Classification and habitats of birds

Birds are the most attractive and noticeable creatures of our country. In the vast expanses of Russia, far from the bustle of people, you can observe a real kingdom of nature, and birds are among its many inhabitants. The voices of birds sound over the eternal ice of the northern seas, in the arctic tundras, in the endless steppes and deserts. They surpass other animal species in diversity. But the world of living nature is fragile and defenseless. Many species of birds, as well as their habitats, need protection. Our common duty is to do everything to preserve the world of birds for future generations of Russians. This will make the world a better place for us.

Russia is home to about 720 species of birds. They are found throughout the country, from the tundra of the Far North to the subtropics of its southern outskirts, inhabiting a wide variety of lands.

Birds are of great economic importance. Many of them bring enormous benefits to agriculture and forestry, exterminating various pests of beneficial plants. A number of species are the object of sport and commercial hunting. The aesthetic significance of many birds is great as they are strikingly beautiful and original elements of nature.

But I would like to pay special attention to birds of prey. For thousands of years, large birds of prey have been especially revered companions of humans; they were often given the status of sacred, they were depicted on the family coat of arms, and chosen as a totem. They have become an integral part of the culture, folklore, art, and life of many peoples of the world. People have always associated birds of prey with that set of positive qualities that people wanted to see in themselves - strength, courage, pride, dexterity. And, of course, not the least role was played by their seemingly limitless power in the kingdom of birds. It is not for nothing that people say about a person chosen from the upper strata of society - “a bird of high flight”, i.e. implicitly comparing it with the position and rank of an eagle in the world of birds. The undisputed leadership in popularity in the intraorder ranking belongs to the golden eagle and its numerous subspecies, which have populated almost all continents (except, of course, Antarctica). Perhaps this is the most progressive eagle on the entire globe, a real predator with universal methods of active hunting. And it is no coincidence that its feathers once adorned the headdresses of the best warriors and leaders of many Indian tribes in North America.

Eagles are an indispensable attribute of the endless steppe landscape. In Kalmykia, steppe eagles and buzzards are one of the most common species of large birds of prey.

General characteristics of the order of birds of prey FALCONIFORMES

The order Falconiformes - in the world fauna there are 274 species, united in 81 genera and 5 families.

Russia is inhabited by representatives of three families of the suborder Falcones. Our country is home to 36 species from the Accipitridae family, 10 species from the Falconidae family and 1 species from the Pandionidae family

In Kalmykia there are 32 tons of 47 species of Falconiformes or birds of prey of the Russian fauna, i.e. most of them, with the exception of the inhabitants of Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

Moreover, 13 species are considered to be nesting birds of Kalmykia. These are the steppe eagle, imperial eagle, buzzard, steppe harrier, white-tailed eagle and steppe kestrel listed in the Red Book of Russia. And also the common kestrel, tuvik, falcon, black kite, sparrowhawk, meadow and marsh harriers, which are not listed in the Red Book.

Non-breeding birds of prey, but found on migration and during summer feeding migrations: osprey, honey buzzard, buzzard, buzzard, golden eagle, greater and lesser spotted eagles, short-eared short-eared eagle, hen harrier, black vulture, griffon vulture, vulture, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon , saker falcon, merlin. Certain species of birds of prey winter in Kalmykia.

Steppe Eagle

Species status. A rare species inhabiting the steppe zone of Russia (Red Book, category 3.). Inhabits virgin steppes and semi-deserts of the Ciscaucasia, Caspian region, Volga region (to the north approximately to Saratov), Southern Cis-Urals, south of Western and Central Siberia, Altai, Transbaikalia. In autumn – September – October it makes regular migrations to Africa and South Asia. In spring, in March, he returns.

It is a common breeding and migratory species in Kalmykia. High nesting densities of this species still remain in the untouched steppes of Kalmykia.

No steppe eagle nests were found on the territory of the Chograisky Nature Reserve. On the territory of the ZUNDA reserve, we met 2 nests of the steppe eagle during a tour of the territory.

Habitat. The steppe eagle is a typical inhabitant of the steppe. It nests in both undeveloped and human-transformed areas. It gravitates toward areas of dense habitat of small gophers. Most of all, the steppe eagle likes areas of the southern dry steppes and semi-deserts with the lowest and most sparse grass cover, that is, those in which it is difficult for prey to hide.

Nests. Steppe eagles most often build their nest on the ground, not being afraid of terrestrial predators and feeling like masters of the situation. A large number of birds make nests on transformers and cross-arms of power lines; higher locations above current-carrying wires completely eliminate the possibility of these wires coming into contact with the feathers of a bird perched on a pole. But such devices are not installed everywhere. In 1999-2000, the oil pipeline of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC-p) ran through the territory of Kalmykia, crossing the migration routes of saigas to their wintering grounds from east to west. Following the pipe, CPC-r laid out a power transmission line to supply power to the so-called block boxes located on the oil pipeline.

And everything would be fine, but this is what it feels like for an eagle sitting down to rest on that very “idle” insulator, where the likelihood of being electrocuted is not completely excluded, but only reduced. All this is very much reminiscent of “Russian roulette”: the payment for it is life, and the country is still the same - Russia.

Most low-lying nests of the steppe eagle and buzzard are easily accessible to terrestrial predators; Often they are ruined by people. As a result of anthropogenic transformation of the steppes, the number of birds of prey is declining.

Security measures. It is necessary to carry out population censuses in order to clarify the current boundaries of the distribution of some rare birds of prey. To prevent accidental shooting and destruction of nests, as well as the death of electric birds, it is necessary to strengthen environmental propaganda among the local population and equip all existing and under construction power lines with special protective devices.