Appearance. The duck is medium in size, has a long wedge-shaped tail and relatively short wings. The plumage is predominantly brown in color with an almost black fine pattern, the neck and crown are black, and the head itself is white, the legs are gray, the beak is bright blue. The difference of the female is a dark brown head and white stripes near the neck and above the eyes, gray beak and paws.

Lifestyle . Inhabits steppe, desert and forest-steppe zone, for wintering flies to sea bays or large continental lakes. Depending on the area, it can be either a migratory or a settled bird.

Nesting is carried out on fresh, rarely salty lakes, abundantly overgrown with reeds and having clean reaches. The nest is built from leaves and reed stems among its thickets either near the water itself or directly on the water, attached to the stems. Does not make a lining, but there are nests with white fluff at the bottom. Laying is carried out in early June, it contains from 5 to 7 rather large eggs with a rough granular shell. At first they are greenish in color, later they become dirty yellow. The peculiarity of incubation is that the duck heats the eggs only for the first time, then the development of the embryo occurs independently.

It is interesting that, in principle, the white-headed duck flies quite quickly, but does not like it and takes off heavily and takes a very long run. On the surface of the water, the tail holds vertically, dives perfectly - it plunges into the water completely silently. He is always silent and tries not to stick his head out - he hides.

It feeds on leaves and seeds of various aquatic plants, insects or larvae.

Similar types. Compared to all other ducks, the duck has a rather long wedge-shaped and constantly sharply upturned tail, consisting of pointed feathers. When compared with a sailor, then they are quite similar in plumage color, however, the structure and common features totally different.

Distribution and habitats.Within Russia duck breeds in the Central Ciscaucasia and on the Sarpinsky lakes, periodically on the Manych-Gudilo and Manych lakes; to the east - in the south of the Tyumen region in the Tobol-Ishim interfluve, in the Kulunda steppe and in the upper reaches of the Yenisei.

The cutthroat inhabits water bodies with dense thickets of reeds, including brackish ones with bogs. Sometimes it prefers to nest in colonies of gulls and grebes. Winters in Iran, Turkey, North Africa, Pakistan and India. Common on migration in Manych valley.

Field signs. The duck is a medium-sized duck (500 - 800 g), of dense build with a short and thick neck, and a large head. A drake in nuptial attire has a white head with a dark cap. There is a black collar around the neck. The back and sides are rusty gray with dark specks. Abdomen light yellowish. The lower neck and chest are rusty brown. The tail of the duck is dark and is formed by nine pairs of long and stiff tail feathers standing upright. The wings are small, and the duck can only take off from the water, and then with great difficulty. The beak is wide, swollen at the base, gray-blue. Paws are gray-red with dark webs. The female has a light brown head, and the upper part of the neck has a whitish tint. The paws are dark gray in color, and the beak is darker than that of the male.

Biology. The nesting period for the white-headed duck is extended from May to July. There are up to 9 eggs in the cage, and they are never covered with fluff. There are usually up to five ducklings in a brood. It feeds on larvae of aquatic insects, charophytes, vegetative parts and seeds of pondweeds. Relic look. A small part of the population participates in reproduction, while most of the mature individuals do not nest.

Security. Savka is included in the Red Book of Russia. An extremely vulnerable species, a sharp decrease in the number of which is associated with a reduction in habitat area as a result of regulation of river flow and disruption of the natural cycle of watering arid territories. It is protected in reserves and sanctuaries of Ciscaucasia and Western Siberia.

Yuri Blokhin, Andrei Linkov, Sergei Fokin. Russian hunting newspaper. Special issue. diving ducks

Systematic position
Class: Birds - Aves.
Squad: Anseriformes - Anseriformes.
Family: Anatidae family - Anatidae.
View: White-headed duck - Oxyura leucocephala (Scopoli, 1769)

Status.

1A "In critical condition" - 1A, KS. in the category "I. Endangered Species” with the status of an endangered relict species. In the Red Book of the USSR corresponds to the category “IV. Little-studied species ”with the status of a rare, little-studied species.

Global population endangered category on the IUCN Red List

"Located in dangerous state» - Endangered, EN A2bcde ver. 3.1 (2001).

Category according to IUCN Red List criteria

The regional population is classified as Critically Endangered, CR D. R. A. Mnatsekanov.

Belonging to the objects of action of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation

Listed in Appendix II of CITES.

Brief morphological description

Duck duck of medium size with a general brown tone of color. The long wedge-shaped tail is carried vertically upwards. ♂ has a white head, a blue beak. ♀ has a brown head with a white stripe above the eye.

Spreading

The global range includes North Africa, southern part Eurasia. In the Russian Federation inhabits North Caucasus, Western Siberia. In KK, the white-headed duck occurs during nesting, migration and wintering.

The regional range is represented by isolated nesting foci in some districts of the Eastern Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and near the river. Kuban within the boundaries of Krasnodar.

On migration and wintering, the white-headed duck occasionally occurs in nesting areas. In addition, during the period of migration, it sometimes appears on Black Sea coast.

Features of biology and ecology

Nests are arranged in the coastal part of water bodies among thickets of reeds or cattails. May occupy artificial nesting sites for ducks. Clutch up to 9 eggs.

On the spring migration in the Eastern Sea of ​​Azov, the Whitehead was occasionally recorded in the middle and end of April. IN autumn time birds recorded in mid-October.

On the Black Sea coast (Imeretinskaya lowland) observed in early May. The basis of the nutrition of the species is algae, vegetative parts and seeds of vascular plants hydrophytes.

Numbers and trends

The world abundance of the species is estimated at 15–18 thousand individuals. The estimated number in Russia is 170–230 pairs. In QC, an endangered species.

In the past, irregular nesting of the white-headed duck was noted in some districts of the Eastern Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, as well as within the boundaries of Krasnodar. Up to 8 sightings of this species per month were recorded in some tracts of the floodplain zone.

Currently, there is information only about single meetings of birds during the nesting period. Apparently, the total abundance of the species in KK does not exceed 2–5 pairs. On migration and wintering, the white-headed duck is also very rare, as single individuals.

Limiting factors

Shooting birds during the hunting season. Low number of the reproductive part of the population.

Necessary and additional security measures

Establishment of protected areas in the IBA in the floodplain zone, where the presence of this species is noted. Explanatory work among the population about the inadmissibility of shooting these ducks.

Information sources. 1. Dinkevich et al., 2004; 2. Kazakov, 2004; 3 Linkov, 2001c; 4. Red Book of the USSR, 1984; 5. Ochapovsky, 1967a; 6. Ochapovsky, 1971b; 7. Plotnikov et al., 1994; 8. Tilba et al., 1990; 9. IUCN, 2004; 10. Unpublished information of the compiler. Compiled. P. A. Tilba.

Image (photo): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1678045

Peculiar duck medium size(43–48 cm, weight from 0.4 to 0.9 kg). The female is monotonous-brown, while the male stands out white head, for which the duck received a second name - white-headed duck. It is believed that the duck is a relict species.

The white-headed duck is distributed in isolated areas in the area of ​​arid steppes and deserts. It breeds on steppe lakes from the Caspian and Lower Volga regions in the west to the Tuva and Ubsunur depressions in the east, as well as in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. In addition, it lives in the north of India, in Pakistan, Western Asia, on the northern coast of Africa. Winters in Krasnovodsk Bay, Gasan-Kuli region, as well as in India, Pakistan, Western Asia, on the northern coast of Africa.

Savka can be immediately recognized by the manner of swimming with an almost vertically set tail. At the same time, she sits quite high on the water, but in case of danger she immerses her body in water so that only the very top of her back remains on the surface; she also swims with strong excitement of the water. The duck swims beautifully and dives remarkably, yielding in this, perhaps, only to the cormorant and loons. It can swim under water, changing direction, up to 30-40 m. It plunges without a splash, as if sinking, emerging from the water, it is able to dive again in a second and swim the same distance under water. It flies reluctantly and rarely, never comes ashore. Her whole life is spent on the water.

The cutthroat feeds on leaves and seeds of various aquatic plants, as well as aquatic insects, mollusks and crustaceans. This duck nests on steppe lakes with thickets of reeds and open reaches with rich aquatic vegetation. Nests are made floating, among reeds, at a shallow depth. Most often, there are 6 eggs in the clutch, striking in their size: they are much larger than mallard eggs and approximately equal to shelduck eggs. The nest, on the other hand, is relatively small. The eggs are off-white. One female incubates the eggs.

The incubating female never manages to be found in the nest, which is apparently connected with the peculiarity of the development of the eggs. It is believed that very large eggs This duck needs constant warming only for the first time, and the embryos developing in them very soon acquire the ability for independent thermoregulation, which ensures their further development. There is a known case when the hatched eggs of the white-headed duck taken from the nest, which were in the rooms without any heating, developed normally and in a week the chicks hatched from them. Downy chicks have stiff tail feathers. The chicks lift their tails like adults do. Hunting for scod is prohibited in our country, the species is listed in

Rare duck - duck - has unusual appearance, which can be seen in the photo presented in our article. Savka is very beautiful bird, watching her is a real pleasure for true lovers of birds.

External signs of a cut

The duck is a beautiful medium-sized duck, its body weight is 500-800 grams. The body of the bird is dense, the neck is short and thick, the head is large.

IN mating season a dark cap appears on the head of the male. The neck is adorned with a black feather necklace. The sides and back are rusty gray with dark specks. chest and Bottom part the necks are covered with rusty-brown feathers, the belly is light yellow. The dark tail is formed by 9 pairs of stiff tail feathers arranged vertically.

The wings are short, so the ducks hardly rise to the wing from the surface of the reservoir. A wide beak of gray-blue color has a growth at the base. The legs are red with black webbing between the toes, the eyes are light yellow.

The female differs from the male in its brown head and whitish neck. A wide light stripe with brown spots stretches from the base of the beak to the back of the head. Feathers on the back are yellowish-brown with transverse black stripes and gray spots. The underside of the body is a dirty whitish-yellow color. The paws of the duck are gray with a bluish tint, and the beak is dark, the eyes are light yellow.

Distribution

Savka lives in the steppes, forest-steppes, semi-deserts of North Africa and Eurasia. On the territory of Russia, the duck is found on the Sarpinsky lakes, in the Central Ciscaucasia, in the south of the Tyumen region, on the Manych-Gudilo and Manych lakes, in the interfluve of the Tobol and Ishim rivers, in the upper reaches of the Yenisei, in the Kulunda steppe. The duck winters in Turkey, North Africa, Iran, India, Pakistan.

Habitat

Savka prefers to settle on brackish and fresh water bodies, the banks of which are covered with dense reed beds. A prerequisite is the presence of open reaches and an abundance of aquatic plants. Sometimes among a colony of grebes or gulls. Wintering in birds takes place on open lakes and shores of sea bays. On migration, the white-headed duck can be seen even on mountain rivers.

The grasshopper feeds on chara algae, insects living in the water, larvae, seeds and leaves of pondweed, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Behavioral features of moths

When swimming, a duck sticks its tail up. He sits on the water with his body held high. When enemies appear, it dives, leaving only a small area of ​​​​the back on the surface of the water. Likewise, she swims in strong waves. Under water, the white-headed duck behaves confidently, not inferior in scuba diving to loons and cormorants.

The bird can swim without rising to the surface of the water, 30-40 meters. When immersed, it does not form splashes, emerging from the water, the duck is able to dive again and swim under water. Ducks are bad flyers, they go out on land extremely rarely. Water is a reliable habitat and the white-headed duck does not leave it without special need.

Reproduction of nettles

Birds arrive in breeding areas in April. The nesting period begins in May and ends in July. mating games last until mid-June. A floating small nest is located among reed beds at a shallow depth. Savka sometimes uses the old nests of white-eyed pochard, coot, crested duck. The female lays 6 off-white eggs of a very large size, larger than those of the shelduck and mallard. Only the duck incubates, the male does not take part in breeding the chicks.

When leaving the nest, the female does not cover the eggs with fluff, perhaps this is due to the peculiarities of the development of the embryo, which are able to independently regulate the temperature of development. The eggs selected from the nest developed at room temperature; a week later, chicks appeared from them. Ducklings are covered with down, but their tail feathers are stiff. They are able to lift their tail upright, like adult birds. Not all ducks breed. Individuals that have not formed a pair feed on water bodies

Listen to the voice of the savka

Conservation status of whales

Savka is a rare duck. It is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation as a species under threat of extinction. Status - category 1. On the territory of our country there are vast areas where the white-headed duck nests. The bird species is protected in sanctuaries and reserves located in Western Siberia and Ciscaucasia. The ongoing conservation measures proved to be ineffective.