Kanyuk (bird): description, photo. What does the buzzard feed on?

Who do you think is a buzzard? Consonant with some horse, is not it? All the same for anything you will not guess! Kanyuk is a feathered predator. Frankly speaking, this is not the name of a single bird, but a whole subfamily. In this article, we will consider these birds in detail by the example of the buzzard, or sapper.

Who are the buzzards?

As noted above, ornithologists call buzzards the subfamily (genus) of birds of prey that represent the family of hawks. Scientists still systematize these birds, collecting them, as they say, bit by bit. Therefore, the classification of buzzards is constantly changing. For example, not so long ago, this subfamily included the genera of birds, which previously were generally assigned to a separate subfamily of eagles.

Spread

The bird of prey is buzzard spread throughout Europe, and also in Asia. Its favorite habitats are forested areas, bounded from the north by the Arctic Circle, and from the south by the treeless deserts of Central and Middle Asia and Iran. Apparently, the range of distribution of these predators from the Old World leaves much to be desired.

Kanyuk is a proud bird!

Despite its simple name, buzzard ordinary, or sarych-bird is not at all simple and not even grainy-eating. This proud predator represents the family of hawks. Kanyuka can not be called a purely migratory bird, because pride and iron endurance do not allow these robbers to fear the cold and, as a result, fly south. A migratory is only one subspecies of these creatures - a small sarych. From the middle zone of our country these birds move to the southern regions of Asia and Africa.

Appearance

Kanyuk is a medium sized bird. The length of her body ranges from 50 to 58 centimeters. The wingspan can reach 1.3 meters. Weigh this predator from 450 grams to 1.4 kilograms. Unlike many other animals, buzzard females, as a rule, are larger than males in their size. The coloration of these birds varies. While some individuals have fawn feathers, others have a dark brown color.

By the way, sarych is easily confused with his close relative - a buzzard buzzard or a distant relative - an ordinary honeydew. The last birds generally copy the color of buzzards in order to protect themselves from their enemies - goshawks. Young plants, as a rule, have more variegated colors. Here is such a multi-colored buzzard buzzard! The voice of these feathered robbers has an unpleasant nasal hue, reminiscent of the plaintive mewing of cats.

Colors of the Buzzards

Now let's take a closer look at the coloring of these birds of prey. As already mentioned above, the color of their feathers can be completely different. Ornithologists notice that it is almost impossible to see two identical buzzards in nature! Some sarychi are painted in brown or black colors and have cross strips on their tails. There are also such birds, whose back and chest are dirty-brown color. At the same time, their other parts of the body are painted in gray-brown colors and diluted with dark spots.

In nature, light brown sarychs with purely black spots and transverse tail strips also come across. But this buzzard coloring is not limited. Let us repeat, buzzard - a bird not only predatory, but also multi-colored! For example, some birds have pale yellow legs, a bright yellow wax and a dark tip of their beak. The cornea is colored reddish-brown in color, which becomes grayer with age. Such an unusual buzzard builder.

What does the sarych eat?

Since buzzards are predators, the diet of their food is reduced to animal feed: voles, ground squirrels, rats, rabbits, small birds, etc. Ornithologists have discovered that in some cases ordinary buzzards can feed on carrion (corpses of animals). Also sarychi eat hamsters, frogs and even small bunnies. Often attacking snakes.

To eat one or another mouse, this predator needs to hunt exclusively in open spaces. To do this, the bird can slowly hover in the air for hours or even hunt from an ambush located on some high ground. In principle, any buzzard earns this way in his own way. The bird, the description of which we are considering here, differs in its peculiar behavior.

Behavior and lifestyle

Representatives of the subfamily, or a kind of buzzard can be recognized by their characteristic planting. This is especially evident in the Sarych. Usually he shrinks and twitches under himself one paw. Scientists say that in this situation ordinary buzzards do two things at the same time: they rest and look vigilantly for their prey, carefully looking around the neighborhood.

As already noted above, buzzard - a bird soaring. This predator flies for a long time and is absolutely noiseless. After looking at any mouse or ground squirrel, the sapper falls down with a stone, tightly pressing its wings to the body. In order not to break ground, the bird spreads its wings immediately before the earth, flies in such a position for some distance, after which the extraction is ruthlessly short.

Kanyuk is a bird, the cry of which can hardly be confused with anyone else's. Plaintive and prolonged "meow" - that's the "card" of these feathered robbers! By the way, linguists believe that the verb "kanjuchit" originated precisely from the feline's buzzing manner, to pronounce their nasal sounds: when, for example, a child beguiles his parents for a long time and extensively, it is usually said that he kills.

Reproduction

The mating season begins at the end of April. Like many other living beings, males are fighting for the location of the female. Formed stinking pairs are engaged in the construction of new nests or the strengthening of old ones. Usually their nest is located at a height of 6 to 18 meters above ground level. Near the nests are necessarily deciduous or coniferous trees. Usually the masonry in the sarych consists of 4-5 eggs of pale green color with brown spots.

Nasizhivaniyu engaged only in females. Males at the same time bring food. The incubation period of eggs lasts just over a month. Young animals are born in early summer. The newly hatched chicks are already covered in a gray fluff. Both parents are feeding them for 1.5 months. Already at the end of August, the chicks begin an independent life. It is also curious that if, for one reason or another, the first brood did not take place, the females of ordinary buzzards can easily lay one more clutch in a season without much effort.

Lifespan

Usually representatives of the subfamily of buzzards in the wild survive to 20-25 years. The maximum duration of their life span is about 35 years.

What is useful sarych?

Ordinary buzzard - a useful bird. For one day it eats up to 35 small rodents. If you translate this value into more serious numbers, you will get about 11 000 rodents per year. Without any doubt, the feathered robber thus greatly benefits the environment and agriculture, as it destroys harmful animals. By the way, if there are a lot of mice, sarychs generally cease to pay attention to other animals. He is such a useful helper - this buzzard!

The bird (pictures presented in the article) is very popular among ornithologists and amateurs not only as a rodent fighter, but also as a killer of vipers! Unfortunately, nature has not rewarded these birds with immunity from poison vipers. Therefore, sometimes a snake and a buzzard destroy each other.

Nevertheless, in most cases the feathered robber still emerges victorious from this deadly battle. Ornithologists say that such courage and ingenuity is inherent in all representatives of the genus Buzzards. In captivity, these birds show a subtle cunning.