Sterh (lat. GRUS Leucogeranus) is a representative of a detachment of craneshaped ones, the cranial family, its second name is a white crane. It is considered a very rare view of a limited area of residence.
Description
If you look at the Siberia from afar, there are no special differences, but if you look closely, the first thing that catches your eye is the large size of this bird. The weight of the white crane reaches 10 kg, which is twice the weight of other birds of the Crane family. The growth of the feathered is also considerable up to half a meter in height, and the wingspan is up to 2.5 meters.
His distinguishing feature is naked, without plumage, part of the head, all of it, to the back of the head, is covered with red thin skin, the beak is also reddish, it is very long and thin, and its edges have small sawnshaped zaborins.
The body of the crane is covered with white plumage, only at the ends of the wings the black strip. Long paws, half-bent in the knee joints, red-orange. The eyes are large, located on the sides, with a scarlet or golden iris.
The lifespan of the Sterhov is 70 years, however, only a unit live to an advanced age.
Habitat
Sterh lives exclusively in Eurasia: two fragmented populations were recorded in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and in the Arkhangelsk region. It is endemic.
In places of wintering, the White Crane chooses India, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and Kazakhstan.
Birds prefer to settle only near reservoirs, choose swampy areas and shallow water. Their limbs are well adapted for walking on water and bumps. The main condition for the Siberian the absence of a person and his dwellings, never lets people close, and when he sees it, he immediately flies away.
Lifestyle and reproduction
White cranes are mobile and active birds, all their time during the day they devote food to search. Snip is given no more than 2 hours, while always becoming one leg and hide the beak under the right wing.
Like other cranes, sores are monogamous and they choose a couple for life. The period of their marriage games is very noteworthy. Before starting mating, the couple performs a real concert with singing and dancing. Their songs are amazing and sound a duet. Dancing, the male spreads its wings and tries to hug them a female who holds its wings closely pressed to the sides. In the dance, lovers jump high, rearrange their legs, throw up branches and grass up.
They prefer nesting among reservoirs, on bumps or in reeds. The nests are built jointly, on the elevation, 15-20 cm above the water. There are often 2 eggs in laying, but under adverse conditions there may be only one. The female hatches eggs for 29 days, the head of the family all this time is engaged in protecting her and children from predators.
The chicks are born weak and frail, covered with light fluff, only one survives of two the one that is more adapted to life and hardy. It will be covered only at three months of age, and puberty and white plumage, if it survives, will reach three years.
What is the Sting eats
Both plant foods and food of animal origin are consumed for food. From plants prefer berries, algae and seeds. From animals fish, frogs, tadpoles, various water insects. They do not disdain even eating eggs from other people’s clutches, they can also eat other species left unattended. On the winter, their main diet is algae and their roots.
Interesting Facts
- At this time, no more than 3 thousand sores remain in the wild in the wild.
- The white crane is considered a beate bird at the Khants-the people inhabit the north of Siberia.
- During the flight to winter, they overcome more than 6 thousand kilometers.
- In India, Indira Gandhi opened the KEODOLADEO security park, there these birds are called white lilies.
