Ogar: what ducks eat and where the breed lives, breeding at home

You can recognize the ogre by its bright beautiful red plumage and light head. These ducks have long chosen city ponds. Birds do not have a shy nature, they know how to stand up for themselves. During mating, 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 Ogar belongs to the duck family, although it resembles geese in its lifestyle (spends a lot of time on land).These birds with a white (beige) head are easy to distinguish from other waterfowl. Ogar is also called otayka, red duck, warnavka, scoter.

Male and female are very similar to each other. True, in the spring, during the mating season, a black “collar” appears on a long neck in a drake, which comes off during molting. The plumage of the female is slightly lighter. In the mating season, light spots appear near the eyes of ducks.

The wings of the shelducks are white, with dark flight feathers and a greenish mirror. The head and neck of ducks are usually lighter than the body - beige or yellow. The tail is black with a greenish tint. The iris of the eyes, legs and beak are also greenish-black.

Studs 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

Ogary, due to their aggressive nature, are often confused with geese, but these birds are ducks. They have a large body, high legs, long neck, short beak. Unlike their relatives, ducks, shelducks move well on land and fly quickly. Birds are excellent swimmers, but they rarely dive.

Ogari 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 force them out of their territory.

Salv habitat

This type of duck lives throughout Eurasia in the steppe and forest-steppe regions near fresh water.Birds prefer open areas. They can settle at a relatively large distance from the water. They do not like ponds overgrown with vegetation and s alty sea coasts.

These birds can be found in city ponds, flat rivers, small lakes and artificial reservoirs.

In summer, ruddy shelducks nest in the temperate zone, moving to the subtropical zone for the winter. Birds can be found in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Romania. Ogari winter in India, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran. Some flocks prefer to winter in Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Ethiopia) and the Canary Islands. In winter, ogars can be found near the Black Sea, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, in the reservoirs of Turkey, Greece.

In recent decades, a large population of red ducks has been noticed in Moscow. Ogari appeared on the capital's ponds in the middle of the last century, when they were released 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 a bird eat?

Ogary are omnivores. Wild birds feed on animals as well as plants. Ducks are able to get their livelihood both on land and in water. In summer, birds feed by swimming in ponds. They feed on various insects, small fish, frogs, various invertebrates, molluscs.

Being on land, red ducks pluck grass, sometimes fly into cereal fields, eat spikelets of wheat and other grain crops. They can, like city crows, feed on food waste and carrion.

Ogari in search of food are activated early in the morning or in the evening. The rest of the day is spent relaxing and swimming in the pond. In winter, the ogres remaining for wintering are allowed to be fed on the pond with special compound feed for poultry, which can be bought at any store without any problems. It is not recommended to give bread to ducks.

Character and lifestyle

Ogaris are migratory birds. They winter in warm countries. From wintering they arrive in March-April. During this period of the year, the reservoirs of Europe are often covered with ice. At the end of May, the females sit on the nests. Males are nearby, protecting the masonry. During this period, red ducks, like geese, behave with hostility towards anyone who approaches their nests. The nature of the fires is restless. Throughout their lives, they fight among themselves for territory, often sort things out with other waterfowl.

In June-July, chicks appear, which adult ducks immediately lead to a nearby pond. All day the birds swim in the pond, at night they come out on land. Up to eight weeks, drakes and females take care of their offspring, teach ducklings to swim, dive, and get food.

After breeding, adult shelducks begin to molt. Ducks lose their feathers and are unable to fly for some time. By the end of summer, the stags are overgrown with new plumage. Late in the autumn (in November) they fly to warm countries. Ducks live, on average, seven years, although they can live longer (10-12 years).

Social structure and reproduction

Ogaris are monogamous birds. Pairs in these ducks are formed at the age of two during wintering or during the period of direct nesting, and persist for several years. It is believed that the duck itself chooses a male. It's just that a drake during mating games behaves more restrained - it stands with an outstretched neck or, conversely, with its head down, walks around a 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, as a rule, mating of ducks occurs.

Ogari nests are usually made on land, lined with fluff, thin branches and dry grass. For nesting, they can use empty foxes, badger burrows, crevices in rocks near water bodies, depressions in bank cliffs, and even abandoned construction sites, attics of residential buildings.

Ogari eggs are laid at the end of May. In clutch there are no more than 6-11 eggs of cream or greenish color. The female sits in the nest for about 27-30 days. The drake is nearby, protecting offspring. When dangerous birds or animals approach the nest, females make a sound that is somewhat similar to the hissing of snakes. The males begin to attack the enemy.

When chicks appear, ducks with ducklings leave the nests. Adult birds that had masonry on top of residential buildings fly off the roofs.Ducklings fall down behind them without harm to their he alth. Ogari lead their offspring to the nearest body of water. In small birds, instead of feathers, down in brown and light spots. If there are several broods of ruddy studs in the pond, the 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 old, ducklings take to the wing and become independent.

Natural enemies

In the wild, various predators (foxes, wolves, raccoons, martens) and birds of prey (kites, hawks) prey on red ducks. Little ducklings that live with their parents on city ponds can become prey for dogs, cats, gulls, and crows. When ducks are in danger, they scream loudly, flap their wings to protect their chicks, and often engage in battle with a stronger opponent.

Population and species status

Ogari are listed in the Red Book of Russia and Ukraine and have the status of rare birds. True, the probability of the disappearance of these ducks is low. However, the ogares are classified as birds, whose numbers are 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 in Africa. There are about 360 pairs of red ducks in Ukraine, and there are another 200 pairs of shelducks in the territory of the Askania Nova Reserve.

Hunting Ogares

Hunting red ducks is prohibited. Ogari are an endangered species of waterfowl. The number of these birds is low. In many reserves, wild ducks are provided with favorable conditions for nesting and breeding. Ogar populations are protected by law. Administrative liability has been introduced for the destruction of wild ducks. If desired, ogre can be grown at home. One individual costs about $100.

Content and care in captivity

Ducks were domesticated several thousand years ago. Birds are bred for dietary meat, tasty eggs, duck down. As for the ogar, these ducks are kept in captivity, as a rule, for decorative purposes, that is, to decorate ponds. Birds attract breeders with their original red brick plumage.

True, home breeding has other benefits as well. These birds, when fed a balanced diet, quickly gain weight. Unlike their wild relatives, shelducks 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. Give up to 120 eggs per year. Ogarey is also bred for the sake of soft fluff, which is used to make duvets and clothes.

The ducks are fed with crushed grain mixtures, mixed fodder, sprouted grains, cereals, finely chopped grass, vegetables. A poultry house is set up to keep the birds. Ogari sleep on the floor covered with straw. In winter, the temperature in the poultry house should not fall 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 ogari have access to an open reservoir. During the period of mating and breeding, it is recommended to keep ducks separately from other poultry. During such a period of time, the shelducks become aggressive and often attack the inhabitants of the poultry yard.