April evening... The sun dropped below the horizon, and the forest began to plunge into cool silence. In the crystal freshness of the spring air, filled with the smells of melted snow, last year's leaves and tree bark, a stream clearly murmurs on the road and the sad song of a robin can be heard, which will die with the last reflections of dawn... The forest darkens, and the birch forest is shrouded in a lilac haze. The craving will begin soon woodcock...
The hunter listens carefully to the sounds of the falling forest. Near to the left, he unexpectedly clearly hears a metallic whistle, twittering and the chesty double grunt of a pulling woodcock. Lowering his long beak downwards, the forest cavalier leisurely flew along the edge of the birch forest in search of a friend...
Woodcock nests in mixed forests from Karelia to Primorye and Sakhalin. An isolated population lives in the forests of the North Caucasus. For nesting it chooses old forests with moist soil, abundant in river streams and swamps.
The woodcock is a large sandpiper of a dense and rounded build, with a long beak, curly tail and legs. The upper part of the body is rusty-brown with a motley pattern, the chest and abdomen are yellowish-gray with transverse dark stripes. The eyes are black, large, set high and slightly back, the beak is brown, 60-80 mm long. Males and females are colored the same.
The weight of males is 305-440 g, females - 275-300 g.
An unsociable bird, nocturnal. It hides well, which is facilitated by its protective coloring. Spring and autumn migrations occur only at night. In spring it arrives early, when large thawed patches appear in the forest along the banks of rivers and streams, in clearings. In Ukraine it appears in mid-March, in the Moscow region - at the end of March, in the Pskov region - in mid-April, in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic - at the end of April, in the Urals - in early May. The timing of arrival in the same area can vary between 10-14 days, depending on the course of spring.
Soon after arrival, the males begin regular mating flights - propulsion. Typically, woodcock flies out 10-20 minutes after sunset, and each male has his own route and area. On cloudy evenings with quiet drizzle, the pull begins earlier, woodcocks fly low and slowly. On the contrary, on a cold, clear evening with the wind, woodcocks fly high and fast. Usually the birds' cravings stop when it gets dark. In the morning, before dawn, the woodcock movement is also observed, but it ends quickly and a small number of males participate in it.
In central Russia, the most active draft of woodcocks is observed from April 20 to mid-May, which is explained by the participation in the draft of migratory woodcocks traveling further to the northeast.
With interruptions, the woodcock movement continues until the end of June and even until the first ten days of July. It is possible that some females have two clutches per year. Occasionally, females also participate in the evening flight, but they do not fly for long, usually silently, only “crying,” but never “grunting.”
Woodcock is considered polygamous. However, this question is not clear, since the reproduction biology of this species has been studied extremely poorly. Birds mate on the ground, which is preceded by special mating behavior of the female and the male.
The female makes a nest on the ground, usually under a bush. The nest tray is lined with dry leaves and moss. Lays 4 large pear-shaped eggs of ocher color with brown spots. Egg laying dates: from mid-April - in Ukraine, from the end of May - in the Urals, near Krasnoyarsk - in mid-June. Only the female incubates for 22-24 days. The role of the male in raising the young has not been established.
A brood of woodcocks leads an extremely secretive lifestyle and stays in damp, impenetrable thickets in the summer.
Woodcocks feed on earthworms, beetle larvae, butterflies, tender shoots of grass and even berries. Woodcock feeding at night on a road puddle leaves characteristic holes in the soft soil.
In autumn, from mid-September, woodcocks begin migrating towards wintering grounds. In some places they form rashes, usually in more open places in comparison with nesting habitats. Woodcock patches can be found in alder forests, young birch forests, in thickets of willow and aspen along river valleys, and in the south in floodplain oak forests, gardens and groves. In the Moscow region, good woodcock rashes can be found with a pointer dog from September 25 to October 10-15. In the Lower Volga region and. In the North Caucasus, the bulk autumn migration of woodcock is observed in October.
Woodcock winters in gardens and forests in southern Western Europe, North Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Indochina.
Sport hunting in the USSR. T.1 (Moscow, 1975)
Like many other birds in the fall, this wood sandpiper migrates to warmer climes. The departure of woodcocks from Russia begins on the 20th of September, the signal is the duration of light time. The peak of migration occurs in the first ten days of October, and by the end of the month very few birds remain on the European part. The last woodcocks leave Russia in mid-November.
Where does woodcock spend the winter?
Woodcocks mainly winter outside our country - in Western and Southern Europe, northern Africa, as well as in Indochina and South-East Asia. A small part of the population remains in Russia, on Black Sea coast Caucasus, as well as in Crimea and Central Asia. In Western Europe, woodcock winters where January temperatures exceed two degrees Celsius. The bulk of woodland sandpipers migrating from Eastern Europe remain in the British Isles, Spain, Italy, Greece, the former Yugoslavia, as well as most of France, which is the leader in hunting for this sandpiper. It is about the wintering of woodcock in France that will be discussed in this material.
How woodcock winters
In France, by the end of November, most woodcocks arrive at their wintering grounds. After arrival, adult birds are forced for some time to get used to the changes that have occurred during their absence; young birds get used to new places. It happens that due to economic activity this area is losing its former attractiveness for waders. Most often this happens in areas of active hunting. Therefore, birds that fly here either get shot at or leave such areas. But the interesting thing is that they have somewhere to fly, because in France the forest area is increasing from year to year. The following figures can be cited: since the 18th century, the forest area in this country has doubled, and after the end of World War II it increased by 35%. Today, French forests occupy about 14 million hectares, that is, ¼ of the country's territory.
In general, the greatest attraction for woodcocks are mosaic landscapes, that is, those in which forests are combined with clearings, clearings, thickets of bushes, meadows and fallow lands. At the same time, woodcock loves forests with a mixed composition of species, and not artificial plantings of fast-growing species. Woodcocks can often be found in damp areas - meadows, swamps, wet edges of ponds, banks of streams and ditches. During the day, waders often remain on the edges of forest clearings, in granite blocks that accumulate solar heat, which is important in winter. Some woodcocks are able to survive for a short time in conditions of clearly insufficient protection, but with plenty of food.
On the trusting attitude of woodcocks towards large fish cattle This is evidenced by the stories of villagers familiar with these birds. In places where there is no hunting pressure, woodcocks, during particularly difficult periods of winter, are able to feed in the early evening and morning hours right among grazing cows.
Secrets of woodcock behavior
Previously, it was believed that woodcock, after feeding at night in meadows and pastures, returned to the forest and sat in its shelters almost motionless. However, after forest waders were marked with radio sensors, it turned out that the behavior of woodcocks was much more complex. What was common to the behavior of the birds was that each of them, upon returning to the forest, always sat down close to the place in which it intended to spend the day.
Woodcocks land either in a thicket or in a clearing, after which they spend some time checking their area. Having found a sheltered place, they immediately begin to feed. This means that for the second half of the night, before returning from the pasture for the day, the bird rested and did not feed. Telemetry studies have also shown that woodcocks prefer twilight hours to fatten on pastures. In the morning, already in the forest, woodcocks feed until sunrise, without moving away from the landing site. At the same time, they control the surrounding area, not forgetting about own safety. They take breaks to rest or care for their plumage at the foot of trees, often at their roots, under bushes of ferns or under tufts of grass, where they are completely motionless. By 11 o'clock the search for food in the forest resumes. By noon, the woodcock stops searching for food and rests.
By holding caught woodcocks in their hands, ornithologists can determine their age by looking at their plumage. Who is in front of them - young birds born this year, or adult birds.
On a short winter day, the birds' afternoon rest is short, and after 15-16 hours the woodcock resumes its activity again. The longest and most active period of their fattening in the forest begins. It continues until dark and predetermines the flight from the forest to the meadows.
In the forest, woodcock searches for food in a small area of about a hundred square meters. Sometimes in such areas (rich in worms) two or even three woodcocks feed at the same time. In these cases, the joint evening feeding lasts longer - it is easier for several birds to monitor the situation, and therefore they may not be afraid of a sudden attack by a predator. Evidence of the birds' daily activity is provided by woodcocks caught during hunting, whose beaks were stained with earth, that is, a few minutes before they were caught, the birds fed.
Thanks to radio sensors, it was possible to learn many of the secrets of woodcocks that were previously hidden from science.
With the onset of evening twilight, the behavior of woodcocks changes once again. Birds become more animated and active, but nevertheless they do not lose their vigilance. According to French researchers and attentive hunters, many woodcocks adhere to similar tactics during wintering.
Thus, three daily peaks of woodcock activity can be distinguished - at dawn, at the end of the morning and at the end of the afternoon, which together is about four hours.
Woodcocks, having taken refuge in the forest for the day, close to each other, leave it at almost the same time during the evening flight. It was possible to detect the flights of dozens of woodcocks at short intervals, which, after landing on pastures, began to immediately search for food.
Woodcock weather forecasters
Great influence on the behavior of woodcock in winter period has air temperature. The onset of cold weather, as a rule, sharply intensifies the behavior of woodcock, up to mass migrations to lands with more favorable conditions. At the same time, woodcocks are able to assess upcoming cold snaps and their duration. Feeling that frosts are coming for a long time, woodcocks can leave these areas and fly either to more warm places, or concentrate along river valleys or on sea coasts. Woodcocks feel how long the cold will last, and if it is short-lived, they remain in the selected places.
It should be noted that woodcocks exhibit relative tolerance to low temperatures. Frost generally has a negative effect only when searching for food. If the frosty period is short, then its effect on invertebrate animals, and especially on earthworms, is not so significant. Thus, in the mountains in late autumn you can often find woodcocks right at the border of the snow that fell at night and has not yet melted. In these places, as a rule, there is a thick layer of leaf litter, which allows earthworms to maintain their livelihoods even under a layer of fallen snow.
Woodcock is a favorite game of European hunters
Woodcocks are one of the most popular hunting objects among European hunters. They rank third in prey after the mallard and ringed dove. With the exception of Slovenia, the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders), woodcocks are hunted in other European countries.
Woodcock production is assessed in many European countries, but only France, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, Austria and Switzerland have statistically reliable data. Based on information from these countries, the annual average woodcock harvest in Europe can be estimated at 3.5 - 4 million birds. The size of the woodcock catch in France is probably about 1 million 200 thousand, in Italy - about a million and in Greece - 550 thousand birds. Together, these three countries produce about 80% of the European total woodcock. It is in these countries that the impact of hunting pressure is greatest.
Information on woodcock hunting is collected by employees of the bird migration department of the French National Directorate of Game and Wildlife with the participation of the National Union of Hunters of Departmental Federations. Every year, data on woodcock production in France is provided by 20 to 25% of hunters in this country, which is about 300,000 people. About ¾ of all woodcock production in France occurs in November and December (74.1%), especially at the end of December (80% of the seasonal production). January production is about 13%, February - slightly less - 5%. These figures show that hunting takes place mainly during the autumn migration and at the beginning of the wintering grounds of woodcocks (in November and December).
It may seem that the French are simply exterminating wood waders, but this is not so. Every year, tens of millions of woodland waders fly to France for the winter, since the climate of this country is simply created for wintering woodcock. French hunting laws are aimed, first of all, at maintaining a consistently high number of both local and visiting game birds. Proof of this is the fact that in recent years many departments of France have adopted special laws, additionally regulating woodcock hunting. For example, a law limiting the number of days of hunting for this species per week, or per season as a whole, for each hunter. During the hunting seasons of recent years, in many departments, in accordance with the requests of hunters' unions, a limited maximum woodcock harvest has been introduced by prefectural decree. Such events are caused by an understanding of the fragility of the existence of such an important species for France. Peter Chernov
Previously on the topic of Woodcock Hunting:
Woodcock is a bird that is a prominent representative of the snipe family. A unique feature of this feathered creature is the fact that it is predominantly nocturnal. Throughout the 20th century, these unique birds were actively hunted, which brought them to the brink of extinction. The spread of guns and the improvement of traps and snares, combined with the draining of swamps and cutting down forest belts, which are the natural habitat for woodcocks, caused their population to decline to a critical level.
Woodcock is a bird that is a prominent representative of the snipe family
Currently, this species is under protection, and hunting is prohibited in areas where flocks fly in the spring. In addition, an active fight against poaching is currently underway. Thanks to environmental measures, the number of woodcocks has recently increased significantly. Outside the CIS countries, where wood waders are included in the Red Books, hunting for them continues, which significantly affects their ability to renew their population.
The wood sandpiper is a fairly large bird. The size of an adult varies from 210 to 460 g. The wingspan is about 60 cm. This part of the bird’s body is of particular interest. The wings of woodcocks are quite short, but wide. For a long time, these birds were hunted because they have 2 flight feathers, which are ideal for painting, since with their help you can get very thin, clear strokes. The body length of woodcocks is from 36 to 38 cm.
Birds will despair with a fairly bright, speckled desalination. The upper part of the body, including the wings and back, is spotted in color. The combination of white, black and red spots makes the bird’s outfit very variegated, but at the same time it perfectly camouflages the woodcock on the forest floor and in the swamps where it prefers to settle. The bottom has a lighter color. Usually the feathers here are pale cream and yellowish-gray in color with small black transverse stripes. This allows the bird to more easily blend into the surrounding landscape.
The main weapon for obtaining food for the woodcock is its beak. It can reach 7-9 cm in length in a bird. The wood sandpiper's eyes are set very high and slightly moved back. They are quite large in size. Some researchers believe that the wood sandpiper's all-round vision is up to 360°. The bird's head is quite large. When examining the plumage on it, you can find 2 dark stripes and 1 light stripe in its upper part. There are no differences in plumage color between the sexes. However, the young usually have a different wing pattern.
Gallery: woodcock bird (25 photos)
Bird mating behavior (video)
Main distribution area of the bird
The common sandpiper lives almost everywhere in the forest and forest-steppe zones of Eurasia. Mixed forests with well-moistened soil, where there is dense dead wood and undergrowth rich in berries, hazel and other low-growing vegetation, are considered optimal for nesting of these birds. Preferred places for woodcock are near swamps or small bodies of water with a sufficient degree of siltation.
The bird tries to avoid open woodlands. Woodcocks are now known to nest in discrete areas stretching from the Pyrenees Mountains to the Pacific coast in the east of the continent. The northern diets of the nesting areas of wood waders are in Finland, Scandinavia, the Solovetsky Islands, and the Urals. A large population of these birds nests along the banks of the Ob and Yenisei, in the Kolyma and Lena basins.
The southern border of the bird's nesting range falls on the Pyrenees, Balkans, Southern slopes of the Alps, and Carpathians. In addition, woodcocks actively nest in the central regions of Ukraine, the Volga region and Siberia. Small populations of woodcock hatch chicks annually for therapy Western Siberia, Primorye, Mongolia and Northern China. In addition, their breeding range extends to the Japanese, British and Azores Islands. It is now known that most woodcocks are philopatric, that is, they return to nest in the areas where they were born. Thus, the woodcock sandpiper that lives in the north and breeds offspring there was most likely born there.
These birds make very long migrations. In winter they are usually spent in India, Afghanistan, Iran, North Africa, western and southern Europe, in some regions of the Caucasus and Crimea.
Wood Sandpiper Lifestyle
Woodcock is characterized by increased secrecy. Thanks to the color of its plumage, during the daytime the bird can sit on withered foliage, completely merging with it. You can walk just a few steps from a wood sandpiper and not notice it. However, it is not only the camouflage coloring that makes the bird inconspicuous, but also its desire to be as quiet as possible. When a predator or potentially dangerous creature approaches, the wood sandpiper freezes. Even if there are no natural enemies nearby, woodcocks usually do not make any calls so as not to give away their location. Although this bird looks miniature, it is very voracious.
Her diet includes:
- earthworms;
- centipedes;
- earwigs;
- beetles of all kinds;
- spiders;
- sawflies, larvae;
- aquatic insects;
- cereal seeds;
- berries;
- young grasses.
Their long beak helps these birds find food in wetlands. The woodcock immerses its food-producing tool in mud or silt along the banks of reservoirs. With the help of its beak, the woodcock sandpiper quickly finds hidden prey. In addition, the bird can turn over damp leaves under which earthworms are hiding. Woodcocks usually fly to their nesting sites in early March, and sometimes in February. Birds migrate alone, but they can gather in small flocks. These birds do not create large colonies for long flights. Woodcocks strive to reach their nesting sites on time.
Dancing woodcock (video)
Bird behavior during the breeding season
The mating season for waders begins at the end of March or beginning of April, when large thawed areas free from snow form in the forests. At this time, males who have arrived at the breeding site display mating. Only during this period do birds become more vocal. Usually the male begins to actively search for a partner at sunset. It can circle over the treetops for a long time, while emitting piercing sounds. While in the air, it flies slowly and, having ruffled its feathers, lowers its beak down to notice the female on the ground. When several males meet in the air during the breeding season, an aerial battle may break out between them. Rivals are trying with all their might to drive each other away from their territory.
During such drags, birds can perform truly breathtaking turns and chase each other. In such disputes, males find out which of them is more suitable for procreation. Woodcocks can circle for long hours above this peculiar lekking site. The female takes a comfortable place on the ground and, when her partner approaches, begins to call him back with a response cry. When a male locates a potential mate, he descends towards her, spreads his feathers and assumes bizarre poses, including raising his tail and wings. During the mating dance, birds make loud sounds.
A formed pair can change its position many times, flying from place to place. Next, mating occurs. Only for this short period do woodcocks form pairs. The male begins to search for a new female. He can mate 3-5 times per season. The female immediately begins preparing nests on the ground. Usually, before laying eggs, the female digs a small hole among the moss, which she covers with soft grass. After the nest is ready, the female lays 4 eggs in it, which are colored rusty-brown. Immediately after this, she begins the brooding process. The female does not leave the clutch for 17-18 days. At this time, she does not leave the nest, so she often becomes a victim of predators. Even when danger approaches, she freezes and tries not to give away her presence.
After hatching, the chicks are covered with warm, yellowish-red down. There is a black stripe from the beak to the tail. This camouflage makes the chicks less noticeable to predators. From the first days of life, the female accustoms her brood to independent search food. She leads them through heavily overgrown areas. When it rains, she hides the chicks under her wings. If there is little food in the territory, the female can make short flights to look for food on the side, which she can take to the young. In the absence of the mother, the chicks hide, sitting motionless between the roots of trees.
The young develop quickly and can travel long distances with the female. When meeting a predator, the female carefully moves it away from the chicks, pretending to be wounded. At approximately three weeks of age, the young begin to fly. The chicks begin to move away from their mother, as they can independently find their own food and hide from predators.
Juveniles and adult wood waders remain in nesting areas until the first frost. Birds try to travel on foot to save energy. During this period, wood waders accumulate a large layer of fat, which will allow them to more easily survive the migration process. The habitats of the woodcock are now protected, but during long flights these birds often become victims of hunters. The shooting of females has a particularly strong impact on the population of wood waders.
Attention, TODAY only!
The woodcock is the only bird that has a “picturesque” feather. It resembles a small elastic wedge no more than two centimeters in length with a sharp end.
This bird has only two such feathers on its body, one on each wing. "Picturesque" woodcock feather has very great value for people who are engaged in painting.
Ancient icon painters of Rus' used it to create the finest strokes and lines. Currently, these feathers are used to decorate cigarette cases, boxes and other products that have quite a high price.
People often call this bird leech sandpiper, sluka, krekhtun, birch or boletus.
Features and habitat
The woodcock is a large bird with a dense build, a long, straight beak and short legs that are partially covered with feathers.
The length of its body reaches 40 cm, spread wings - 70 cm, weight - up to half a kilogram. The beak grows up to 10 cm.
The plumage of the woodcock on top is rusty-brown with black, gray or, less commonly, red patches. Below the shade is paler. The pale yellow color is crossed by black stripes. The color of the legs and beak is gray. Young and old birds are practically indistinguishable.
The young are darker and have a different pattern on the wings. Interestingly, in winter the waders also take on a darker hue.
Woodcock is an unrivaled master of camouflage. You can be at a minimum distance from this bird and mistake it for last year's foliage.
In the photo, a woodcock is camouflaged among the foliage.
Quiet behavior and appropriate coloring make the bird invisible among the thickets of bushes and trees. The black eyes of the bird are located high and slightly shifted to the back of the head. This allows for a wide field of view.
The habitat of the sandpiper is the forest-steppe and steppe zone of the Eurasian continent. In the post-Soviet space, woodcock nests can be found almost everywhere, with the exception of Kamchatka and some areas of Sakhalin.
Most often, this bird flies to warmer climes for the winter. Only the inhabitants of the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, the coastal areas of Western Europe, and the Caucasus prefer permanent places of existence.
Woodcock migration wintering can be observed with the onset of the first frosts, around October and November, depending on the climate zone. Birds spend the winter in Iran, Afghanistan, Ceylon and India. They also choose for wintering North Africa and Indochina.
Most birds return to their birthplaces. Migration can involve one bird, a small group or a whole flock. This usually happens in the early morning or evening. If the weather is favorable, the birds fly non-stop all night. During the day they stop to rest.
Woodcock is a favorite hunting object for many. This procedure is characterized by the greatest excitement and fascination. The shooters open fire on flying birds, focusing on the sounds they make. Often woodcock hunting produced using decoy, imitating the voice of a bird.
Woodcock decoys are made with your own hands or purchased from specialized stores. They can be: wind, electronic or mechanical. Lure woodcock decoy is not difficult. The males begin to fly to the “false” call of the female and fall straight into the hands of the hunter.
The hunting legislation strictly provides for rules protecting wood waders. In some places, hunting for them is completely prohibited or its duration is limited, and in some regions only females are protected.
In any case, the fight against poachers does not allow the number of this bird to decrease. In cooking, the woodcock is considered the purest of all birds. It’s not for nothing that one of its names is “The Royal Bird”. The price of woodcock dishes is very high.
Character and lifestyle
Woodcock is a hermit. Choosing loneliness, they form groups and flocks only during the migratory period.
It is possible to hear a woodcock only during the mating season, otherwise it is almost always silent. It is active at night, and the day is chosen for rest. Eurasian woodcock avoids places with little vegetation and prefers moist mixed and deciduous forests with low vegetation for settlement.
He loves places near bodies of water, where the banks are marshy and food can be easily found. Dry coppice and edge also serve as reliable protection for the nesting site from all kinds of dangers.
Besides humans, waders have a sufficient number of enemies. Daytime predator birds practically do not harm him, since the woodcock is practically inactive during the day, is located in forest thickets on the surface of the earth and has a color that makes it invisible.
And they pose a much greater danger and can catch waders even in flight. Fox, marten, weasel, and ferret also destroy these birds, they are especially dangerous for females that hatch eggs and small chicks.
Bears and wolves rarely get these birds, but rodents and hedgehogs feed on eggs and chicks. In addition, these birds experience great losses during winter flights.
If the distance between the predator and the woodcock becomes small, the bird takes off sharply. The bright coloring under the wings confuses the enemy for a short time.
This is enough for the bird to hide in the tree branches. Mastery in flight allows you to perform complex turns and pirouettes.
Woodcock feeding
With the onset of darkness, it becomes active and begins to look for food, moving from one place to another. It seems that the bird's beak has considerable massiveness, but inside it is empty and therefore light.
The nerve endings located on it make it possible to detect the slightest movement of the prey; in addition, the beak is a kind of tweezers with which you can easily get food. By plunging it into the mud, the bird finds prey, quickly takes it out and swallows it.
The favorite food for woodcock is rain. Various insects and their larvae make up the main diet of the bird.
Freshwater bivalves and small crustaceans can be useful food during migration. But birds consume plant food, such as berries, seeds, young plant roots and grass shoots much less frequently.
Reproduction and lifespan
With the onset of spring, upon the arrival of the woodcock to the nesting sites, a nocturnal mating flight, mating, or, in common parlance, “drawing” begins. The craving begins at sunset and reaches its peak just before dawn. Males slowly circle above possible places future nesting, where females are waiting for them.
Sometimes the males cross paths and then a real fight begins. The battle can take place both on the ground and in the air. They pounce and chase each other, trying to hit their opponent with their beak. However, serious injuries, as a rule, are not inflicted and the plucked loser is forced to retire in disgrace.
The photo shows a woodcock nest
The female arriving at the place of traction responds to the call of the male. He immediately comes down to her, begins to walk in circles, sticks out his chest, lifts his tail up and behaves like a real suitor.
The resulting couple spends several days together, then they part forever. The male begins to search for another female to mate with. During the mating season, the male changes up to four partners.
Fertilized female woodcock begins building a nest. The construction of the house is quite simple. This is a simple hole 15 cm in diameter, located under a bush or branches. The litter is grass, leaves and pine needles.
The clutch contains about five eggs, which are brown or pale ocher in color interspersed with gray spots. The female is very responsible about incubating her offspring, leaving the nest only to search for food or in case of real danger.
After about three weeks, the chicks are born and are covered with yellowish down with spots of gray and brown.
Pictured is a woodcock chick
A longitudinal black stripe stretches from beak to tail. As soon as the babies dry out, they immediately begin to run around the house. Mom takes great care of them and gradually teaches them to get their own food. When meeting an enemy, the female sandpiper pretends to be sick and tries to ward the enemy away from the children.
Despite all precautions, only half of the chicks survive to adulthood. After 21 days, young waders can fly well and gradually become independent. Soon the mother's services are no longer needed, and the brood disintegrates.
The lifespan of a woodcock can reach ten years. Keeping the sandpiper in captivity is quite problematic due to the complexity of its diet. After all, he must consume approximately 200 g of protein, which is quite burdensome, and besides, it is very difficult for the bird to take root. Buy woodcock It's hard enough.
The woodcock is a small forest bird from the snipe family, typical of the temperate and subarctic climate zone of Eurasia. The word "woodcock" is borrowed from German language(Waldschnepfe) and is translated as “forest sandpiper.”
Woodcock really resembles a sandpiper, which is why it used to be called hog sandpiper or red sandpiper, and because of its attachment to deciduous forests, it was called birch sandpiper. But the woodcock in the photo can only be confused with its close relative - the Amami woodcock, an endemic species whose representatives live on two southern Japanese islands.
What does a woodcock look like?
In size, the woodcock is similar to a pigeon, its body length is 33 - 38 cm, with a weight from 210 to 460 g. Wing span adult bird reaches 55 - 65 cm. The woodcock has a dense body, a small head and an elongated straight beak, growing up to 9 cm in length. The eyes are set high and shifted to the back of the head, increasing all-round visibility to 360 degrees.
The protective color allows the birds to blend into the surrounding landscape. The feathers on the upper part of the body are rusty-brown with dark streaks, the belly is lighter - beige or yellow-gray, with horizontal stripes of black. A pronounced brown stripe runs from the beak to the eyes; the top of the head is decorated with one light and two dark stripes.
Unlike its relative, which has white feathers around its eyes, the woodcock's eyes are surrounded by patches of bare skin.
Area
The distribution area of the woodcock passes through the forests and forest-steppes of Eurasia. The western part of the range begins in the Pyrenees region and extends to the eastern border - the Pacific coast. In the south, woodcocks nest from the southern slopes of the Alps and Carpathians to Mongolia, China and the Primorsky Territory. The northern border runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula to the Lena and Kolyma river basins. Outside the mainland, these birds live in the Canaries, British, Azores, Solovetsky Islands, Japan and Madeira.
With the exception of a small population of the Atlantic islands and inhabitants of Western Europe, woodcocks leave nesting grounds with the onset of cold weather and migrate to warm European countries, North Africa, Indochina, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Crimea, the Caucasus and Turkmenistan.
Lifestyle
The woodcock is a solitary, predominantly nocturnal bird, leading a secretive lifestyle in deciduous and mixed forests with moist, humus-rich soil. These birds can be found near bodies of water in thickets of fern, holly, prickly gorse, and in forest raspberry and blueberry fields.
During the day, the birds rest in the copses and on forest edges, and at night they go in search of food, walking carefully and leisurely through the grass. Not rare photos A woodcock with a worm in its beak clearly indicates the preferences of this bird. With its long beak, the woodcock deftly extracts earthworms from the ground, sensitively picking up the slightest vibrations of the soil under its feet.
Insects and their larvae are in second place in the diet, and plant foods (berries, cereal seeds, young plant shoots) are of secondary importance. During migrations, arthropods and mollusks are eaten.
Reproduction
Woodcocks are polygamous and do not tend to form strong pairs, so males and females meet only during the mating season.
After the end of the night frosts, woodcocks begin their “draft” or nightly mating flights, when the males slowly soar above the forest with their beaks down and make grunting sounds that turn into a thin whistle. Their flight resembles that of an owl, and if the trajectories of two males intersect, the meeting ends in a skirmish.
Hearing the female's return whistle, the male immediately rushes down, and after mating he flies off in search of a second, then a third and even a fourth girlfriend and takes no further part in their life.
Females build nests in the most inaccessible places, in dead wood or under bushes. Having found a small hole, about 15 cm in diameter, they line it with moss and grass and lay 4 eggs of red-brown or yellowish-brown color with dark speckles.
Woodcock females are extremely caring mothers and spend the entire 22-24 days of incubation inseparably incubating the clutches in a very secluded place. Therefore, it is extremely rare to take a photo of a woodcock in a nest. If the clutch is nevertheless destroyed by predators, the female is able to lay eggs again. The chicks are born covered with light yellow fluff with large, gray-brown spots. After 10 days, the offspring “dresses” in adult attire, begins to flutter, and at the age of 3 weeks, young woodcocks are able to leave their native nest.
Woodcock with a worm.
