Red fire. Exotic orange duck Ogar is another mystery of nature. Key Performance Indicators

Ogar is a waterfowl from the order Anseriformes and from the duck family. The bird has a brownish-orange color. For this color of plumage, the ogre is also called the red duck.

The head of the ogre is lighter than the body. flight feathers on the wings are black, and the wings themselves are white. The tail is black with a green tint. The legs and beak of the duck are black.

During the mating period, a black rim appears on the neck in the upper part of the male. In the female, in turn, the feathers from the sides of the head become white.

This duck is so large that it can be confused with a goose. The wingspan of the ogre is 120 - 145 cm, the body length is up to 67 cm, and the body weight is from 1 to 1.6 kg.

Ogar habitat

During the nesting period, the shelduck lives in the steppes and deserts from the west of Manchuria to Greece. There are also small populations in Ethiopia and northwest Africa. In Africa, there are 2,500 individuals, most of which live in Morocco and southern Algeria.

In Ethiopia, there are up to 500 individuals. The European breeding range includes the Black Sea coast in Romania and Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, as well as the northern coast of the Aegean Sea.

The European part of the range includes up to 20,000 individuals. In Ukraine, a small population of Ogars remained only on the territory of the Askania-Nova reserve and in the Crimea. As for Russia, here the ogar lives mainly in the south of the country, from the west of the Amur region to the west to the Caucasian and Otradnensky regions of the Krasnodar Territory and the eastern Azov region. The northern border of the range runs along the southern border of forests to the taiga.

AT winter period The Asian part of the breeding range migrates towards the south. Here, ducks winter on Lake Issyk-Kul, the southern Caspian region, in the southeastern and southern parts of Eurasia from the Himalayas to the plains of central and northern India and eastern China. Ogari breeding in Turkey and southeastern Europe tend to be sedentary, moving only to find a more suitable body of water.

Lifestyle and nutrition of the fire

Rarely nests in fresh waters, preferring the most varied in size saline and brackish waters. For rest and feeding, the Ogar does not require large reservoirs, so this bird often settles even at some distance from the water. Ogar gives preference to open water bodies without vegetation or with a small amount of it. Sea coasts are generally avoided.

In the diet of the ogre, both animal and plant foods are present. It searches for food, usually on land, but sometimes on water. In spring, green lawns become the main feeding place, where the bird searches for seeds and young shoots. In summer, after the appearance of young, ducks move to get insects on salt licks. In reservoirs, small fish, crustaceans, mollusks and frogs serve as food. From the end of summer and autumn, they also look for food in the harvested fields of grain crops. Ogari food is obtained mainly in the evening and at night.

Listen to the voice of the fire

Ogar breeding

Sexual maturity occurs in the second year of life, after which the ducks begin to breed. In the first days of the nesting period and even during wintering, stable pairs are formed for several years to come. In these birds, in mating games, it is not the male who chooses the female, but vice versa.

The female with an excited cry describes circles around the male in order to attract his attention. In the course of these flirting, the female sometimes takes a "protective stance", pressing her head to the surface of the soil or water and pulling her neck. The male does not show much activity. As a rule, he simply walks around the female, dragging his wings with his head down, or even stands in one place.

Ogar nests are located in rock crevices, bank washouts, tree hollows, and even in burrows of other animals. As a rule, nests are located from 10 meters and higher above the ground. After a month after arrival, the female starts laying eggs, laying one egg a day.

Sometimes on city ponds or in private farms you can find beautiful ducks of an unusual orange color. Enough large bird attracts attention, and people often wonder about its origin and habitats. Today in the article we will tell in detail about the red duck and its breeding.

Origin and distribution

The red duck, or Ogar, is a representative of the Duck family, the Anseriformes order. Belongs to the genus Tadorninae. The genus name roughly means "bright bird that swims in the water".

Did you know?At the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, Ogari appeared in the reservoirs of Moscow. It is believed that at that time in the Moscow Zoo they stopped clipping their wings, after which several individuals broke free and bred. Today, their population is more than 1 thousand individuals. Capital red ducks winter in zoos.

The breed was bred in Western Europe, but is currently found there infrequently.

It lives in small populations in North and Northeast Africa. In Europe, the bird can be found on the western coast of the Black Sea, in the Canary Islands, in the Crimea, in the south of Russia and Ukraine, it likes to nest in the steppe regions of the Central Asian states.
During the winter, ducks fly to the southeastern part of the European continent, to the south of India, to the southeastern and central parts of Asia.

Standard and description of the breed

Ogary has a bright orange hue of plumage of the body, on the head the feathers are white with a barely noticeable orange tint.

The flight feathers of the tail and wings are a beautiful anthracite-black color, with a greenish tint. The inside of the wing is white.

Male and female are very similar in appearance. Visually, they are easy to distinguish during the mating season: at this time, the base of the drake's neck is surrounded by a black stripe, and its color becomes bright.

• Body length - up to 0.7 m;
• wingspan - 1.0–1.35 m;
• weight wild bird- up to 1.7 kg;
• home weight - 4–6 kg;
• egg production in captivity - up to 120 pieces per year;
• egg weight - 70–80 g;
• life expectancy in captivity is up to 12 years.

Important! Chalk, crushed shells and gravel must be present in the diet of red ducks.

Decorative value of the breed

Ogar belongs to the meat type. At home breeding and good nutrition, the weight of the female reaches 4 kg, the drake can grow up to 6.
The bird is listed in the Red Book, so it is bred mainly as an ornamental breed. Its color is very beautiful, and the fluff is an excellent and light thermal insulator. Ogar is also valued for its high egg production.

Breeding at home

Breeding the ogre does not present significant difficulties. Females start laying at about 6 months of age. The birds have a fairly well-developed parental instinct, the duck most often hatches its own eggs without problems, so an incubator is not required for breeding. Ogari are very kind to little ducklings: both the female and the male take care of them.

The owner of the ogari is loved and drawn to him. Distinctive feature character - aggression towards other species. Especially it can manifest itself as jealousy towards the owner in relation to other pets.

Nutrition and feeding

You need to feed an adult bird twice a day, at about the same time. The diet of ducks should contain food enriched with vitamins and minerals. At the onset of the cold season, the legume and cereal component is increased, and vegetables prepared since the summer are introduced into the menu (they are finely cut or rubbed on a grater). About 1/5 of the diet should be protein food (this can include any small animals - from locusts to small fish).
Ducklings are fed starter food from birth. In order for babies to grow and develop normally, they need meadow and river greens, worms and insects. If you do not want to collect these dressings on your own or ducklings were born in winter, such biofeed can be purchased at pet stores.

Did you know? One Kazakh legend says that once every few centuries, an Asian greyhound puppy hatches from a red duck egg. The one who finds it will always and in everything be lucky and happy.

For both adult birds and ducklings, the water in the drinking bowls should always be fresh: it is advisable to change it daily.

Bird care

When kept at home, it is necessary to give the burner the opportunity for normal walking. He needs a lawn and a pond - in the water and grass in the warm season, he will find food for himself.

Ogari have fairly strong immunity, but they need vaccination to prevent viral hepatitis. In the duck house, you should regularly change the litter, monitor the presence of fresh water.

Even in their natural habitat, shelducks do not like to live in large flocks - they make an exception only during the molting period, straying into larger flocks than usual. In captivity, they prefer to live in pairs.
Access to a reservoir and meadow grass is a prerequisite for the reproduction of offspring. After reaching the age of two, ogari form pairs for several years. For one such pair, an aviary with an area of ​​​​1.5–1.7 square meters is needed. m. In the aviary, it is best to make a plywood house, the cell size for one individual (L / W / H) is 0.4 / 0.4 / 0.4 m.

Ogar one of the recognizable people of the duck family. The voice and habits of this bird are very reminiscent, so it is easy to remember that it belongs to the order of anseriformes. Buddhists consider this unusual bird sacred. According to them, it brings peace and tranquility.

Ogar is also called the red duck because of the brick-red color of its plumage. The neck and head of these birds are somewhat lighter than the body. Sometimes there are individuals with a white head. As seen on photo fire, eyes, legs, beak and rump are black. Along the edge of the beak are thin and large teeth.

The entire underside of the wings is white. Such a duck weighs in the range from 1 to 1.6 kg. The body length is 61-67 cm, so this bird is considered large. The wingspan is 1.21 - 1.45 m. Wide and rounded wings are great for flying.

shelduck bird very loud. Her cry is sharp and unpleasant, reminiscent of a goose. It is worth noting that females have a louder voice. The number of individuals in different territories is not the same.

So in Ethiopia, the population is up to 500 individuals. There are approximately 20,000 of them left in Europe. The nesting territory covers the Black Sea coast, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, India and China.

In Ukraine, only a small population lives on the territory of the Askania-Nova reserve. Therefore, since 1994 fire in the red book Ukraine is listed. In Russia, this bird is found in the south of the country.

The territory of its habitat extends from the Amur region to the Krasnodar Territory and the eastern Azov region. in winter the shelduck lives on Lake Issyak-Kul, and the territory from the Himalayas to the eastern part of China.

The nature and lifestyle of the bird fire

red fire very cautious and uncommunicative, so the creation of large flocks is not inherent in him. Most often, their flock consists of 8 individuals. Only at the end of autumn these groups unite into a flock of 40-60 individuals.

duck fire unpretentious to living conditions. The presence of a small lake or any other body of water is enough for them to decide to create a nest in this particular place. Their nests can be found both on plains and on ledges of rocks up to 4500 m high.

The nesting period of these begins with the arrival of spring. As soon as the red duck has arrived, it is faced with the task of finding a mate. Ogar bird feels great both on land and in water. She runs fast and easily, swims well. Even the wounded can dive.

This type of duck is large and quickly gaining weight. Therefore, the red duck is referred to meat breeds. Its meat is lean and tender when properly fed. During the migration period, the demand for a ticket to hunt these increases. This is due to the fact that the meat of this bird becomes edible, that is, it loses its specific smell.

If the hunter wants to conduct a sortie without the escort of a huntsman, then he buys such a ticket and signs in the briefing log. The huntsman tells the "client" about the duration of the sortie, the territorial boundaries of the hunting ground, the rate of prey per trip. Only after completion of all these procedures is it allowed fire hunting.

Ogar is a monogamous bird that chooses a partner for life

Duck fire is also bred at home. These birds occupies a leading position in comparison with other domesticated relatives in egg production. They begin to rush from 6 months.

In a year, one female can carry about 120 eggs. If you want to get offspring from this, most likely, strong and healthy babies will be born from all 120 eggs, with virtually no loss.

When breeding Ogars, it should be borne in mind that in captivity these birds are aggressive and unsociable. Therefore, it is better to take at least a couple of individuals. During molting and in winter, on lakes and rivers with a small current, one can observe the accumulation of these reds in large groups.

Food

Ogari eat both plant and animal food. The vegetable menu consists of grass, young shoots, cereals and seeds. The red duck hunts for, larvae, and. So the shelduck has adapted to get food both in water and on land.

In autumn, agricultural land becomes the main source of food for these birds. They collect the leftover grain left after the harvest. Ducks go on such sorties mainly at night, during the day they rest.

Reproduction and lifespan of a bird of fire

Ogar duck has been faithful to relationships with a partner for many years. She is classified as monogamous. The mating season begins in early spring, a few weeks after wintering or arrival at nesting sites. At this time, not all reservoirs were freed from the ice that bound them in winter.

Before the mating season according to bird descriptions change their appearance. So the male has a kind of black tie around his neck, and the rest of the plumage becomes dimmer. Females practically do not change their appearance. The only sign of the onset of the mating season is the appearance of white feathers on her head.

The female has the right to choose the second half. She gives signals to future gentlemen about the beginning of the "casting" with her loud cry. Around the male she likes, she performs a mating dance with her beak wide open.

The cavalier, in turn, balances on one leg with an outstretched neck. Sometimes, in response to the dance of the beloved, the fire drags its wings, hanging its head at the same time. The result of such preludes is a joint flight of lovers, and only after that they mate.

In some cases, red ducks nest a couple of kilometers from the water. They build nests in burrows and rock crevices. While the female is hatching offspring, the male guards them and protects her from uninvited guests.

In the photo, a fire with chicks

In one clutch of eggs, as a rule, there are from 7 to 17 pieces. Their color is non-standard - light green. They weigh up to 80 g, depending on the quantity. Sometimes the male is involved in the process of incubation of the eggs. After 28 days, little ducklings will be born.

As soon as the babies hatch, they immediately go on a journey with their mother. Their path lies to the reservoir. There are times when several broods unite and protect the entire young.

The ducklings are growing fast. They run, swim and dive like their parents. Long claws on their paws help them to rise to a height of about 1 m. Both parents participate in the upbringing of offspring.

They take care of the kids until they get on the wing. At the slightest danger, the female with ducklings hide in a shelter, and the male hisses and protects his family. Ducks become sexually mature at 2 years old.

"Juvenile" young animals are kept separately. At the end of July they gather for wing molting. Red ducks live 6-7 years. In captivity, their life expectancy doubles to 12 years.

Ogar, or red duck, belongs to the duck family. Outwardly, the Ogar, due to its large size, is very similar to geese. He has a brown with orange interspersed color, a light head and black and white wings, which, when flapped, are a little less than one and a half meters long. The red duck extremely large, its weight reaches 1.7 kg, and its body length is 68–70 cm.

During the mating season, female sculls turn white feathers near the head, and males have a black rim around the neck.

habitats

The habitats of the ogar duck during the nesting period are the steppe regions from Greece to the Far East. There are small numbers in Ethiopia, Morocco and southern Algeria. The African population is about two and a half individuals.

The largest number recorded in the European part of the Black Sea, more precisely, in Romania, Bulgaria and on the territory of the Ukrainian reserve Askania-nova.

Description

This large duck has high legs and a small beak, and with its long neck and posture it is very reminiscent of a goose. The shelduck has brown-orange neck plumage fading to buffy white. The beak and legs are black, and the tail is green. Thin teeth are noticeable along the edges of the beak. During the flight of a duck, large white spots can be seen under the wings. Despite the fact that in flight they seem to be a little heavy, ogari fly perfectly. The long legs of these ducks allow them to run and swim quickly. In the water, even a wounded duck can hide from danger.

These birds like to live in pairs or families of four individuals. They have no tendency to stray in packs. Ogari do not require a large body of water. It was noticed that during the mating season it was the female who chose her mate, and not the male.

Among other birds on reservoirs, it is distinguished by quarrelsomeness and aggression. Often male ogare arrange real battles in the water.

Character and lifestyle

These birds are gullible and docile nature. They treat people well, easily endure captivity where they become absolutely tame.

Usually they live in groups or pairs, but during the winter molting they can also gather in small flocks. If ogari live in captivity, then it is best to keep them in pairs, otherwise aggression towards their fellow tribesmen due to stress may appear. During the period of nesting, they can attack a person.

Ogars sometimes settle within urban areas. This happens extremely rarely and is usually caused by some kind of event. For example, there are several couples in a Moscow park on the territory of Timiryazeva. According to experts, these are former pets of the Moscow Zoo, who left its territory in 1948. Tellingly, they do not fly away for the winter, but remain in the unfrozen parts of the pond. Residents of the city feed them with pleasure.

Ogar duck breeding

breed ducks begin only in the second year of life. Young ducklings become independent after six weeks. At this age, they usually leave the custody of their parents. Ogaris are monogamous and stay with their mate for a long time. Pairs are formed during the winter, so the ducks return in pairs and start nesting.

It is interesting to choose a pair of red ducks. The female ogre takes on an active role. Choosing a drake, she begins to attack him with screams and dances. The drake patiently waits and watches the action. Having agreed with the choice, he begins to walk after the female, lowering his head.

In the future, the female will continue to care for the male, and she takes on all the responsibilities for building nests. Subsequently, after laying the eggs, the drake will protect the family from encroachers. In a nest carefully lined with down, a duck lays about ten eggs, and in some cases the laying reaches 16–18 pieces. Hatching lasts for one month, after which ducklings appear. As soon as they dry out, they immediately go to the nearest body of water with their mother.

The male and the female share the care of the offspring equally. Long feeding period offspring for two months, after which the chicks, having learned to fly, are removed from their parents.

Life in captivity

As already mentioned, ogari are very trusting and love human attention. If the duck is domesticated in early age, then there will be no problems with it. They are unpretentious and usually get along with other pets. Problems can arise during pairing and breeding. Then the ogari become noisy and irritable. The owner will need to allocate some space to them and provide the pets with the possibility of a water procedure. For this, shallow artificial reservoirs are suitable.

Breeding

These ducks show aggression during the breeding season. and incubation of eggs. At this time, ogari are negatively tuned not only to the inhabitants of the courtyard, but also to humans. Perhaps the female will not allow the owner to approach her for a long period. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon for Ogars to take care of other chicks abandoned by their parents.

As soon as the period of disembarkation and initial care of the ducklings passes, the shelducks again become peaceful and docile.

In order for red ducks to breed normally and feel satisfactory, organize their own space for them. It can be a fenced enclosure, an area of ​​​​100 square meters for one pair. The duck must have access to a pond.

Usually, the owners of tamed shelducks try to keep them separate from the rest of the ducks, otherwise there will be a mixture of breeds. During frost periods, ducks with white heads are kept closed in dry rooms.

Food

During the day, the red duck, as a rule, rests, and at night it looks for food. She eats both plant and animal food. For example, worms, beetles, caterpillars and other similar insects. In some cases, they do not disdain to eat carrion. In the summer months, it grazes with pleasure on the shore, nibbling green grass, and in autumn it pecks out the seeds of winter plants in the fields.

While swimming in water bodies, a duck with a white head filters the water in search of small crustaceans and tadpoles. Loves small fish.

• The daily menu of ducks should consist of cereals, corn, bread and feed.
• In winter, be sure to add root vegetables to the menu: carrots and cabbage.
• Ducklings are fed with initial or, as it is called, starter feed intended for all birds.
• Be sure to give crushed dandelions, duckweed from ponds, spinach and nettles. All greens are chopped.
• It is advisable to get worms and caterpillars for ducklings. They contain much-needed protein for growth.

Water should only be clean. To do this, change it as often as possible several times a day.

Ogar chicks hatch already on the thirtieth day after laying out. Ducklings from the first minutes are very active. They have a strong, downy body. and fluffy head. The beak is black and also very strong. On the very first day, the female takes them to the pond, where the ducklings show simply incredible abilities to swim, run and dive quickly. Extremely hardy babies can climb quite great height and jump off it using fragile wings as a parachute.

The female always watches over the offspring, and the male protects the family from other inhabitants of the yard. The male ogarey has not so much strength as courage. Often he attacks an enemy who is far superior in strength to him.

Ogar hunting

Ogars are hunted in the same way as other wild ducks. Especially tasty meat becomes in the fall, when the bird switches to vegetable food. If the hunter shoots one bird from a pair, the second one can circle over the dead partner for a long time and scream wistfully. As the hunters themselves say, the spectacle - it's not the most pleasant. In such cases, they try to lay down the other.

Red Book

At the moment, the state of the species of fire slaughter does not cause concern, this is the official position of the Ministry natural resources, although in some regions of Russia they are still listed in the Red Book.

Hunting for red ducks with a white head is allowed only in the southern regions of the country. These regions are as follows:

Very often, human activity prevents the shelducks from surviving and breeding. The reason is not so much hunting as farming. For example, ducks love to lay eggs in abandoned groundhog burrows. But as soon as the marmots begin to be exterminated, the ducks are also destroyed.

It is not without reason that artificial burrows are created in nature reserves where ruddy shelducks or red ducks could nest, and they try to create conditions for water bodies not to freeze.

Ogar or red duck is a wild waterfowl that belongs to the duck family, as well as goose, swans and others. waterfowl. It is famous for its unusual bright orange-red plumage.

Many residents of the country also call it a tree duck. This is a fairly large bird on high legs, whose weight is about 1600 grams, and the growth of the largest duck reaches up to 70 cm. This is the most big bird of all duck-like representatives.

It looks like a goose. Another breed is known - the red duck, it is considered a decorative domestic mallard. Such birds like to live in pairs, they do not live in flocks, they gather in a heap for the winter. In order not to freeze.

Ogar, like other ducks, is an unpretentious bird. It can settle anywhere, regardless of whether it is a village or a city. She is mostly found in big city Moscow.

Such birds settle:

• not far from the ponds;
• in parks.

Even though the red duck is a waterfowl, it still does not need large bodies of water to live. During mating games, the female has the right to choose her own male. The fire duck is very selfish. He does not like it when some extraneous bird is on the same reservoir or nearby on a flat surface of the earth, he immediately drives away, despite the fact that this is a bird of a kind, species. All ducks are distinguished by their cry.

reproduction

When spring comes, when the ice on the lake has not yet completely melted, mating games begin in the red bird, females take the initiative in search of the drake.

Males, unlike other birds, are no different in terms of dancing, they also dance around females, dragging their wings along the ground with their heads down. They create pairs for many years and try not to change nests for 2-3 years .

The red bird prefers to build a nest:

• in fox holes;
• in a tree trunk;
• in old abandoned buildings;
• in the rock;
• on the steep banks of the reservoir.

If the nest is located near a reservoir, then you need to look for it at a distance of about 2-3 kilometers, not closer. The female always lays a nest only from pure white feathers. After mating, the duck lays one egg every day.

The eggs are more creamy than milky, weighing up to about 80 grams. There should be no more than 18 eggs in the nest. Looking at the dimensions of the duck itself. When the bird lays the last egg, it immediately sits on the nest, and meanwhile the male guards this place very well.

The duck itself is very aggressive at this time, which can rush at anyone. I would not want to fall into the clutches of such a beast. All chicks appear almost simultaneously, but the very first chick appears already on the 29-30th day.

All ducklings are healthy, white in color, and the top of the head is brown and slightly blackish wings. After evaporation of all the ducklings, the bird takes them to the pond, where the chicks feel very good, swim, dive. Both parents lead the same upbringing of children. There is no difference in who, what and why should do.

Red duck food

During the day, the bird rests as much as possible, and when it starts to get dark or even when night has already come, it begins to look for food. Ogar loves to eat everything and a lot.

The diet may include:

• bugs;
• spiders;
• small fish;
• crustaceans;
• worms;
• various herbs, etc.

They like to get food both on water and on land. In autumn, when people begin to harvest crops from the fields, the duck collects spilled grain on the roads.

Hunting

Previously, they had never hunted a red bird, but when a harsh and terrible war came, people did not have enough food and they began to kill the duck. Her meat is clean, odorless, high-calorie and does not differ in any way from the taste of other ducks.

In our time, hunters very often hunt ducks, especially the red duck, and kill both the female and the male at once. If you kill one bird, then the second one will fly over the place where the first duck was killed and scream plaintively. The sight is not pleasant.

Why the breed is valued

It is customary to breed representatives of a valuable breed on private property. Ornamental ducks are bred to decorate the poultry yard. The bird is famous not only for its bright color, down and feather are no less valuable.

Duck down is very warm and light. They are used mainly in the manufacture of pillows. The red bird is under the watchful eye of hunters. The endangered species is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is prohibited. To preserve the population, reserves are created where ducks breed in comfortable conditions.

The price of one red duck in bazaars and various sites, for example, on the most popular Avito site, is approximately 1,000 to 3,000 rubles. It all depends on age. The egg itself costs from 50 to 120 rubles, and a daily chick is approximately from 200 to 300 rubles.