Caucasian Snowcock
Caucasus Snowcock ( Tetraogallus caucasicus )
The Caucasus Snowcock ( Tetraogallus caucasicus ), also written Caucasus King Chicken, is a species of bird in the genus, the king chickens ( Tetraogallus ) in the family of Gamebird ( Phasianidae ), belonging to the order of the Galliformes ( Galliformes ). Its distribution is limited to the Greater Caucasus.
Features
The Caucasus king chicken is between 50 and 60 cm long, very strongly built with a large head, thick neck and long tail. The plumage is mostly very fine gray, brown, white and black drawn so that it looks gray from a distance. The flanks are rather rusty brown and black patterned stronger, while the chest and the jacket are gray and finely mottled black. The throat is white with rust- brown streaks on the sides and back of the neck. The undertail coverts are white. In flight, a large white wing box is visible both on the bottom and on the top. The females are colored overall somewhat duller than the males and the young are paler and have no rust brown on the flanks. Also, it has a strong, unbefiederten run.
The chicks are similar to those of the Himalayan king chicken. You are on the underparts pale rahmfarben to slightly yellow. The body top is pale reddish beige with dark gray-brown and black spots and stripes.
In its area of distribution, the Caucasus Snowcock can be confused with any other species of bird. The distribution is different with any other species of the genus king chickens.
Distribution and habitat
It occurs to free, steep and rocky slopes above the tree line between 2000 and 4000 meters above sea level only in the Caucasus. But it requires low vegetation as a food source, so it can also occur in slightly lower altitudes in winter.
The habitat are slopes of different slope with rocks and scree fields, small meadows and shrub groups. During the summer months, the Caucasus Snowcock holds preferably on north-facing slopes, while it is observed rather on the southern slopes in winter. It keeps all year round in the same Gebirsabschnitten on, but takes little walks, especially in the vertical direction. Thus, the Caucasus Snowcock can be found in March at altitudes 2300-2400 meters, because at this time the lower portions of the subalpine belt are exempt from the snow. With progression of the spring of the Caucasus Snowcock moves further up and can be found mid-summer near the eternal snow at altitudes 3500-4000 meters. With the onset of snowfall the Caucasus Snowcock then begins again in lower layers migrate.
Behavior
Caucasus king chicken feed almost exclusively vegetable. The food plant spectrum is changing almost throughout the year. It is merely shifted from fresh green parts that are eaten primarily during the spring and summer to dry stalks and seeds in the winter months. Almost 60 percent of the food comes from three plants, namely the flags Wicke, the Kentucky bluegrass and a Frauenmantelart. Berries however, are not eaten by the Caucasus king chicken.
Caucasus king chickens are monogamous birds. Outside the breeding season the Caucasus Snowcock forms small squads. The pairs of separation from troop starts in late March. Pair formation and the Occupy the breeding grounds is connected with fighting between the taps. After snowy winters and long lasting cold in the spring when it comes Caucasus Snowcock to delayed reproduction, and many of the females do not mate up.
The nest is located on bare ground and often contains 5-6 greenish eggs which are incubated solely by the female. The female leaves the nest during the breeding daily average only twice to take food for about 20 minutes. The chicks hatch synchronously largely within a few hours .. They grow rapidly approaching and can already fly 15 to 20 days.
The Caucasus Snowcock is very shy and flies early to long Gleitstrecken like a stone falling off to disappear after an interrupted by short, explosive wing beats flying behind a ridge. Is it undisturbed, it jumps sent the rocky slopes high and down.