Large coin (lat. Saxicola insignis) a detachment of passerines, a family of flycatchers, a genus of coinage.
Description
The Great Coin is a rather rare bird that lives in our country only in one place in the Altai Mountains: we are talking about the foothills of the Sailyugem Ridge. The rarity of this bird is also associated with the mysteriousness of the descriptions about it, which is reflected in its name, which is translated from Latin as wonderful.
Fortunately, this species is only rare, and it does not threaten to disappear, as was the case with the scaly woodpecker. Chakan lives in places that have not yet been touched by man, and, in addition, this species is also common in Mongolia. This is due to the fact that there are no barriers and borders for birds, so our population is replenished with enviable constancy.
Appearance
in Eurasia, you can meet three more representatives of this genus: black-headed, meadow and black minted. All of them are small, no larger than a sparrow in size. The dimensions of the large coinage are slightly more impressive, and in color it looks like a black-headed coin. The males of this species have a black coloration of the head, back and wings, and the chest has a rusty-red tint. The rest of the plumage is in light white tones. In a large coin, unlike the black-headed one, the feathers on the throat are also white. The body length of birds of this species does not exceed 15 cm, and the weight is about 20 g.
Lifestyle and behavior
This species is classified as vulnerable by the Red Book: a significant threat to it can be called a significant loss of meadow areas, where the mint used to spend the winter. Now this population has up to 10 thousand individuals.
Chekans lead a sedentary lifestyle: usually several pairs (up to five) settle close to each other, and males actively protect the borders of adjacent territories (small, by the way). They can even chase gophers their potential enemies, which easily ruin their nests.
The coinage catches its prey on the ground, hunting and watching it from the upper branches of the bushes.
Where do they live
The big chasin lives in the mountains of Mongolia, and in the territory of the adjacent regions of our country, preferring to nest exclusively in alpine or subalpine meadows. It can be easily found in the mountains of Bhutan, and in China, even in India and Kazakhstan.
In Nepal and northern India, preferring to settle in meadows (both wet and dry) and in reed beds along waterways, the chakan prefers to winter. This bird can be found in the protected areas of several national parks in India, as well as in game reserves.
The coin prefers to live on hilly mountain plateaus at an impressive (up to 2 thousand meters) height above sea level. He chooses semi-desert areas with a weakened grass cover and low shrubs. The minted nests are arranged on the rocks, or using the base of the walls of ravines for this purpose.
What do they eat
These birds are insectivorous, and the basis of their diet is mainly insects: spiders, snails, larvae, grasshoppers and beetles, as well as berries and seeds, if there is no animal food. Chekans collect prey on the ground, sometimes flying to the edges of arable land in search of it. Occasionally capable of preying on insects in flight, like flycatchers.
reproduction
The nesting range of these birds is mainly insular, and all the small nesting settlements of the chekans are separated by large distances.
Usually a pair chooses for nesting an area with rocky outcrops and minor ravine formations, mainly formed by not very active streams. Nests are thick-walled, massive (up to 20 cm), covered with turf.
The males of these birds remarkably sing a whistling phrase with small intervals, and sometimes even on the fly, fluttering in one place.
