Average white egret description. Great White Heron. Leg exercise: “Heron on a deserted shore”

WHITE HERON

Bubulcus intermedia

Spreading: Breeds on the periphery of its range on the lake. Khanka and probably in other places in the south. Primorye. During seasonal migrations and in summer it is regularly observed in various regions of Primorye. Registered in the south. parts o. Sakhalin, on the islands of Moneron, Kunashir and Shikotan. Outside Russia, the nesting range covers the east. and south regions of Asia from Japan, the Philippine, Sunda, Moluccas and New Guinea to India and about. Ceylon, to the north to Nepal, r. Yellow River and Fr. Honshu, as well as the north. and east Australia, east and south Africa.

Habitat:Inhabits the banks of reservoirs, rice fields, swamps in the lowlands and plateaus at altitudes up to 1400 m n.a.s.l. During the migration period it is found in meadows near sea ​​coast. Nests are built on dense spreading trees, bamboo, and in reed creases. Breeding season is from May to July. One clutch per season. Contains 3-5, usually 4 eggs, according to other sources 2-3, less often 4 eggs. Both partners participate in incubating the clutch and feeding the chicks. Forages in wet biotopes. Sometimes "grazes" among livestock. Serves as food small fish, insects, especially beetles and Orthoptera. There is no information on mortality and its causes. North populations winter in the lower reaches of the river. Yangtze, on about. Taiwan, Philippine and Sunda Islands.

Number:On the lake Khanka found 2 nests of a white heron in a mixed colony of gray, red and great white herons. To the south and east coast of the lake Khanka were seen alone, in pairs, and in groups of up to 12 individuals during nesting time, but not every year. During the period of migrations and migrations, single birds and small groups of up to 10 birds were observed with equal frequency. In the Sakhalin region. the species is even rarer. The low number in Russia is explained by the proximity of the north. boundaries of the nesting range. In addition, there is a reduction in the area of ​​nesting and feeding biotopes as a result of intensive drainage of swamps on the Khanka Plain and in other regions of Primorye in the 60-70s. There is no noticeable decline in the number of species.

Middle Egret - Egretta intermedia see also 5.2.2. Genus White herons Egretta Medium white heron Egretta intermedia Similar to the great egret, but smaller (wingspan up to a meter), and with a shorter beak (shorter than the middle finger). Ring around the eye... Birds of Russia. Directory

average egret- vidutinis baltasis garnys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Casmerodius intermedius; Egretta intermedia English. intermediate egret vok. Mittelreiher, m rus. white egret, f pranc. aigrette intermédiaire, fryšiai:… … Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

Little egret- Egretta Egretta see also 5.2.2. Genus White herons Egretta Little egret Egretta garzetta. Similar to a great white heron, but almost twice as small (wingspan 60-90 cm). The beak is black, in winter and in young birds the mandible is yellow, the ring... ... Birds of Russia. Directory

Heron- ? Herons gray heron Ardea cinerea Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type ... Wikipedia

EGYPTIAN HERON- (Bubulcus ibis), a species of long-legged birds of the genus Small Chepur of the heron bird family (see HERONS); medium-sized bird: body length 48-53 cm, wingspan 90-96 cm, wing length 22-25 cm. Weight 300-400 g. Plumage color white, mating season upper... encyclopedic Dictionary

Herons- Pain... Wikipedia

Egrets- White herons ... Wikipedia

The heron is a fairly common bird in Russian landscapes. Despite its small numbers, the heron's distribution is so wide that it covers large areas around the world. According to their species diversity, herons include Egyptian, gray, white, sunny, red, night herons, etc. However, the classification is not limited to this - some types of herons are also divided into subspecies.

Description of herons

The appearance of a heron, especially its color, largely depends on the species to which the bird belongs. However, it is possible to note certain external characteristics, characteristic of all herons included in this family. Thus, herons are marsh birds with long and thin legs without membranes. There are small, medium and large herons in size. All herons have special powders with which they powder their plumage, and do not lubricate it, unlike others shorebirds. On the heron’s paw there is a special finger, different in shape (it is slightly longer) - the heron uses it as a “comb”. The wings are blunt at the ends. The neck is arched, S-shaped. The beak is long, large and powerful. Herons have a typical body type: long legs and neck, vertical body.

Description of the white heron

White herons are medium and large. There is always a white tone in the plumage, regardless of the variety (it is very well known big number subspecies of this bird). The color can be either predominantly white (for example, little heron), and simply present (at the blue-footed heron). Sometimes it can appear only at a certain age of birds - as in young Great Blue Heron. Paws are dark gray. Body weight is about 1 kilogram, depending on the population.

Description of the Egyptian heron

Egyptian herons have a shorter beak compared to other members of the genus. The neck and head are colored yellow-ocher, the body is white, the beak is yellow-lemon. During the mating season appearance The Egyptian heron undergoes some changes - it has a yellow crest and untwisted elongated feathers in the back area of ​​the same yellowish hue. They fall out in the fall. The wing reaches a length of 22 cm to 25 cm.

Description of the gray heron

The gray heron has a large neck and legs. The plumage is colored in gray and bluish shades. Along the entire upper part of the neck the heron has dark stripes. The beak is brown, the wings are darker than the body, the paws are grayish-yellow. On the head of a gray heron there is a so-called braid (a kind of headdress). Body weight in some cases reaches 2 kg, the standard weight of gray herons is 1.5 kg. Males are usually larger than females. The wing length of the former is approximately 47.2 cm, of the latter – 45.8 cm.

Description of the red heron

The red heron is almost similar to the gray heron. It is distinguished from it by its much smaller size and dark red (almost chestnut) feather color. Males are also larger than females. The average weight of a bird is up to 1 kilogram. Wing length – up to 37 cm.

Description of heron night heron

The heron is a heron small size. Has yellow long legs. The night heron's eyes are yellow. The beak is powerful and large. There are feathers on the head that form a special “kerchief”. The neck is chestnut color and long. The plumage is dark green.

Types of herons

There are a large variety of herons, which form not only species, but also subspecies. In general, this family of herons includes 63 species that belong to 16 genera. The most famous and common types of herons:

• gray heron (consists of 4 subspecies);
• egret (consists of at least 12 subspecies);
• Egyptian heron;
• red heron;
• night heron, etc.

Habits of a heron

The heron is, first of all, a wading bird, and therefore its habits are appropriate. It forms entire colonies, arranging nests in reed beds, on low-growing trees or shrubs growing near swampy bodies of water. The movements of the heron are slow and stately, accompanied by stretching of the neck forward. A heron can go hunting either alone or in groups. Most active The heron shows itself at dusk and during the day (at this time it gets its food). When late evening comes, he tries to take refuge in a shelter.

The gray heron spends a long time standing on one leg in complete immobility. All species of this bird are quite aggressive towards each other during feeding, so they often take away the caught food from each other. If danger threatens, the heron stretches its neck and freezes, but it is ready to take off at any moment. When hunting, the heron keeps its head down, looking out for its prey. If it comes across a large one, the heron first hits it sharply, then grabs it with its beak and shakes it. Egyptian herons have slightly different habits, since they always stick to herds of large animals (usually wild ungulates), on whose back they spend a very long time.

Heron habitats

The Egyptian heron is found mainly in Southern Hemisphere. Recently spotted at the mouth of the Volga. Widely found in Africa, where it is distributed from the southern regions of the continent to east coast and Senegal. It also inhabits South Asian territories. Found in the Greater Sunda Islands, the Philippines and southern Japan. Egrets have a wider distribution and are found everywhere except Antarctica. There are especially many of them in Africa. On the territory of Russia there are mainly three species - gray, little and great white herons.

The gray heron is distributed mainly in Asia, Europe (in countries with temperate climate), inhabiting areas from Japanese Islands and Sakhalin to the coast Atlantic Ocean(to the north - to Yakutsk and St. Petersburg, to the south - to Ceylon and the northwestern part of Africa). The red heron is found in southern regions Iberian Peninsula - its breeding grounds extend to Pakistan and Iraq through Hungary and the whole Balkan Peninsula. It can also be found in Hindustan, Indochina, China, Ceylon and Primorye. In the east it covers the territory of Taiwan, Ryuko, the Philippine Islands, in the south - the Sunda Islands and Sulawesi. It is not uncommon in Africa either.

Where does the heron live

Any heron lives primarily in swampy areas. However, the specifics in this case depend most on the species to which the heron belongs. For example, Egyptian herons can live among herds of ungulates (hippos, rhinoceroses, etc.), on whose backs they spend most of its time. Gray Heron – typical representative birds that are found along lakes, streams, rivers and swamps. At the same time, the salinity of the water does not matter to them. For herons, the main factor is the presence of shallow water. The white heron settles near bodies of water located both inside the continent and near the sea. Her favorite places for housing - these are mangroves, salt and fresh lakes, shores, floodplains, swampy lowlands. It is also found among agricultural plantings, in fields, and near drainage canals.

What does a heron eat?

The basic diet of any type of heron consists of frogs, fish, crayfish, snakes, tailless amphibians, and rodents. The heron also feeds on all kinds of insects (crickets, grasshoppers) and their larvae, voles, rats, small gophers and lizards. The red heron can peck locusts, and the Egyptian heron can eat ticks and body insects, which it catches in the fur and skins of animals. The white heron often eats the chicks of sparrows and other small birds.

Heron hunting

Heron hunting is prohibited in the Russian Federation- due to the small number of this bird. Its production peaked in the 19th century. At that time, such a privilege was available exclusively to the nobility, but ordinary people were strictly forbidden to hunt herons, since the heron was considered noble. The heron used to be a classic trophy in falconry and gun hunting.

Class - Birds / Subclass - New palates / Superorder - Cioriformes

History of the study

The average egret (lat. Egretta intermedia) is a species of bird in the heron family.

Spreading

Mainly found from eastern Africa along tropical zone southern Asia and to Australia.

Appearance

Medium sized heron.

As a rule, males are slightly larger than females. The plumage is completely white. The beak is long, straight, colored yellow. The paws and toes are long and dark gray. The neck is long, S-shaped.

Reproduction

Typically nests in colonies with other herons, often on platforms made from piles of tree branches and bushes. The female lays 2-5 eggs.

Lifestyle

Herons inhabit the coasts and shallow waters of fresh and brackish water bodies. On Shikotan Island, the birds nested in a swampy creek valley overgrown with reeds and Kuril bamboo with isolated groups of trees. Spring migrations are in April - May, autumn migrations are in September. The nest, found on the island of Shikotan, was located in the fork of a willow trunk, 5 m from the ground. Construction material: willow branches, Kuril bamboo stems and dry grass. There were 2 chicks in the nest on July 12 and 13. The lifestyle has not been studied. The main food is fish and aquatic insects.

Nutrition

It looks for food in flooded fields and feeds by slowly wandering in shallow water. Sometimes it looks for prey from the branches of low trees. It feeds on frogs, crustaceans and insects.

Number

At a low level. One pair of birds nested on Shikotan. On Sakhalin, during the period of migrations and summer migrations, solitary birds were most often observed.

Great Egret and Man

Hunting of herons is prohibited. It is important to preserve wetlands, eliminate disturbance, limit the number of crows in the nesting areas of this species, and protect birds at nesting sites.

Field signs. From other white herons average It is distinguished by the yellow color of its beak, and during the nesting period also by the black color of its legs.

Area. Africa - tropical regions in the northeast, east and south from Kordofan and Egyptian Sudan to the Cape Land; south Asia from India and Ceylon in the west to Malaya, Indo-China, South and Central China, Japan (Hokkaido, Hondo), Philippine and Sunda Islands; Buru Islands, Ceram, Australia. Registered multiple times southern parts Primorye, on the islands of Peter the Great Bay, Kunashir and presumably southern Sakhalin. Breeds on the lake. Hanka.

Nature of stay. In the north of the range in Japan and in places in China it is a migratory bird, in the remaining parts of the range it is a sedentary bird. Apparently a migratory bird in the USSR.