Great merganser: description of the duck breed. Greater merganser: description of the duck breed Which order does the long-nosed merganser belong to?

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The Great Merganser is a famous wild duck that is of interest not only to hunters. Among modern poultry farmers there are those who like to keep free-ranging mergansers at home. The task is not very simple only at first glance. Taking into account certain features this type Ducks are no more troublesome than culturally bred breeds.

The great merganser is popular in the vast central and northern regions of Russia, the CIS, and America. You can especially often find such a duck in the cool lands of the Urals, Yamal, the Kola Peninsula, Baikal, on the banks of the Yenisei, Vilyuy, in the Kolyma Range, Chukotka, Alaska, Quebec and Newfoundland.

In windy climates, mergansers prefer to live in warm seasons. In October-November, individuals move in flocks to quiet corners of sunny countries - Japan, Southern Europe and America, coastal China, Korea. Sedentary populations are found along the banks Sea of Azov and in Kamchatka, where the water does not freeze.

Ducks return at the end of February. At home, they choose habitats along lakes, rivers clean water, forest-tundra. Flocks include from 10 to 20 animals. Often mergansers fly to familiar or previously favored places.

Video - Great merganser in nature

Appearance

The large merganser has a large body size. The horizontally elongated body reaches 58–65 cm in length. Features type:

sweeping wings. When opened, their size is approximately 90 cm. In large individuals, the figure reaches 1 m. When folded, they fit tightly to the body, repeating its shape;
steering tail. This part of the body has small size, but fans out in flight to control the process;
Long neck. By duck standards, the merganser's neck is quite elongated. It is strongly built, slightly curved when at rest;
unusual beak. Thin, sharp, red, tip pointing down;
high paws. Thin, stable shins, 3 toes with membranes between them. Colored orange-red;
head with a tuft. Females have a long tuft of hair. It is absent in males. The head itself has an average size proportional to the body;
eyes with iris. The large black pupil in different individuals is framed by a brown, red, gray or black rim. The eyes of drakes are always lighter.

Color

Greater mergansers have well-developed external sexual differences. Duck and drake differ significantly in plumage colors.

Male

Drakes change color according to different seasons of the year. In spring, the shades are as bright as possible to attract “ladies”. During the summer molt, the colors lighten and become as similar as possible to the color of ducks.

The feather on the surface of the back is distinguished by thick blackness. The wings are black and white. The tail and belly are muted gray. On the chest, at the base of the neck and in the area of the goiter there are white spaces with reddish or reddish inclusions. Top part the neck and head are dark with a pronounced green metallic sheen. There may be small gray specks on the lower legs, and sometimes there is a black dot at the tip of the beak.

Female

The ducks of the Great Merganser are more faded in plumage. Light gray shades predominate over the entire surface of the body, including the sides and tail. Only the head and neck stand out in a brownish-rusty color. There are whitened spaces at the bottom of the sternum, throat, belly, and wings.

Productivity

The Great Merganser is gaining weight quickly. Individuals reach their peak fatness towards the end of autumn. The percentage of fat in such ducks is high. The meat does not have a very pleasant smell and taste due to its nutritional characteristics. Carcass weight varies from 900 g to 2.2 kg.

A duck produces 8-13 eggs per laying. At home, wear life can be slightly increased by constant feeding. The eggs are creamy white and large. Hatching and survival rates are up to 100%.

The breed is a supplier of valuable skins and carcasses for stuffed animals. Commercial hunting of such birds is carried out in extremely rare cases.

Character

Great Merganser ducks are restive, but not scandalous. Male fights are observed only during periods mating games or in case of danger. Both sexes are talkative and love to talk. Females sound more crackling, somewhat croaking. Drakes have a muffled voice, an abrupt cry, similar to the syllables “ba-a-bab”. Individuals are agile and excellent divers. They are willing to be tamed.

Features of reproduction

The breed reaches sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. These ducks are characterized by choosing a partner for a long time. IN wildlife females and males make acquaintances before arriving for nesting. They show off in front of each other in advance, stretch their necks, and the drakes make plaintive sounds. Couples or small families consisting of one “husband” and several “wives” are already starting nesting.

Ducks build nests. At the same time, drakes protect their ladies, walking nearby. The location for the hen's future refuge may be as follows:

crack in rock;
tree hollow;
dense bush;
on the ground among dense thickets of grass;
abandoned buildings.

As a rule, the search is carried out within a radius of 1 km from the reservoir. Hens try to choose higher places. They go down when suitable space cannot be found. Large mergansers belong to the type of wild ducks that willingly go to prepared nests. They perceive boxes and crates in their places of residence with trust. The main material for building and covering the nest is down from the female’s sternum. The ducks themselves pull it and compact their home.

The hen sits on her eggs for 32 days. Each produces up to 30 chicks. There are cases of death of “neighbors” when one mother has to take up to 40 eggs under her wing. For merganser ducks, this action does not cause any inconvenience due to their large body and their own weight.

Males do not participate in the process of breeding ducklings. Often they immediately leave their female. At home, there is no need to get food, so drakes often become responsible, caring daddies.

The babies hatch with olive-brown fuzz all over their bodies. At the age of two days they jump out of the nest and begin to run after the duck. Development is proceeding slowly. Large mergansers learn to swim no earlier than the 10th day of life, and they fly on the wing only at 2.5 months. Meanwhile, the chicks run quickly both on land and on water. Due to this ability, they skillfully hide from predators and other dangers.

Nutrition

The Great Merganser feeds mainly on fish. A peculiarity of this duck is its preference for large species of aquatic inhabitants. The breed's menu includes trout, grayling, salmon, barb, eel, herring, pike, roach and other varieties of 25-36 cm in length. Fry, mollusks, larvae, crustaceans, worms, and other small invertebrate organisms are also consumed by mergansers, but in much smaller quantities. On the coasts, bugs and other insects are sometimes caught as delicacies. The basis of food depends on the time of year and the area, since hunting takes place in bodies of water close to the stopping place.

Individuals use several “built-in” devices to obtain food:

beak. In addition to the curved tip, it has sharp teeth along the edges. With their help, birds hold slippery food and push it into the throat;
torso. The streamlined shape allows you to dive deep enough without being pushed out. Ducks have the opportunity to carefully examine surrounding water for hunting;
paws. The membranes and length allow you to move freely under water. At a good speed, smooth movements are maintained, which allows you to avoid scaring away the fish.

More often, mergansers feed collectively. It happens when individuals go out hunting alone, but this is typical when living in a small family. Until the 10th day of life, ducklings feed in shallow water, then begin to dive for fry.

Knowing the basics of how Greater Mergansers live in wild conditions, you can easily arrange for them to live on a private farm. It should be taken into account that the breed is not suitable for permanent residence in hot climatic zones. At large quantities fat ducks will begin to suffer from the heat. Temperate climate suits such ducks perfectly. In cold areas, conditions can also be created by providing seasonal heating. In general, mergansers are unpretentious, do not require too attentive or intrusive care, and do not need exotic items.

Poultry house

Wild ducks are extremely freedom-loving. They move around a lot, so space is necessary. There should not be more than 3 adult individuals per 1 m2 of room. The construction is made at least 16 m2, even to accommodate a dozen or a dozen of these ducks. Crowding causes stress, leading to stunted growth, disease and internecine fighting.

The best material for ducklings is considered to be a wooden beam 7-12 cm thick. The sheathing is made of boards or plywood. Poultry houses made of brick and aerated concrete are more durable, but more expensive and more difficult to construct. Polycarbonate retains heat well, but may be uncomfortable for wild ducks due to their natural instincts. Wood is optimal in all respects.

The best material for a duckling house is a wooden beam 7-12 cm

Prices for timber

The structure of the “house” includes:

foundation or legs at least 20 cm high. Lifting from the ground will avoid dampness and cold from the ground, prevent the penetration of rodents and small predators. The legs have the added benefit of providing additional shade under the barn for the ducks on summer days. When choosing a foundation, a mound of expanded clay is made under the floor, which is not tolerated by pest animals;
floors. The foundation can be earthen with boards on top or concrete. But the warmth and dryness will be better preserved by a wooden covering. Many people prefer it for foundations or for raising on joists;
walls. With any material, you will need to carefully seal all the cracks, carry out appropriate insulation, it is advisable to make a window or install an air duct;
roof. It can be one- or two-slope. The roofing material can be anything, the main thing is that it does not allow water and drafts to pass through. Most often, the choice falls on flexible ceramic tiles or slate. It is convenient to create an attic in a gable roof, which additionally retains heat. The shed is insulated with a layer of polystyrene foam.

The location of the poultry house is chosen on a small hill, where moisture from fog and morning dew does not accumulate. It is optimal to choose the south side of the site.

Poultry house interior design

A minimum of conditions will help provide large mergansers with everything they need:

lighting. For wild breeds, this indicator is especially important, since birds by nature are accustomed to natural clocks. Light should get in as much as possible. Not only windows are made on the sides of the house, but also holes in the upper part of the walls. The windows are small in size so that direct rays do not overheat the ducks. In the autumn-winter season you will need artificial lighting at least 14 hours. A light bulb of 5 watts per 1 m2 is enough. place lamps high under the ceiling;

heating. Large mergansers tolerate moderate frosts without problems. In harsh conditions, they already need artificial heating. For good egg production, weight gain, and immunity, keep the temperature at least 12 o C. For small ducklings, infrared lamps are used, for larger rooms - radiators;

flooring. Ducks don't like to have their feet frozen. Hypothermia can even lead to death. It is very important to make a 10-15 cm layer of flooring from a soft mixture of straw, sawdust, and ash. In summer, river sand is also added. This composition also eliminates excess moisture. It is necessary to replace it at least once every 2 weeks, as it gets dirty;
nests They are made in one or several rows at different heights. It is advisable to install ladders to them, since it is not always convenient for individuals to fly inside. Wooden boxes are best suited as nests. The dimensions of the nests are 25x35x40 cm. Quantity - according to the number of hens.

It is also necessary to remember about regular ventilation through windows. There should be no drafts. In summer the doors are opened wide.

It is advisable to divide the entire space into small areas where families of 1 drake and 3-4 females will settle.

Prices for infrared lamps

Infrared lamp

Walk

Large mergansers need regular walking in the fresh air. Exercise should be daily, regardless of the time of year. Exceptions are made only for days with temperatures below -10 o C, when there is a risk of frostbite. Some farmers prudently make a site with the possibility of winter insulation with removable walls and a roof.

The area is fenced with a net 1.5-2 meters high. The same mesh restrictor is placed on top to prevent flights into the wild. There should be as much space as possible. Before entering the poultry house, a long covered corridor-bridge is made of wood. This creates a space where the ducks can hide from rain and sun. The doors to the house are not closed during walking hours. At this time, ventilation occurs, and the need to take the feeders outside is eliminated.

The covering of the walking pen should be made of grass with a mound of sawdust and sand. The mixture will absorb excess moisture, eliminating slush. This option also allows you to avoid heavy ice in winter. Weak ice is broken and loosened with a rake before the birds are released.

Baths

All ducks need space to bathe. Wild species need more water in their access area. The ideal option is to have a nearby lake, pond or river with clean water. Mergansers easily learn to go for a swim and come back. For additional confidence in the return, their wings are slightly clipped.

If finding a natural reservoir is problematic, it is organized artificially. It could be:

artificial pond on the site;

a ravine or pit filled with water;

large swimming pool;

a bathtub buried in the ground.

In any case, the water will need to be regularly drained and replaced with new water. Dirty filling causes feathers to stick together, serious illnesses and duck poisoning. It’s good to put it in a container at least small fish so that individuals do not lose their hunting instincts. Many farmers turn pools into drains and make mini fountains for a continuous flow of water.

Video - How to arrange a pond for ducks

Inventory

Necessary equipment in the poultry house:

feeders. There are many options for duck feeders. Most often, long narrow troughs made of plastic or wood play this role. They are often made with a dividing edge in the center so that birds can approach from both sides and not interfere with each other. The compartments are made narrow, slightly wider than the beak. This prevents food from being scattered and dirt from accumulating in the feeder. Another option for a “hygienic” container is plastic pipe 10 cm wide. Holes are made in it for collecting food. Feeders are placed, leaving space for access from different sides. They are filled strictly according to the number of heads, so that the excess is not scattered by the ducks;

drinking bowls Must be present both on the walking area and indoors at all times. In the summer, you can place ordinary plastic basins filled to the brim outside. Spilled water will be absorbed into the soil without problems. Indoors, the preferred drinking bowls are closed drip type. Automatic feeding will help the farmer, since ducks drink about 0.6 liters of liquid per day. In winter, drinking is not taken outside; in extreme cases, containers are filled with clean snow;

The diet of the Great Merganser is as close to natural as possible. This is especially true for individuals who were taken into household V mature age. Their diet includes raw and boiled fish of various varieties, algae (kelp, rupee, distichlis), a small amount of dried and fresh larvae, and meadow grass.

This list is expanded for domestically hatched stock. Additions of millet, barley, buckwheat, bran, and meat and bone meal will not cause harm. Mergansers often favorably perceive forage vegetables and shell rock. It is sometimes acceptable to replace fish products with skim milk and low-fat cottage cheese good quality. Chickens are given crumbled egg whites. In winter, you can add fish oil to replenish the lack of vitamins.

It is strictly forbidden to give Rye bread(white only occasionally and dried), sugar-containing products, chemical additives. Additional minerals can be added to the feed with commercial pellets made specifically for wild breeds.

The number of meals in summer is 2 (morning and evening, walking during the day), in winter – 3 (morning, lunch, evening). It is advisable to follow the regime.

Prices for meat and bone meal

Meat and bone meal

Cooking methods

The grain is given in steamed, sprouted and dry form. Vegetables are grated, boiled or fresh. The greenery is chopped. The fish is cut into large pieces for adult mergansers or chopped for ducklings.

During the daytime meal in winter, they give wet porridge from grain, fish, vegetables (carrots, beets, some potatoes). The dressing can be fish or meat broth, whey or water. The mixture is lightly salted.

In the morning and evening, it is preferable to give fresh or steamed seaweed and fish. Place dry grain mixtures with shell rock and chalk in separate feeders.

Feeders are cleaned after feeding and regularly washed to remove droppings and dirt.

Progeny assessment and breeding selection

During the breeding process, the most developed and strong young animals are selected for subsequent breeding. Healthy ducklings should have:

healed umbilical cord;

live reactions to stimuli;

soft belly;

smooth, uniform fluff;

sparkling eyes;

no sagging wings;

weight not less than 50 g;

confident leg stability.

Only such chicks develop into full-fledged ducks, gain weight evenly and produce offspring in the future.

Adult individuals are taken into the herd at approximately the same age and similar body weight. It is necessary to take ducks and drakes from different parental lines into families. One line is not always suitable for reproduction. Mergansers with active behavior, a developed body, and plumage of the correct shades without bald spots are considered good individuals.

Laying hens are used for meat production for no longer than 8-12 months.

Video - Keeping wild ducks at home

How to start and why to breed

Since it is almost impossible to buy Greater Mergansers, they are lured into nest boxes during the seasons. Ducks willingly occupy prepared places, from where you can pick up several eggs. Some farmers manage to tame and lure adult laying hens with food. This option is ideal, because then the female will hatch and produce offspring. You can also catch several juveniles. They adapt to new conditions much easier and faster than mature ducks.

Babies can be hatched from eggs in an incubator or by placing them under other ducks after disinfecting the shells with potassium permanganate. It is better to take eggs from several eggs, so that in the future the farm will have mergansers from different paternal and maternal lines.

At home wild breed kept as an ornamental bird, for feathering and making carcasses. Some livestock can be sold to zoos, botanical gardens or eco-farms. Hunters, biologists and people with interests in ornithology love to keep such a duck. Mergansers are eaten less frequently for meat due to the fishy taste of the meat. This deficiency is eliminated only over generations as a result of a gradual change in feeding to the standard home scheme.

Making a nest box

Dwelling houses for baiting are made from wide wood logs with a rotten core. Sufficient height is 70 cm. The diameter inside at the outlet must be at least 30 cm.

Aspen is most often used. They make chocks and split them. A gutter is formed and the inlet hole is cut out. The parts are tied together with wire or fastened with planks and nails. They nail the bottom and roof. Coat the top with an aqueous solution of ash. The cracks are covered with clay. Wood dust with sawdust and straw is poured inside.

Hollow houses are placed in dense thickets of reeds or hung 3-5 m on trees. If the “houses” are left on the ground, they are slightly tilted forward to prevent water from accumulating inside and to make it easier for the chicks to escape. Installation must be carried out before the arrival of mergansers. Seagulls, lapwings, and waders will become good neighbors. They are good guards against predators for their family and nearby birds.

Eggs or chicks are removed very carefully after removing the lid.

Duck houses are made using the same principle.

Incubation

If eggs are removed from the nests, incubation is carried out to hatch them. Before starting the process, the contents under the shell are scanned with an ovoscope to exclude defective material. In good eggs, the yolk lies in the center, the network of blood vessels is clearly visible, the white has no spots, the air chamber is located near the blunt apex. The eggs are dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate, wiped and placed in the device.

Stage 1. Lasts a week. Organs are formed and the heart begins to beat. Requires a temperature of 38 o C, humidity 70% and 4 turns per day;

Stage 2. Lasts 10 days (from 8 days). The skeleton is formed. Temperature – 37.8 o C, humidity 45-50%, 4-6 turns per day, 2 airings per day for 15-20 minutes to avoid overheating, 1 spraying every 24 hours;

Stage 3. It takes 8-10 days (from 18 days). Temperature - 37.8 o C, humidity, humidity - 60%. 5 turns and up to 3 sprays per day (facilitates shell pecking);

Stage 4. From 28 days until hatching. Temperature - 37.5 o C, humidity - 85%. There is no need to turn over. Spray periodically;

Stage 5. Lasts a day after the ducklings are born. Until the chicks dry out, they are kept in an incubator, then they are transferred to a box and placed at a temperature of 20-24 o C for several days. The chicks are watered and fed with crumbs of boiled yolk.

A healthy viable duckling should weigh about 65g.

In mid-June, while swimming in the Kizhi skerries, we met two unusual ducks, apparently a male and a female: they stayed together. On the boat they tried to slowly approach them... They didn’t let them get close, but they didn’t sail too far either. A telephoto lens came to the rescue, with the help of which we were able to “bring the birds closer”

Order Anseriformes, family Anatidae
They live by sea coasts, northern lakes and rivers

The size of a mallard. The male has a black head and back with a green tint, a white neck and abdomen, a brown crop with black streaks, a fine streaky pattern on the sides, a red beak and paws. The female is gray with a brown head and neck, with a border of brown and gray colors the neck is blurred, the back is gray-brown. There is a long crest at the back of the head. It rises from the water with a running start, but the flight is fast, hissing and whistling. The summer male is similar to the female, differing from her in his blackish-brown back and the presence of a third white area on the top of the wing (as in spring); In addition, the light stripe between the eye and beak, which the female has, is not expressed. The eyes of the male are red, the eyes of the female are brown.

Nests are located very differently - in niches in rocks or among stones, in hollows and half-hollows, in cavities under roots, in gullies, on the ground in bushes, under spruce paws or simply in the grass, if it is thick and high enough to cover the nest well and brooding female. The lining consists of brownish-gray fluff with the inevitable debris. The tendency of females to occupy the same comfortable nest from year to year is known. The clutch consists of 7–12 eggs, sometimes more

This merganser has a circumpolar distribution. It goes further north than the great merganser and nests in the tundra zone. To the south it is distributed through the forest belt - in the Volga region up to 60° northern latitude, to Transbaikalia and Amur. IN Western Europe, except in the north, is found in Central Germany and Switzerland. In the tundra zone, this species is relatively more numerous in the extreme northeast of Siberia. In the north, the long-nosed merganser can be found more often than the great merganser, sea shores, for example on the coast and islands White Sea. In the forest belt he often lives on big rivers, such as Northern Dvina, Pechora, Belaya

Winters off the coast of Western and Southern Europe and in Africa, on the Caspian, Black and Aral Seas, on the coasts Far East and China. In areas where the waters do not freeze for a long time, mergansers still stay near their nesting sites when winter comes.

Catches prey (fish, less often other small animals) under water and holds it with the serrated edges of a long thin beak

Very silent. During mating displays, the male emits a muffled two-syllable “yee-yeeee”, and the female responds by repeating the monosyllabic “crack, crash...”. The female's screams when worried are a hoarse, rough "Hrrr, Hrrr..."

Long-nosed merganser (Mergus serrator)

Class: Birds

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Ducks

Genus: Merganser

Appearance

The average merganser is a large duck, the size of a mallard, with a narrow, long beak. The body length reaches 0.5 m. The wingspan is 67-86 cm.

The weight of males is 1000-1300 g. The head, back and nape are black with a green tint, the neck and abdomen are white, there is a fine streaky pattern on the sides, the chest is red and white. On the back of the head the drake has a double crest of thin feathers. The beak, iris and legs are red. Unlike the greater merganser, the crop is brown with black spots. In the upper jaw, from the anterior edge of the nostrils, there are 18 or more teeth (in the great merganser - 13-15). The female is ash-gray with a brown head and neck, while the border of brown and gray on the neck is blurred, the back is gray-brown. It differs from female mergansers in the absence of a white spot under the beak. The female's crest is shorter than that of the male. The long, thin beak helps in capturing prey and resembles the shape of a saw.

Habitat

Lives in the northern parts North America and Eurasia from the tundra to the forest-steppe, winters along the sea coasts temperate zone and subtropics.

Lifestyle

Long-nosed Merganser – migrant. It does not form large flocks even on migration. The flight is fast, with frequent flapping of the wings, but from the water the bird takes a running start, noisy and heavy. Dives perfectly.

Unlike the great merganser, it makes nests exclusively on the ground, preferring various kinds of natural shelters - heaps of stones, wood and reed driftwood, basal niches of trees; It usually nests openly on islands far from the coast. Gravitates towards colonies of gull birds. IN optimal locations can form colonies of 5–20 nests.

In addition to fish, which constitutes the main diet of this bird, it feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects and worms. Often several long-nosed mergansers hunt at once, immersing part of their head in the water and looking out for prey.

The average life expectancy is more than 10 years.

Reproduction

Mergansers begin laying eggs from the end of May. A normal clutch contains 6–11 beige eggs covered with gray down. Double clutches and laying eggs in the nests of other species are common. Incubation lasts 26–28 days.

The behavior of the broods is similar to that of the merganser broods, but the chicks never climb onto the back of the female. Families prefer to stay near rocky ridges no further than 10–20 m from the shore, in the shallowest places. Reaches sexual maturity at 2–3 years of life. Drakes after graduation mating season They fly off to molt to the largest bodies of water within the nesting area.

Captivity

They are practically not kept in captivity; usually preference is given to the Great Merganser, which is less whimsical and easier to contact with humans. Even in zoos, seeing the Long-nosed Merganser is very rare.

Appearance . Medium sized duck. There is a thin crest on the head. Male: the plumage on the back and head is black, the belly, wing base and neck are white, side part gray with small transverse streaks, brown crop with black spots, paws and beak – red. Female: gray plumage, brown neck, light belly, white spots on the wings and throat. A peculiarity is the blurred border between the brown neck and the light goiter.

Lifestyle . Long-nosed merganser - resident sea islands and coasts, tundra, taiga and mountain lakes and rec.

Common migratory bird.

For nesting it chooses open, sometimes forested sea islands, river banks and lakes. The nest itself is hidden in rock crevices, under stones, in thickets of bushes, in driftwood, reeds, but it can also build it completely openly, close to the water. Lined with dark down. Laying is carried out in mid-May, in northern regions a little bit later. At this time, from 7 to 12 pale olive eggs appear in the nest. The female incubates very tightly, does not get up from the nest even in danger - a person can easily come up and pick her up with his hands.

It never gathers in large flocks, even on migration. It flies quickly, often flaps its wings, but takes off from the water very difficult, taking a long time to run up. Swims and dives very well.

It eats mainly fish. It is not subject to commercial hunting.

Similar species. The difference from the great merganser is a brown crop and gray sides, and in the female there is an unclear boundary between the color of the plumage of the abdomen and neck. It also differs from the scaly merganser in the color of its crop and the characteristic pattern on its side. It is impossible to distinguish the females of these two species in nature.

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