What do fires eat and where the breed lives, breeding ducks at home
You can recognize the fire by its bright, beautiful red plumage and light head. These ducks have long been chosen by city ponds. Birds are not shy, they know how to stand up for themselves. During mating games, breeding and caring for offspring, ducks become aggressive, often fighting with other waterfowl for territory. They spend the whole summer near water bodies, with the onset of cold weather (in early November) they fly to warm countries.
Origin and appearance
A bright duck with orange or brown plumage, called the fire, belongs to the duck family, although its lifestyle resembles geese (spends a lot of time on land). These birds with a white (beige) head are easy to distinguish from other waterfowl. Ogarya is also called otayka, red duck, varnavka, scooper.
Male and female are very similar to each other. True, the drake in the spring during the mating season appears a black "collar" on a long neck, which comes off during molting. The plumage of the female is slightly lighter. In the mating season, light spots appear near the eyes of the ducks.
Ogars' wings are white, with dark flight feathers and a greenish mirror. The head and neck of ducks, as a rule, is lighter than the body - beige or yellow. The tail is black with a greenish tint. The iris, legs, and beak are also greenish-black.
The fires weigh 1.1-1.7 kilograms. Body length - 61-71 centimeters. The wingspan is 1.2-1.4 meters. These ducks have an unpleasant and sharp cry, reminiscent of a goose cackle. Ducks have a louder voice than drakes. Birds make sounds on land, in water and in flight.
Features of the breed
Ogars, due to their aggressive nature, are often confused with geese, but these birds are ducks. They have a large body, high legs, a long neck, and a short beak. Unlike their fellow ducks, the ogari move well on land and fly quickly. Birds swim excellently, and dive very rarely.
Ogaris keep in pairs and form relatively small flocks. Females choose their own drakes. Red ducks often behave aggressively towards other waterfowl living in the reservoir, trying to displace them from their territory.
Ogare's habitat
This species of ducks lives throughout Eurasia in the steppe and forest-steppe regions near fresh water bodies. Birds prefer open areas. They can settle at a relatively large distance from the water. They do not like water bodies overgrown with vegetation and salty sea coasts.
These birds can be found in city ponds, flat rivers, small lakes and artificial reservoirs.
In summer, fires nest in the temperate zone, for the winter they move to the subtropical zone. Birds can be found in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Romania. Burns overwinter in India, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran. Some flocks prefer to go to winter in Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Ethiopia) and the Canary Islands. In winter, fires can be found near the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, on the reservoirs of Turkey, Greece.
In recent decades, a large population of red ducks has been observed in Moscow. On the capital's ponds, ogars appeared in the middle of the last century, when they were released into the wild from a local zoo. Birds spend summer on the reservoirs of the capital. In winter, they go to Moscow zoos, where every year they create ideal conditions for wintering.
What does the bird eat?
Ogars are omnivorous. Wild birds feed on animals as well as plant foods. Ducks know how to get their food both on land and in water. In summer, birds feed by swimming in water bodies. They are fed by various insects, small fish, frogs, various invertebrates, and mollusks.
Ogari in search of food are activated in the early morning or late afternoon. The rest of the day is spent relaxing and swimming in the pond. In winter, the fires remaining for the winter are allowed to be fed on the pond with a special compound feed for poultry, which can be bought without any problems at any store. It is not recommended to give bread to ducks.
Character and lifestyle
Ogaris are migratory birds. They hibernate in warm countries. They arrive from wintering in March-April. During this period of the year, the reservoirs of Europe are often covered with ice. At the end of May, females sit on the nests. Males are nearby, protecting the clutch. During this period, red ducks, like geese, behave hostilely towards anyone who approaches their nests. The nature of the fires is restless. Throughout their lives, they fight among themselves for territory, often sort out relations with other waterfowl.
In June-July, chicks appear, which adult ducks immediately lead to a nearby pond. The birds swim in the reservoir all day, and go out onto land at night. Up to eight weeks, drakes and females take care of offspring, teach ducklings to swim, dive, and get food.
After breeding in adult fires, the molt period begins. Ducks lose their feathers and are unable to fly for a while. By the end of summer, fires are overgrown with new plumage. Late in autumn (in November) they fly to warm countries. Ducks live, on average, seven years, however, they can live longer (10-12 years).
Social structure and reproduction
Ogaris are monogamous birds. Pairs of these ducks are formed at the age of two during the wintering period or during the period of direct nesting, and remain for several years. It is believed that the duck chooses its own male. It's just that the drake behaves more restrained during mating games - it stands with an extended neck or, conversely, with his head down, walks around the duck. The female, opening her beak, screams loudly, attracting the attention of the male, circles around him, spreading her wings.
During this period, you can observe paired flights of birds. After mating rituals, ducks usually mate.
Nests are usually arranged on land, lined with fluff, thin branches and dry grass. For nesting, they can use empty foxes, badger holes, crevices in rocks near water bodies, depressions in coastal cliffs and even abandoned construction sites, attics of residential buildings.
Eggs are laid at the end of May. In a clutch there are no more than 6-11 eggs of a cream or greenish color. The female sits in the nest for about 27-30 days.The drake is nearby, protecting the offspring. When dangerous birds or animals approach the nest, the females make a sound that is somewhat similar to the hissing of snakes. Males begin to attack the enemy.
When chicks appear, ducks with ducklings leave the nests. Adult birds, which had clutches at the top of residential buildings, fly off the roofs. Ducklings fall down behind them without harm to health. Ogari lead their offspring to the nearest body of water. Small birds have brown and light spots instead of feathers. If there are several litter broods on the pond, defeated parents may abandon their chicks. Then the ducklings are nailed to someone else's family. For several weeks the chicks live with adult ducks, feed on insects and duckweed. At eight weeks, the ducklings rise on the wing and become independent.
Natural enemies
In the wild, various predators (foxes, wolves, raccoons, martens) and birds of prey (kites, hawks) hunt red ducks. Little ducklings living with their parents on city ponds can become prey for dogs, cats, seagulls, and crows. When the ducks are in danger, they scream loudly, flap their wings, protecting the chicks, and often engage in battle with a stronger enemy.
Population and status of the species
Ogars are listed in the Red Book of Russia and Ukraine and have the status of rare birds. True, the probability of extinction of these ducks is low. However, ogars are classified as birds, whose population is critically small (about 220 thousand individuals). In the European part of Russia, there are almost 16 thousand pairs of these ducks, and in the southern Asian regions there are 5-7 thousand pairs. There are approximately 2,500 birds living in Africa. There are about 360 pairs of red ducks in Ukraine, and there are another 200 pairs of ogars on the territory of the Askania Nova reserve.
Ogare hunting
Hunting red ducks is prohibited. Ogaris are an endangered species of waterfowl. The number of these birds is low. In many reserves, favorable conditions for nesting and breeding are created for wild ducks. Ogare populations are protected by law. Administrative liability has been introduced for the destruction of wild ducks. Ogars can be grown at home if desired. One individual costs about $ 100.
Maintenance and care in captivity
Ducks were domesticated several thousand years ago. Birds are bred for dietary meat, delicious eggs, and duck down. As for the fires, these ducks are kept in captivity, as a rule, for decorative purposes, that is, to decorate water bodies. Birds attract breeders with their original red brick plumage.
True, home breeding has other benefits as well. These birds gain weight quickly when fed with balanced feed. Unlike their wild relatives, ogars recover well and can weigh 4-6 kilograms. Their meat is juicy, tender, tasty and very nutritious. At the age of six months, females begin to rush. They give up to 120 eggs per year. Ogars are also bred for the sake of soft fluff, which is used to make duvets and clothes.
Ducks are fed with crushed grain mixtures, compound feed, sprouted grain, cereals, finely chopped grass, vegetables. A poultry house is set up to keep birds. Ogars sleep on the floor covered with straw. In winter, the temperature in the poultry house should not drop below + 7 ... + 10 degrees Celsius. In summer, birds can be outdoors all day.
Near the poultry house, they equip a walking area with a feeder and a drinker. It is desirable that the fires have access to an open reservoir. During the mating and breeding season, it is recommended to keep ducks separately from other poultry. During such a period of time, the fires become aggressive and often attack the inhabitants of the poultry yard.
