Sandpiper bird where they live and what they eat. Long-tailed Sandpipers - birds from America

Long-toed sandpiper (Calidris subminuta). Order Charadriiformes, family Snipe. Habitat: Northeast Asia. Wingspan 32 cm Weight 35 g

Sandpipers inhabit the tundra and forest-tundra of Europe and Asia, preferring low-lying banks of rivers overgrown with low polar trees and shrubs. These migratory birds For the winter they fly to the countries of the Mediterranean and South Asia. One of the few waders that is not bothered human factor- the sandpiper willingly settles in the vicinity of cities and towns, perhaps because, due to its tiny size, the bird is not valuable as a hunting prey.

The diet of sandpipers has been poorly studied; ornithologists believe that it includes insects, their larvae and small invertebrate animals. These tiny sandpipers nest on the ground, in depressions in the soil, often on hummocks. The clutch usually contains 3-4 gray-green eggs with small brownish specks. There is information that only males incubate them and take care of the young; females migrate to the south immediately after laying eggs.

White-tailed Sandpiper

The name of the species alludes to the white color clearly visible on the tail. The white-tailed sandpiper is the size of a sparrow. The back is brownish-gray, with dark brown streaks. The chest is light brown with dark longitudinal shading, the belly and undertail are white. The legs are greenish or yellowish-gray. Female sandpipers mate alternately with two males and build two nests. The eggs of the first clutch are incubated by the male, and the second by the female. For the winter, white-tailed sandpipers fly to the south of Europe, Africa and the southern regions of Asia. During migration, some birds fly across the Himalayas at an altitude of about 6000 m above sea level.

The nest is a hole in the soil; There are 4 eggs in the clutch; they can be of different shades and covered with blurry spots. Up to 93% of all white-tailed sandpipers live in Russia; the range to the east extends to Chukotka, Anadyr and Kamchatka. Outside Russia, it is quite common in Scandinavia and northern Scotland.

Sandpiper Sparrow

One of the smallest sandpipers, the size of a sparrow. The cheeks, front part of the chest, throat and edges of the neck are reddish-buff, with streaks. The beak is short, thin and straight. Paws are black. They feed, like most waders, in shallow waters, walking along the muddy banks. Males display, hovering briefly in the air. It is interesting to note that females mate with two males. In this case, two nests are built. In the first, the eggs are incubated by the female, in the second by the male.

There are up to 4 eggs in a clutch. Brown-olive with speckles of various colors from whitish to dark brown and gray-violet. In Russia, the sandpiper nests in the tundra; its range extends to the east to the northeastern part of Chukotka. For wintering grounds it flies to the shores of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Central and South Africa.

The subfamily of sandpipers is the most representative troupe of small shorebirds that live mainly in the tundra zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Sandpipers have a relatively small, thin beak and low legs with four toes. Only one representative- gerbils- there is no hind toe, the legs are three-toed.

In the clutch of all species, as a rule, there are 4 spotted eggs. Distribution of nesting concerns between parents different types subfamilies are very different. They feed mainly on invertebrates.

Sandpiper Sparrow (Calidris minute, table 18) like And a species close to him is the white-tailed sandpiper, - the smallest of the waders (20-30 g). The distribution area is most of the tundra zone of Eurasia. Breeds throughout the Western Siberian tundra, except its extreme south. It is interesting that the distribution of the sandpiper is very dependent on the nature of spring: the later the tundra is cleared of snow, the further south the nesting border goes.

The appearance of the sparrow sandpiper is very modest. It is reddish-gray above, with numerous red streaks, and dirty-white below. On the chest there is a blurred stripe of reddish-brown streaks. Legs are black. Males and females are colored exactly the same. The Sandpiper can be confused with the White-tailed Sandpiper, which is grayer in overall plumage tone and has yellowish-gray legs. In autumn, the color of both species is whitish-gray. At this time of year it is almost impossible to distinguish them from a distance, the only reliable sign is- leg color.

The habitats of sandpiper sparrows are tundras of various types, most often wet, both in river floodplains and on watersheds. They often nest in low bushes of dwarf birch or wild rosemary, but avoid dense and tall bushes. The Sandpiper Sparrow is one of the most numerous species of birds in the northern tundra.

Soon after spring arrival they begin nesting. Showing - flying with a simple trill - is weakly expressed. In the common sandpiper, the distribution of nesting duties is very peculiar (a similar thing is observed in the white-tailed sandpiper). When the nest is built and 4 eggs are laid in it, the male takes care of it. The female either flies off to another male, or remains with the same one and lays 4 more eggs in a new nest, which she incubates herself. Thus, for a pair of sandpipers, there are not one, but two nests. Subsequently, the male and female raise their broods.

The Sandpiper Sparrow is a very cute and surprisingly trusting bird. You can get close to a sandpiper sitting on a nest. When frightened from the nest, it usually does not fly away, but runs nearby, marks time, jumps funny and uses other methods of moving away from the nest, while squeaking softly. If you sit next to the nest and do not make sudden movements, the sandpiper, after running around, sits on the nest and continues incubation as if nothing had happened.

In the post-breeding time, Sparrow Sandpipers, often with other small waders, roam in flocks around sea ​​coasts And large rivers, and at the end of summer in large number appear on the banks of reservoirs in internal areas countries from where they fly further south very early. Some birds in the first year of life do not nest at all and do not even fly to their native north, spending the entire summer in lands far from the tundra, up to Africa and New Zealand.

White-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris temminckii, table 18) very similar to the sandpiper, from which in spring and early summer it can be distinguished by its grayer color and yellowish-gray legs. In the white-tailed sandpiper, the border between the dark plumage of the upper chest and white (bottom of the chest and belly) is sharp, transverse, while in the sandpiper it is blurred, with a gradual transition. In autumn they differ only in the color of their legs; other differences are insignificant. Weight 20-30 g.

In its lifestyle, the white-tailed sandpiper is also similar to the sparrow sandpiper. And their habitats are similar, but the sparrow sandpiper can be called more northern view. In the Tyumen North, the white-tailed sandpiper nests from the southern forest-tundra to the Arctic coast. Unlike the sandpiper-sparrow, it chooses drier areas for nesting - turfed slopes of ravines, river banks overgrown with short grass and sparse bushes, as well as poorly moistened tundra. Their nests were even found in floodplain forests among sparse grass. White-tailed Sandpipers very willingly nest in all tundra settlements. Oddly enough, they are more common here than sandpipers, which are much more trusting.

The white-tailed sandpiper has a very characteristic mating behavior. The male, rapidly fluttering his raised wings, hovers in the air in one place or flies low above the ground, emitting an endless, quiet silvery trill. Often, without stopping chatting, it sits on hummocks, bushes and other towering objects.

Nesting duties between males and females are divided in the same way as among the sparrow sandpiper, that is, each bird incubates one nest alone and leads its own brood. They are more careful at the nest than sparrows. They can let you get close, but more often they leave the nest in advance and immediately fly away, not returning for a long time. Towards the end of incubation they become less cautious and actively move away from the nest.

Dunlin (Calidris alpina, table 19). It would be better to call it “black-bellied,” because it actually does not have black feathers on its crop. A large black spot, which immediately makes it possible to distinguish the dunlin from other waders, is located on the abdomen and lower part of the chest. During the autumn molt, black feathers are replaced by white ones, so that by the time they fly away, many dunlins have a white belly. At this time, dunlin can easily be confused with other sandpipers- redshank and gerbil, but the redshank has a white rump, and the dunlin has a dark one; The gerbil is generally whitish in the fall, and the dunlin is rather gray. The dunlin is slightly smaller in size than the starling (weight 40-60 g), males and females are colored similarly.

The area of ​​distribution is the tundra of Eurasia. In addition, it breeds in the Baltic states and the European North Atlantic. Inhabits the entire tundra zone of Western Siberia, except its extreme south. Most common in the middle tundras.

It lives mainly in wet tundras with lakes, but makes nests both in moss swamps with cotton grass or sedge, and on dry hillocks. Depending on the moisture content of the soil, the nest litter can be more than four centimeters thick, but it can also be almost absent.

The nesting period begins with the males, having occupied territories, beginning to actively display. Having flown off some hummock, the male describes a rapid semicircle, or even several circles, over his territory, emitting a loud and long vibrating trill: “vir-vir-vir-vir-virrirrrrryry.” The trill starts out not very loud, then the sound increases and becomes quieter again towards the end. They often display hovering in the air, almost in place. Later, when there is disturbance at the nest, both males and females emit similar, but shorter and quieter trills. Sometimes females mat like males and participate in protecting the territory from other dunlins.

Male and female form a strong pair, the clutches are incubated alternately. Even the same birds behave very differently on the nest. Most often, when a person approaches, they leave the nest in advance and greet the intruder with their alarming trill, already standing on a hummock somewhere at a distance, or silently fly away. Sometimes, usually at the end of incubation, they let them come close and sit on the nest literally before our eyes. Sometimes they are taken away from the nest, hunched over and running around.

At first, the chicks are led by a male and a female, but after a few days the females leave their broods and begin migrating, gathering in flocks. Males leave already fledged chicks or join wandering flocks with children.

It is known that dunlins begin nesting only in the second year of life. Most first-year fish meet their first spring either at wintering sites in southern Europe, Asia, Africa and even America, or in more northern latitudes, on lakes in the middle zone. Only a very few young ones, wandering in flocks, reach the nesting sites of their more mature fellow tribesmen. Dunlins very often return to their last year's nesting site.

Redshank (Calidris ferruginea, table 19) slightly larger in size than a dunlin, weighing 50- 95 g. In spring and in the first half of summer it is all bright red, which makes it stand out well among other small waders. In autumn, it differs from the dunlin in having a white rump and a longer beak, slightly curved downward. By this time, the red feathers are partially or completely replaced by white ones.

The nesting range is the northern tundra of Siberia east of the Yenisei. Apparently, it does not nest every year on Yamal and Gydan.

IN mating season The redshank's voice is a ringing trill and a kind of “whining” whistle. There is no consensus among ornithologists about how nesting concerns are distributed in a pair. The only immutable fact remains that the “holy truth” is that the female lays the eggs. And then, apparently, it happens differently. There are known facts when both the male and the female were worried at the nest or brood. In other cases, only one bird incubated the clutch and carried the chicks. Both males and females were found in the role of solitary caregiver. This suggests that a pair can have either one or two nests. But this is just a guess for now.

Otherwise, redlins are similar in lifestyle to dunlins. They winter in Africa, Madagascar, Australia and South Asia.

Gerbil (Calidris alba, table 18) similar in size to the dunlin, slightly smaller, shorter-legged and short-billed. Its coloration is more similar to that of a sandpiper, with which it can be confused, despite the difference in size. The gerbil's chest is covered with red feathers with dark spots. This dark area of ​​​​the plumage has a clear border with the white color of the lower chest and abdomen. In the common sandpiper this transition is gradual and the chest is generally lighter in color. In autumn, gerbils are very light-colored, so that from a distance they look almost white, with grayer upperparts. The most significant difference between the gerbil and other sandpipers- three-toed feet. True, it is difficult to see from a distance.

The distribution is circumpolar, it nests mainly on the islands of the High Arctic and only here and there in the northern continental tundras. In Yamal we saw non-breeding gerbils during the migration period, and molting ones in the summer. But these encounters are not so rare; it is possible that gerbils nest in the far north of Yamal and Gydan, at least in some years.

In addition to the described species of sandpipers, which are more or less regularly found and nest on Yamal, Gydan and the Tazovsky Peninsula, three more should be mentioned. Once at Cape Kamenny we discovered large gray blower (Calidris melanotos, table 20) and even found his nest. This was the only recorded case of finding a pomeranian west of Taimyr. New discoveries are possible.

On migration in the northern tundras, two more species of large sandpipers are occasionally encountered, nesting in the high latitudes of the Arctic - the sea (Calvdris maritima, table 20), very dark, both in spring and autumn, with orange-yellow legs, and Icelandic (Calidris canutus, table 20)- red-brown, like the redbreast, but larger, short-legged and short-billed.

Philomachus Pugnax, table 21) is an amazing representative not only of the waders, but also of the entire bird tribe. According to its systematic affiliation, it belongs to the subfamily of sandpipers, but bears little resemblance to them both in appearance and in terms of its lifestyle.

Turukhtans are distributed over a large area of ​​tundra, forest-tundra and taiga zones of our continent, including throughout Western Siberia, except for the northernmost, arctic tundras.

The uniqueness of Turukhtan is that By spring, males grow elongated feathers on their head and neck- collars, which are so differently colored that it is very difficult to find two males similar to each other in the spring. Collars can range from deep black to pure white, ocher, dark red, almost red, any transitional colors, as well as piebald in all sorts of combinations.

- medium sized sandpiper. Males weight 180-250, females 90-130 g. As you can see, males are twice as heavy as females. The difference in size is clearly visible to the eye, V autumn time males and females have the same coloring: reddish-gray with ocher and brown streaks throughout the body, except for the dirty white belly. The longitudinal streaks on the back and upper side of the wings are especially large. The legs of most turukhtans, both males and females, are orange, but in young birds up to two years old they are yellow or greenish-gray. The coloring of females and males in the autumn season is subject to significant variations, although not as pronounced as in the spring males.

In autumn, turukhtans should be distinguished from goldfinches by their shorter beak, dark rump and the presence of red tones in the plumage, from fifi- also by redder color and larger size, from large sandpipers (dunlin and redshank)- in size and long legs.

The coloring of males repeats every spring because it is genetically programmed.

In spring, Turukhtans are perhaps the most noticeable waders. Even on migration, they attract attention with their motley gatherings - currents, when the males puff up their feathers, flap their wings, bow, crouch, jump, and pretend to be fighting something. Moreover, this entire performance takes place completely silently, only the flapping of the wings of the tournament participants can be heard. When the moths fly to their nesting sites, mating intensifies even more. From year to year there are constant currents. Usually these are hillocks that stand out on the flat tundra or inconspicuous meadows, clearings or the outskirts of swamps. By summer, the lek becomes completely trampled, as if it were not waders running there, but large ungulates. In addition to permanent currents, there are also temporary ones, lasting only one spring or even less, not to mention one-time ones, where a migratory flock of turklings lands to rest and feed.

Not all males have equal rights to the lek. There are one or several males that are almost always present at the mating area. They are called currenters or - in a very detective way - “residents”. They are larger, most often have a dark or dark red collar. On the central platform of the lek there are tiny, especially trampled “patch”, each of which belongs to a specific “resident”. Males of lower ranks stay around the periphery of the current. Some of these participants in the current are not constant; they can fly from one current to another, which the “residents” do not allow themselves.

At times the current subsides, the males sleep, standing on one leg, or lie with their legs tucked under them. But as soon as a bird flies past, at least very roughly reminiscent in some way of a roach, the current immediately comes to life, and immediately the jumping, flapping of wings, and cock-to-nose confrontations begin again. By the way, in many northern regions The local population calls turukhtans nothing more than cockerels. There is a reason.

Females, which are not always present at the lek, cause a violent revival with their appearance. They are so small and inconspicuous that they seem to be representatives of some other species. Having wandered around with an indifferent look among the swaggering males, the female flies away, and one or more tournament participants are sure to follow her. There, far from the current, they will sort things out more seriously than on the current, where real fights almost never happen.

Females make nests in the surrounding tundra or on the outskirts of a body of water at a distance of up to one to three kilometers from the lek. Most of all they love sedge swamps, moss covered with cotton grass, and similar places. The nest is always under the cover of grass, abundantly lined with dry plant material - grass or leaves. In a clutch, with rare exceptions, there are 4 eggs, which are incubated only by the female.

Gradually, the activity of the currents decreases, fewer and fewer males fly to them, and even those are just “present” at it. By the beginning - mid-July, the lecterns are empty. The males fly away to moult in coastal swamps and glacial meadows, and some of them immediately migrate to the south.

Females sit on the nests for about three weeks. They behave differently at the nest. Even the same female sometimes lets her close and flies out from under her feet, after which she begins to diligently pretend to be a wounded animal, or sometimes leaves the nest in advance and quietly moves away. Towards the end of incubation, and especially after the chicks hatch, the cowbirds become very restless. Now they fly out towards danger, run nearby, trying to attract attention, or fly around, quacking muffledly. Males also occasionally quack when frightened. You won’t hear any other sounds from the turukhtans.

Broods live in grassy floodplains and near the shores of shallow lakes. Long before the young fledglings, the females fly away from them for good. Grown-up chicks skillfully hide, hiding in the grass at the slightest danger, so that they are rarely seen. At the end of summer, having learned to fly, they join flocks of molted adult turukhat. The wintering grounds of turukhtans are located in Africa and South Asia.

Hello, dear visitors of our site.

Our acquaintance with waders continues. In previous posts we talked about the white-tailed sandpiper (Calidris temminckii), the first representative of the genus Calidris, described on our website.

The next sandpiper in our collection is the Icelandic sandpiper (Calidris canutus). In our country, the Icelandic sandpiper is found only on migration to the Siberian tundra, where it nests and feeds its chicks.

Note that the Icelandic sandpiper winters in West Africa, so this path is not close and along the way he makes stops for feeding, which makes it possible to observe his behavior along the way, and if possible, take a photograph. The Icelandic sandpiper is one of the largest sandpipers. As is our custom, comparing it with the most common birds, let’s say that it will be larger in size than the starling.

In general, the Icelandic Sandpiper appears compact and, for a sandpiper, has a rather short bill. Instead of detailed description we put his photo. The main food of the Icelandic sandpiper is elasmobranchs ( bivalves), which he swallows whole, leaving the stomach to do the work of crushing and digesting. The female lays on the ground the same four eggs, most often observed in waders.

Experts have noted some features characteristic of the Icelandic sandpiper. Both parents incubate the eggs, but just before the chicks hatch, the female leaves the nest. Icelandic sandpiper chicks feed independently from the very first day of birth, and as soon as they gain the ability to fly, the male leaves them and begins to fly south to their wintering grounds. The young fly away on their own as soon as they gain enough fat for flight.

It is noted that Icelandic sandpipers are capable of very long-distance non-stop flights that can reach 3-4 thousand kilometers. So, if you are lucky enough to see an Icelandic Sandpiper, you should know that this is a wonderful sandpiper. We wish you good luck. Let me end these notes here.

All the best to you and see you again on our website.

P. is the name of various small waders (by the way, see Carrier) - Tringa - family Scolopacidae, order Limicolae. All toes are completely free to the very base, the metatarsus is always longer than half the length of the beak; the beak is weakly or not at all widened at the end, there is a rear finger; steering wheels without transverse stripes. The genus contains 16 species distributed throughout northern hemisphere, nesting almost exclusively in the Far North, but often wintering in southern hemisphere. They feed on insects, small crustaceans, worms, soft-bodied animals, and occasionally algae. Lay 4 eggs. There are 12 species in Russia, of which the most important. A) P., on the upper tail coverts of which white color predominates. 1) P. icelandic, or kerkun(Tr. canutus), folded wing 155-175 mm. The upperparts are brown, feathers with red spots and white edges; the underparts are red, but the sides, belly and undertail are white with dark spots. In winter, ash-gray above, white below with dark stripes. Breeds on Melville Island (80° northern latitude) and in Hudson Bay (55°); flying throughout Europe, wintering in Africa to the land of Damara, in Australia and New Zealand (flying through Japan and China) and in Brazil (flying along the Atlantic coast). In Northern Russia in spring it flies from the end of April to the end of May, back from the end of July; V Southern Russia- in October and November. 2) Redshank(Tr. subarcuata), folded wing 120-180 mm. The color resembles P. of Icelandic and in the summer plumage it is red below, like that one. Characteristic almost exclusively of the Old World; nesting sites are not yet open; flying all over Europe and North Asia; winters throughout Africa, Asia to Ceylon and the Malay Archipelago and in Australia. Arrival in Northern Russia in spring from late April to late May, return from late July to September; in southern Russia in autumn from late July to October. C) P. with upper tail coverts, almost devoid of white, but the 7th, 8th and 9th flight feathers of the 2nd category are mostly white on top. 3) Dunlin, or Alpine(Tr. alpina); folded wing 105-125 mm, legs completely black. On top, the head, back and shoulders are gray, each feather with a dark center and a pale edge; wing coverts, rump and tail coverts are grayish-brown with dark centers of feathers; pure white below with dark stripes on the sides of the neck and on the crop. Circumpolar view; breeds in Greenland, the British Isles, Northern Russia from Kola Peninsula to the Baltic region, in Asia to 74° north latitude, in America, probably further south; on the fly - everywhere; hibernates from Mediterranean Sea to Zanzibar, in Asia on the Mekronian coast (rare in the East Indies), in South China, Borneo and Java, in America (flies on both coasts) in the southern states and the West Indies. Arrives in Northern Russia from the end of April, flies in July; in southern Russia appears in early April, partly remains in the summer, flies off in November. C) P. without white on the upper tail coverts and with gray wings 7, 8 and 9, 2nd category. 4) P. vulgare, or Easter cake sparrow(Tr. minuta). Grayish-brown above, each feather with a darker middle, the entire underside is pure white with little impurity gray on the sides of the chest. In summer, blackish-brown above, white below, yellow chest with brown spots. Legs are black. Folded wing 105 mm. Breeds in the tundra from the Kola Peninsula to the Taimyr Peninsula (74° north latitude), but in Eastern Russia much further south; migrating throughout Europe and Western Asia, wintering in Africa all the way to the south, throughout India and Ceylon. IN Central Russia in the north it flies in May, back to the St. Petersburg province from the end of July, in the central ones - from August. 5) P. small(Tr. Temmincki). The color is very close to P. vulgaris, but the legs are light, never shiny black. Breeds in the tundra from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean and along the banks big rivers south to 65° north latitude; flying throughout Europe and Asia; winters in North Africa to 10° north latitude on the eastern side and to Senegambia on the western side, in Asia to Ceylon and the islands of the Malay Archipelago.