Steppe harrier - description, habitat, interesting facts

Steppe harrier is a rare species of birds of prey from the family Hawk, from the order Hawk.

Appearance

Males have a light dorsal part and dark shoulders, cheeks and eyebrows of gray or white color. The plumage is mostly light gray or completely white. The wings are long but narrow and have pointed ends; sometimes they are ashen or white with light edges.

On the abdomen, most of the body has gray plumage. Nadhvoste presented light colors. It has a brown or brown short, curved beak. Paws and a retina of an eye of a yellow shade. The length of the body without a head is 45-47 cm. Weigh about 330 grams.

Females are slightly different from males, first of all - in feathers. So, the upper part of them is dark in color, and the neck and head have a very variegated color scheme. The outer part of the wing is also dark, with a reddish finish.On the face there is a white color, in particular, near the eyes.

The cheeks do not stand out among the body and have the same dark brown color with a brown tinge. Nadhvoste has a whitish tint, with dissimilar specks. On the tail are several brown feathers with black stripes. Undertail is red or yellow.

Bottom coverts beige, with dark spots and stripes. The iris is brown, the legs, like those of the males, are yellow or red. The length of the body is on average slightly longer than that of the male, and is 45-50 cm. Weigh about 450 grams.

Habitat

A rare species is most often found in the following areas:

1. In the steppes of south-eastern Europe, southern Belarus and the western part of the Black Sea coast.
2. On the territory of Central Asia, near Altai and southwestern regions of Transbaikalia.
3. In the north, they live almost everywhere near Moscow and neighboring regions.
4. In summer you can see birds in Siberia, not far from St. Petersburg and not far from Novosibirsk and Irkutsk.
5. They also live in the south of Russia, in the Crimea, in the Transcaucasus and in some countries of the Middle East.
6. Sometimes several representatives can be seen in the following countries: Kazakhstan, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Estonia.

Birds migrate most often to the central and southern regions of India, Burma, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and northern Africa. There are also separate families that do not migrate.

Lifestyle

The species does not settle in places where there is no sufficient source of water, as well as where there is a lack of rodents. If they settle in forests, they make nests in glades, or in places of dense vegetation, near shrubs and in tall grass. The main activity occurs during the day.

The main habitats of the steppe moon are steppes and semi-deserts, therefore it leads a corresponding way of life. Sometimes they also settle in forest plantations and near the countryside.

Nest loons are on the ground, on low elevations, as well as in various reeds and under bushes. Eggs are laid between April and early May. This species is disappearing, and there are no exact data on the number of its representatives; they can fluctuate with each migration.

Adult representatives fly slowly and smoothly, with slight swaying in the air. The voice of these birds is not very expressive and is similar to the clanging and is a shaky screaming sounds, turning into frequent screams.

Nutrition

It should be understood that this is a bird of prey and they hunt not only moving targets, but also all living creatures that sit on the ground. As with most members of the family, the main dish for this predator is small rodents, lizards and smaller birds with chicks.

Main diet:

• mice, hamsters;
• gophers and shrews;
• pestles, quails;
• larks, sandpipers;
• small black grouse, chicks.

Residents of the Altai Territory, in addition to these dishes, do not disdain large insects, including locusts, grasshoppers, dragonflies and beetles.

The hunting grounds of this bird have a limited radius and are usually located close to the nest, as the flight after prey takes place at a low altitude and only along a certain route. The process of hunting is similar to the hunt of many of their relatives, noticing the victim, the harrier descends sharply and opens its wide tail just before landing.

Reproduction and longevity

The breeding season begins in spring. During this period, the males are trying to show themselves in every way before the female, they can soar up sharply, and then sharply fall and spin.Such "flirting" can not do without loud cries and exclamations during the approach to the nest.

Nests have a relatively small area of ​​coverage and shallow litter, and also have a very simple structure. It usually represents a standard hole bounded by dry branches and grass. One egg does not exceed six pieces.

Nestlings usually hatch between June and July. They begin to fly within 2-3 weeks after they hatched.

In natural conditions, the steppe harrier lives for no longer than 20 years.

View status

The main threat to the moon is the steppe eagle. But even a flock of such enemies will not lead to a strong reduction in the number of the species. Hunting is a much greater threat from this point of view. This species appears in the Red Book of many countries where it lives. Also threatening in some areas is plowing land and grazing cattle, mowing fields and meadows, deforestation, drainage of water bodies.The approximate number of living representatives today is no more than 40 thousand. But this figure is far from accurate, in Russia there is no data on the number of these birds at all.