she carefully looks at the behavior of her relatives or other birds and animals around her, and only based on their habits and manners, she builds her behavior.
It is extremely difficult for enemies to notice her - she is observant, moreover, she notices the approaching danger before someone has time to notice her. It is very difficult for a person to see a cautious bird.
Professional photographers for the sake of one photo, they are forced to track down, hide and wait for this difficult bird for months. Observers identified interesting feature this feathered one. When danger approaches, the bird literally shrinks into the ground and merges so much with the color of dry grass that you can walk nearby without noticing it at all.
Anticipating the danger, the Avdotka freezes and cuddles to the ground.
But, if there are bushes or trees nearby, the bird quickly runs there to escape. But he does not hide, but quickly running through such a shelter, he runs out into an open place from the other side.
Curiously, having a wingspan of 80 cm, she is in no hurry to use her wings. Preferring to run away rather than fly away from enemies. And she does it brilliantly. For example, she can get ahead of a hunter at a distance of a shot.
But in calm situations, the avdotka creates the appearance of a clumsy, clumsy creature. Her flight creates a completely different feeling. It is not long, however, the bird maneuvers easily, keeps confidently, and at the same time, flies smoothly and softly.
During the day, unhurried and inactive, at night the bird radically changes its behavior. Its flight becomes faster, sharper, the bird rises to a very large distance from the ground and emits ringing cries from above.
Nighttime locomotion is mostly running. The bird easily navigates in the most unlit places and it is hard to believe that with the advent of the day this energetic fidget again turns into a sedentary creature.
They say that avdotka is easier to hear than to see.
Nutrition
Avdotka is a night hunter. When the coolness of the night falls to the ground, and the darkness hides the silhouettes of the victims and their pursuers, then the bird goes hunting.
Most often, orthoptera or worms become her prey, but she does not disdain even a larger dinner. Avdotka, for example, can cope with mice, frogs, small animals.
Starting to hunt, the bird emits a peculiar cry, which is heard quite well in silence. It may seem that the predator warns the gaping victim about herself, but this is not entirely true. The cry frightens small rodents, they start to run from hidden places, thereby revealing themselves.
The Avdotka has excellent eyesight, thanks to which the bird sees the danger for many meters.
Having caught the animal, the crowberry kills it with a strong blow of a powerful beak, and then begins to crush, that is, it constantly hits the small carcass against the stones, trying to grind the bones. The bird also kills insects first, and only then proceeds to the meal.
Reproduction and lifespan
Avdotka does not bother building a nest too much. Her nest is, most often, not too deep a hole, where 2 eggs are laid. It happens that there are more eggs, but this is very rare.
A shallow nest on the ground, almost not covered with grass, suits the bird so much that once it has been built, it will return there constantly.
Avdotka chick quickly leaves the nest and becomes independent
The eggs of this feathered bird can be different - they resemble wader eggs or duck eggs, brownish-gray, with speckles. The female hatches offspring, and the male protects the nest, distracting enemies from it.
26 days after laying, chicks appear. These kids are pretty independent. As soon as they dry well, they immediately go after their parents, leaving their native nest forever.
Mother and father do not nurse children for too long, they give them ready-made prey only at the very beginning, and after that, they very quickly teach the offspring to get food on their own.
Parents not only teach the chicks to get food, but also teach them to disguise themselves. Still quite tiny, fluffy lumps cling to the ground and freeze at any hint of danger. It would seem that natural alertness should keep this species of birds in sufficient numbers.
However, too many nests die under the feet of tourists and hunters, the nest is too unprotected from, dogs and other animals, therefore avdotka listed in Red Book and protected by law.
This is a bird of dry steppes and deserts, in Russia it is found in the Lower Volga region, Ciscaucasia and, possibly, on the Don. Avdotka - high-legged, large bird with a short plovers-like beak and large yellow eyes indicating its nocturnal habits. The plumage color is sandy-gray with dark longitudinal spots, reminiscent of the color of the curlew.
A flying bird has a white spot in the area of the wing fold and 2 light stripes above the secondary feathers. The top of the tail also has a light stripe. The size of an Avdotka from a large pigeon, about 43 cm long and 81-87 cm in wingspan. Body weight is about 500 g. By habits, the Avdotki resemble bustard birds.
Avdotka is rare in Russia. I saw this bird only a few times, and in recent decades I have not found any traces of it. Drawings of traces of the avdotka and a brief description of them are also given in the books of A.N. Formozov, and in the book by P.G. Oshmarin and D.G. Pikunov.
The drawings bear little resemblance to each other; judging by them, one was made from an imprint on damp sand, and the other from the tracks of a bird that ran through loose sand, which resounded strongly to the sides under its paws. However, looking at both figures, one can understand that the tracks of the Avdotka can be easily distinguished from the tracks of other waders and other birds in general. They also differ markedly from the tracks of bustard birds, with which the European avdotok is brought together by many taxonomists.
A paw print and traces of a mosquito, walking with a wide stride
The fingers of the Avdotok are not as short and thick as those of bustards. The lateral fingers are very close to the middle one and form sharp angles. The heel gives an elliptical print. There is no back toe. The Avdotka often moves by running, the stride length is about 36 cm. When running, it puts its paws directly on the middle line. A.N. To Formozov, the three-toed footprints of a running avdotka reminded him of the footprints of a jerboa, but it also walks with small clumsy steps.
The Avdotka feeds on insects, mainly large beetles and orthopterans, also eats worms and snails, and catches reptiles (especially small lizards) and amphibians. Sometimes there are enough small rodents and, possibly, small birds. A running mouse is struck with its beak, then it grabs and beats it several times on the ground. But after that, it does not peck, but swallows whole. To facilitate digestion swallows coarse sand.
The droppings of the Avdotka are not described, but, judging by its nutrition, it should be similar to the droppings of waders (a white liquid blot), and not bustards, which eat a lot of plant food and whose droppings look like the droppings of domestic chickens. Eating large beetles along with a dense chitinous cover, it would seem, should force the crowberry to shed pellets, but it is not known whether she sheds them.
Avdotka is a migratory bird, wintering in Africa. Returns in April, apparently already formed pairs. However, I also saw solitary migratory birds in spring. Immediately upon the arrival of these birds, the nights are announced with loud peculiar voices. Mating takes place after a few days. Avdotka eggs are laid directly on bare ground or in a small hole lined with small pebbles and twigs.
A full clutch usually contains 2, occasionally 3 eggs. In shape and size, they resemble chicken, but are colored brownish-yellow and covered with brown-red and dark brown spots. Their average size is 54×37 mm. The incubating bird is very cautious and, in case of danger, leaves the nest in advance and runs away. Crows approaching the nest are driven away by the male. Immediately after hatching the chicks, adult birds push the shell aside, although, having dried, the chicks immediately leave the place where they hatched and never return there.
During the day, the Avdotka dozes, standing in the shade of a small bush. There, it is quite easy to spot her not only from a passing car, but sometimes even from the window of a train speeding through the desert. She lets a man very close, after which she rises to the wing with a run.
The graceful bird Avdotka is not easy to meet in wildlife. She usually does all the important things under the cover of night, and during the day she prefers to sit in a secluded place, perfectly disguising herself with the help of a variegated color. Where does the Avdotka bird live and what does it look like? You will find a description of the appearance and lifestyle of this unusual bird in our article.
Avdotkovye family
For a long time, scientists could not decide which order the Avdotok should be assigned to. lifestyle and appearance makes them related to several groups of birds at once. Previously, birds were classified as waders, bustards and cranes. Today, they occupy a place in the order Charadriiformes, in which they form a separate family of Avdotkovidae.
The family includes only 10 species of birds. They are characterized by long legs, elongated beaks and medium size - their largest representatives reach a maximum of 60 centimeters in length. All types of Avdotka birds have a variegated color of stripes or spots that merges with environment making them almost invisible. The reef and large reef species differ most of all in color, which are even identified in a separate genus.
Avdotka bird: photo and description of appearance
Common Avdotka is a relatively small bird with a neat oval body, large head and round expressive eyes. She has slender straight legs with a pronounced knee joint in the middle. Due to the fact that it is highly visible, in English language the bird was nicknamed "thick knee" (thick-knee).
She has a thin and not too long neck. Listening to the sounds around, the bird strongly pulls it up, and in a calm state, it bends it with a hook, like a heron. The size of the body of an ordinary Avdotka rarely exceeds 40-45 centimeters. Its weight can be from 0.5 to 1.1 kilograms. Large pointed wings in a span reach 70-80 centimeters.
The Avdotka bird has a brown inconspicuous color, in which short stripes of black, brown and white flowers are densely mixed. Near the eyes, the stripes increase, forming distinct white and black areas. The legs and beak are bright yellow, the end of the beak is painted black. No between males and females characteristic differences, their colors and sizes are the same.
habitats
The range of the Avdotka bird covers Eurasia, Northern and Central Africa. In the Canary Islands, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia, she lives all year round. In other places it occurs only in a certain season. For settlement, the Avdotka chooses semi-deserts, steppes, savannas near the sea and river banks.
The bird nests mainly in Eurasia. It is widespread from Turkey to the western border of China. In Ukraine, it is found in the south and along the banks of the Dnieper, in Russia - from the Volgograd region to the border with Abkhazia. In Europe, there are much fewer favorable places for her, so the Avdotka settles there sporadically. For wintering, the bird flies to Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, as well as to the Red Sea coast - to Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Lifestyle
Calm and peaceful, the Avdotka rarely comes into conflict with other animals, coexisting normally with various types. Neighborhood with people is also not a hindrance to her, so she often settles near villages and farms. She is not shy, but moderately cautious. In case of danger, the bird quickly runs away or freezes in place in thick grass, becoming invisible to enemies.
The flight of the Avdotka is quiet and low, consisting of quick strokes. But she rarely uses large wings, preferring to move on the ground. It is a nocturnal carnivorous bird. Avdotka becomes active closer to dusk, looking for food thanks to good hearing and vision. The basis of its diet is small animals, insects, mollusks, frogs, small rodents, snakes and lizards. During the hunt, she screams loudly, scaring the prey so that it shows itself.
Reproduction and breeding
In places of wintering, the Avdotki do not linger for a long time and begin to nest already in March-April. Usually they are solitary, but during the breeding of chicks they can unite in small flocks of several dozen birds.
Avdotka's nest is located directly on the ground. It is a small depression lined with stones and covered with various herbs, branches and leaves. In one clutch there are only 2-3 beige eggs with dark spots. Both parents are involved in incubation and care of offspring.
During the mating season, the behavior of birds changes. They become more attentive and careful. At the sight of the enemy, they can divert his attention to themselves: suddenly the bird begins to make noise, scream and flap its wings, gradually taking the predator away from the nest. At this time, Avdotki often hunt during the day, at the same time feeding a partner who incubates the eggs.
The chicks hatch in a month. They already see well, can walk and can follow their parents. At first they are covered with a light fluff, but after another month or two they are completely covered with normal plumage and can fly.
Loading...
