And some of these birds are objects of sport hunting. However, members of closely related species appearance often very similar, and in some waders the summer wedding dress is so different from the winter or autumn one that it is often difficult for a young hunter to determine which bird is in front of him. Help to understand the features of wader species, their differences and similarities our article will help ...

Types of sandpipers

Slender graceful birds, the size of a large thrush or starling. The legs and beak are quite strong, the head is small with large eyes, set on a long neck, the voice is melodious.

• Dandy- one of the largest snails. Somewhat larger than a thrush, in breeding plumage almost all blue-black in color, only white stripes can be seen on the back of the back and on the rump. The legs of the bird are red. Young individuals and old ones in winter plumage are colored similarly to 2 other species - large snail and handrail. From above the birds are grayish-brown, the back of the back and uppertail are white, very clearly visible in a flying bird, whitish from below. The dandy can also be recognized by its red legs and long beak, which is slightly bent down at the end. The bird makes two-syllable sounds, like tu-vit.
• big snail- a sandpiper of the same size, only its beak is shorter, thicker and slightly curved upwards. The bird behaves extremely carefully, makes sonorous sounds that are somewhat mournful.
• Handrail- smaller, the size of a starling, slender, has long legs, a very long beak, which is also thin and direct, sonorous voice. As a rule, it nests in the south of the forest and in the steppe zones. In Eastern Siberia, you can also find rare Okhotsk snails. In the field, these birds can be easily confused with large snails. In the Okhotsk, the axillary and lower wing coverts are purely white color, the big snail has dark mottles.
• From all these snails herbalist easily distinguished by the fact that it has a wide white stripe running along the trailing edge of the wing. It is brownish above, light below - there are dark longitudinal streaks on the goiter and chest. The upper tail of the bird is white, the beak is shorter than that of all the listed snails, the legs are red, but you should not confuse it with the goldfinch. The voice is drawn out, but the bird can also start trills. From other common snails with a white uppertail, one can also distinguish blackie and fifi. Fifi is the size of a starling, the blackie is a larger bird. From above, both waders are blackish, but the tail of the blackie is white with a dark top, while that of the fifi is motley, it looks dark in flight. In a flying fifi, the legs protrude beyond the end of the tail, and his light eyebrow is clearly visible to the hunter. Fifi's voice is jerky, while the blackie's cry is sonorous.
• Ash snail, muzzle and carrier very different from the waders listed above in the absence of a clearly visible white belt on the loin. So, the ash snail lives in eastern Siberia, the size of a thrush, dark gray above, striated below. The beak is slightly curved down, the legs are short, bright yellow. Visible light eyebrow. The voice is sonorous.
• Mordunk it differs from it in that along the posterior edge of the wing, from its base to the fold, there is a narrow white stripe. The beak is long, curved from above. Legs are short and bright yellow. The movements are fussy, the voice is sonorous, it can start trills.
• Carrier smaller than a starling, along the entire wing along its middle there is a white stripe noticeable in flight. It lives mainly near streams and rivers. Characteristic for him is the flight above the water itself, on widely spread, slightly trembling wings.

Godwit

In general, they resemble large snails. A small head sits on a long neck with a very long beak, which is thick at the base and tapers noticeably towards the top. This difference from snails immediately catches the eye of an attentive hunter. The legs of the godwit are very long, the movements are calm, less impetuous than those of the snails. In flight, the godwit glides for a long time. In breeding plumage, both the greater and lesser godwit are painted in red tones, which immediately distinguishes them from other large waders. In winter plumage, the general tone of plumage is grayish-sand.

• Godwit- the size of a dove. Along the wing, in its middle there is a wide white stripe. The tail is white with a black tip.
• Little Godwit the size of a jackdaw. There is no white stripe on the wing, but the entire loin is white. The voice is hoarse, abrupt.

These birds are also painted in sand tones, they are distinguished by the fact that their beak is strongly curved downwards. The two most common types are large and medium curlews has a white loin.

• Curlew the size of a chicken, the beak is very long, the voice is beautiful.
• Curlew- smaller, the size of a jackdaw, the beak is noticeably thicker at the base and shorter. It is also distinguished from the curlew by a dark crown with a light stripe in the middle and light eyebrows. In the extreme east of Siberia, the curlew replaces Far Eastern who has a dark loin.

Most representatives of this large group nest in the arctic, high mountain tundra, in temperate zones they occur during the spring and autumn migrations. Sandpipers are rather silent waders. They are usually larger than a starling, densely built, short-beaked, and short-legged, with small eyes, giving them a characteristic half-sighted expression. Usually during the migration sandpipers keep in dense flocks. The largest of them big sandpiper, somewhat reminiscent of a snail, however, its short-leggedness immediately catches the eye. The general color tone is grey.

• Icelandic sandpiper- smaller sizes. In marriage attire, it is painted red below. By autumn, his outfit becomes gray and at this time it is easy to confuse him with a big one. The differences are as follows - a large sandpiper the size of a jackdaw, mottled on top, a whitish rump contrasts with a dark brown tail. On the chest is a necklace of large blackish spots extending to the sides. The Icelandic sandpiper is about the size of a thrush, solid gray above, the uppertail is lighter than the back, light gray below, without spots. Visible light eyebrows. The Greater Sandpiper is found only in the extreme east of Siberia, while the Icelandic Sandpiper breeds in the tundra and on some islands of the Arctic Ocean; it is rare on the mainland, more often on migration.
• They also look relatively long-beaked dunlin, redthroat and sandpiper. Their beaks are slightly curved downwards. In breeding feathers, all 3 species are well distinguished. The dunlin has a black spot on its belly. The red-throated below is bright red. The sea sandpiper is solid, dark gray with yellow legs. In autumn, at a cursory glance, the representatives of these species are quite similar. The dunlin is the smallest of them, smaller than the starling, along the wing there is a white stripe that is clearly visible in flight. The voice is hoarse. The red-throated white stripe on the wing is less developed, but the entire rump is white. The voice is loud and raspy. The sea sandpiper is somewhat larger than the dunlin, the beak and legs are relatively shorter, the color is more uniform, dark. It differs from the red-throated, similar in size, by the absence of white on the lower back. On the mainland, this species is rare during migration.
• Gerbil in summer it is red-haired below, in winter it looks monochromatic-light, whitish. It is smaller than a starling, with a short and straight beak, 3-toed feet. The voice is sonorous. Of the smallest, more often than others, a young hunter meets oystercatcher, red-throated sandpiper white-tailed and long-toed sandpiper. They are all the size of a sparrow. In spring and summer, the oystercatcher and sandpiper are tawny above and whitish below. The red-throated sandpiper has rufous cheeks and throat, the white-tailed sandpiper is grey. In autumn, they are all more dull in color and can be confused. It should be remembered that the long-toed sandpiper nests only beyond the Urals; The long-toed sandpiper is slender, its beak and legs are relatively long, it stays alone near ponds overgrown with grass, flies up from under its feet like a snipe. Its flight is swift, throwing from side to side. The red-throated sandpiper adheres to the sea coast. The voices of these species are similar, transmitted by murmuring trills.
• With a long-toed sandpiper, the voice and habits are somewhat similar to the larger mud truck. It is smaller than a starling, its beak is thick at the base and slightly bent down. On the head are longitudinal dark and light stripes, like a snipe. In most of the territory it is relatively rare, but in the Far East it can often be found during the autumn migration.

In general, this bird is slenderer than sandpipers, its legs and beak are relatively long. It is about the size of a thrush, during take-off, as a rule, makes hoarse sounds. In spring, males have an original collar and feather ears. These decorations are noticeable from afar, even when folded around the neck - the cockerel unleashes them during the spring current. In spring, males are painted in different colors, but in autumn their feather plumage looks uniformly grayish-brown above, whitish below with a darker breast.

Sandpipers from the snipe group are usually seen only at the moment when the bird suddenly breaks out of the tall grass at the very feet of the hunter. Then 2 dark stripes are striking, running along the light top of the head and 2 longitudinal light stripes on the sides of the back - the same pattern is in the mud snail, the long-toed sandpiper and the oystercatcher. In the European part, you can find 3 types of waders - snipe, great snipe and harrier. Behind the Urals, they are joined by Asian snipe.

• Asian snipe differs from the common snipe in a noticeably short beak, a short dry voice, sometimes turning into a sharp grunt. Keeps on rather dry places. In the snipe, which is somewhat larger in size, white extreme tail feathers are visible during take-off. The bird takes off silently or with a cry, from which a rumble is heard. The flight is more direct than that of the snipe, without throwing to the sides. The forest snipe flies in the same way. It is larger than a thrush, its beak is relatively shorter than that of a snipe, its voice is slightly sharper and rougher. Finally, mountain snipe or hermit snipe- a silent bird, the flight of which is calm, while during the flight the snipe looks like a solid dark brown spot with light transverse shading. Somewhat similar to a woodcock (learn about), but keeps along mountain streams and rivers, gathering food in the water.
• Garshnep- smaller than all the listed snipes, the size of a lark. When taking off, it emits a sharp high-pitched cry. Its flight is uneven, somewhat reminiscent of bat pirouettes. Quickly sits in the grass.
• Woodcock- is so well known to hunters that there is no need to describe it further. In addition to the well-known sounds, the woodcock, disturbed by chicks, makes a peculiar wheezing.

Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) pretty large bird(body length 40-47 cm, weight 420-820 g). This is a common inhabitant of the Arctic, which belongs to the order Charadriiformes. The inhabitants of the Faroe Islands, located in the north of the Atlantic Ocean, have made this bird their symbol.

Ornithologists distinguish three populations of oystercatchers, depending on their habitat. Each of them forms a separate subspecies, which differ in size, beak length and plumage color.

They call it Magpie because of its black and white plumage.

The northern oystercatcher lives on the coast of the Russian Arctic up to the Pechora River in the east. In the west of our country, there are mainland oystercatchers, which can be seen on such rivers as the Don, Volga, Northern Dvina, Ob, Irtysh, Tobol.

And, finally, the Far Eastern oystercatchers chose Primorye and the Kamchatka peninsula as their habitat. These birds prefer to nest on islands, sea coasts, banks of rivers and lakes. Numerous flocks of birds can be seen on the exposed areas of the bottom during low tide, where waders gather food.

This medium-sized bird is easily recognizable by its memorable appearance. The fact is that the sandpiper has a long bright orange beak and contrasting black and white plumage. The iris of the eyes to match the beak is red-orange. But the short legs are pink. Adult females and males are almost indistinguishable from each other.

But the color of feathers in young individuals is slightly different: instead of black plumage, they have brown, legs are light gray, and the beak is mostly dark gray, only orange at the base.

Oystercatcher is a fussy and noisy bird. The main cry, made both on the ground and in the air, is the far audible trill “quirrrrrr”. While incubating, it emits a sharp, repeated “quiek-quiek-quiek”, usually with the beak lowered. The last song, often speeding up and turning into a trill, sometimes comes from both members of the pair at the same time, or from a small compact group of birds.

These birds feed mainly on various invertebrates: insects, crustaceans, mollusks, earthworms. The diet of birds living on the sea coasts is supplemented with bivalve mollusks, for example, mussels, Baltic poppies and others. Oystercatchers also sometimes eat fish. In search of food with their long beaks, the birds stir up pebbles or wet sand.

Gathering in huge flocks on the sea coasts, waders are very noisy and hostile towards each other. Between the birds, fights are often tied for feeding places.

Oystercatcher can live up to 36 years

Oystercatchers arrive at nesting areas in mid-spring. Although their character is not easy, these birds are devoted and gentle towards their soulmate. Once formed, the couple is preserved, as a rule, for life. The nest for waders is a small shallow hole dug in sand, pebbles or short grass.

These birds do not bother themselves with creating special comfort: there is not even any litter at the bottom of the nest. The main conditions - it should be located on a small hill, so that the surroundings are clearly visible, and closer to the water.

Both parents incubate the chicks. As soon as they are born, downy chicks leave the nest on the very first day, but at first they are unable to follow their parents and get their own food. They stay close to the nest while the parents bring them food in their beaks, often from afar.

Grown up chicks swim well and in case of danger they dive, swimming several meters under water. The feeding period is about 1.5 months, all this time the chicks spend the night in the nest.

There is a bird of small size in the detachment of waders, with an enviable beauty and a playful disposition. It's called sandpiper bird. This migratory bird is one of the most common birds.

Only in Russia there are about 75 wader bird species. Their external signs are very similar, but next to this only similarity sandpiper marsh bird It also has its own distinctive features.

These birds are classified as near-water birds. But not all of their species are directly and specifically related to water in full. Not too bright birds, both in their behavior and in appearance, have one description common to all, but each of their species has its own deviation from the norm.

All types of waders have rather long limbs and the same beak. It is impossible to find in nature with short limbs and a beak related to the category of these birds.

Description of the bird makes it possible to understand what this feathered is. This bird is quite mobile, has long and sharp wings. An interesting feature is that when the bird is in flight, with its wings wide open, it looks much more majestic than it just sits.

Photo of a sandpiper bird also confirms this. These fly quickly, maneuverably. During the flight, you can hear their melodic singing. main tool sandpiper forest bird serves as its long beak.

It contains just a huge number of receptors that help the bird during the digestion process. The way the beak works is extremely simple. Kulik uses it to determine if there is anything edible in the soil.

In the photo there is a bird forest sandpiper

The second purpose of the beak is a little more serious. Since waders feed on crustaceans, they use their beak to break their strong shell and get the mollusk out of there.

Each species of waders is distinguished by its color and behavior. Oystercatcher, for example, resembles with all its appearance, hence its uncomplicated name.

Against the background of its black and white plumage, its orange beak catches the eye. Its limbs are reddish in color. Kulik- also has black and white plumage. But it is impossible to confuse it with the oystercatcher, because a long protruding crest in the form of a fork is visible on its head.

In the photo there is a lapwing bird

The oystercatcher outwardly really resembles. This is one of the smallest representatives of this species of birds. Its weight can hardly reach 27 grams, and the plumage has a red-black color with brown hues. Closer to winter, the color of the bird changes. The beak of the oystercatcher is slightly shorter than that of the rest of its relatives.

Features and habitat of the sandpiper

These amazing birds are distributed all over the world. They can be seen in the hot deserts of Central Asia, on the cold islands of the Arctic Ocean and in the sky-high heights of the Pamirs.

Birds prefer to settle closer to the banks of rivers, lakes and wetlands. Their meat is very nutritious and tasty. It is not much different from meat, or.

In the photo, a sandpiper sparrow

For nesting, birds choose sparsely populated places that are practically not intended for any economic purposes. Forests, tundra, mountain streams and swamps are their main and favorite places. The more the North is being developed, the more the significance of these birds for humanity increases.

For nesting, they choose a variety of places, ranging from impenetrable tundra to wide expanses of steppe and grain crops. They are attracted by open shores and sandbanks.

There are species of purely forest waders. This is the black one. Almost the majority of waders need water near them, but there are also species of them that do not need water. They thrive in desert and waterless areas. For wintering choose Africa, India, Australia, South Asia.

The nature and lifestyle of the sandpiper bird

These prefer to live in colonies. For flights and wintering, they sometimes organize simply huge flocks of many thousands. Some of them are nomadic, while others lead a sedentary lifestyle.

It depends on the area in which they settled. But most of them are still migratory. There are many shorebirds that cover enormous distances during flights.

Among them are many nocturnal inhabitants and lovers of twilight. Most of them can perfectly run, fly and even swim, without having special membranes. What's more, they also dive well at the same time.

In the photo, the oystercatcher is a magpie

Sandpipers have the best developed sight and hearing. These birds can be easily tamed. They quickly adapt and can almost immediately get used to a person and homemade food. They are highly respected among people due to the fact that they simply destroy a huge number and that do not allow them to live in peace.

Sandpiper food

Purpose of nutrition of the wader get the animal food they lack. Their diet consists of various worms, larvae, mollusks, crustaceans, insects that are on the surface or hiding inside the upper layers of the soil.

Among them there are birds that are content only with grains. So to speak, waders are vegetarians. There are five types of them in nature. The most favorite delicacy of waders is locust.. Some people really like small fish.

Reproduction and lifespan of a wader bird

April is the month for mating waders. Male birds dance a kind of dance in flight, attracting the attention of the female. During this period they are especially noisy.

The nest site is chosen by the male. Most often it is located near their old home. The female is engaged in the construction of the nest, while the male helps her completely in everything.

In the photo, a chick and sandpiper eggs in the nest

After the nest is ready, the female lays four green-colored eggs in it and incubates them for 21 days. The male at this time supports and protects her in everything.

As a result, almost completely independent chicks appear. They see well, run and can even hunt insects. Two years after birth, little waders are ready to form their own pair. These birds live for about 20 years.

Wing length 8.5-10 cm, weight 22-27 g. Oystercatcher is mainly a tundra bird. He settles from the tundra of Norway to the lower reaches of the Lena and on a number of islands in the Arctic Ocean. In some places it also nests in the forest-tundra. Wintering grounds of this bird are located in Africa, South Asia and further south to Australia and Tasmania. In a small number of oystercatchers linger for wintering near the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Immediately after arrival, the birds take up nesting places and start mating. During the current, the oystercatcher flies, raising its wings high up, fluttering them and making a trill similar to the crackling of a grasshopper, but less sonorous. The nest of the oystercatcher is a simple hole with flattened last year's grass, often under a bush, sometimes on a dry sandy area. Leaves of northern willows can serve as lining. Often the nest is so poorly defined that if you remove the eggs from it, you can not find the border of the nest. In a full clutch there are 4 eggs, quite varying in color, but in general they are still brown-olive. The laying of eggs in these birds begins at. the last decade of June, puffballs appear in the second - third decade of July, sometimes at the beginning of this month. In late July - early August, you can observe already fully fledged, but often not yet flying chicks. However, even before the chicks become flying, the broods of several families often unite in a common flock and begin premigratory migrations across the tundra. IN middle lane European part of Russia migration runs from mid-August to the end of September. Sandpipers, as is typical of most sandpipers, are not fussy birds, run slowly, without sudden movements, feed either silently or quietly calling to each other, and are rather indifferent to the presence of a person. Sandpipers feed mainly on insects, less often on mollusks and small crustaceans. Their food is dominated by larvae of aquatic insects, mainly pusher larvae (bloodworms).

Sandpiper / Calidris melanotos

Siberian birds fly first towards Alaska in autumn, and then turn south and winter together with North American pouts in a large area of ​​South America from Ecuador and Bolivia to Argentina and Chile. The mating games of this sandpiper are interesting. At this time, the male's cervical air sacs (incorrectly called a goiter, which waders do not have at all) swell greatly. The male either flies low above the ground and, having swollen his neck, emits a kind of dull puffing, or runs around the female with a swollen neck, uttering his characteristic “duu ... duu-u”. At times at this time, he slightly resembles a male black grouse. As soon as the females begin to incubate, the males apparently migrate away.

sandpiper / Eurynorhynchus pygmeus

For wintering, the shovel flies to Southeast Asia. It must be borne in mind that, despite such a remarkable beak, it is not at all easy to recognize the oystercatcher in a natural setting. The peculiar beak of the bird is not striking, and it looks very similar to other small sandpipers, with which it usually keeps together on migration. Due to the negligible number and extremely narrow distribution (endemic of the Chukotka Peninsula), the oystercatcher is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Sandpiper - magpie / Haematopinae ostralegus

There is a small white spot under the eye. Northern birds have less white on the wing than southern ones. Some geographic variations of this wader have black or nearly black plumage. The wing length of birds from Russia is 23.5 - 26.5 cm, weight is about 500 g. In Russia, the oystercatcher is widely distributed in the river basins of Eastern Europe, but only flowing south, and in the river basins of Western Siberia. In addition, it is characteristic of the shores of the Barents and White Seas. Oystercatcher is also common in the river basins of Central Asia. Breeds in the Far East and Kamchatka. Outside of Russia, it breeds along the sea coasts of Northern and Western Europe, North and South America, southern Africa, New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. In our country and in general in the northern latitudes, this is a migratory bird. It winters in northern Africa and southern Asia. Flying from wintering grounds, this bird appears in the Ciscaucasia as early as the 20th of March, in the Moscow region in April, off the coast of the White Sea, in the Kandalaksha Bay, in early May. Arriving flocks are divided into small groups, and males proceed to the current. They fly somehow tensely, stretching their neck forward and lowering their beak down, with a loud cry of "ke-vik ... kevik ... kevik ... kikkivikkvikk-wirrr ...". The flight is made in a straight line forward and backward. Often several birds take part in such a flight at once, sometimes up to a dozen. Gradually, pairs separate and occupy their nesting sites. Off the coast of the Barents Sea, the peak of air games is observed in June. Birds start nesting when they reach the age of three. For nesting, pebble, sandy, shell and rocky sea coasts are chosen in bays and bays, where there are shallows and a wide strip of the littoral, which is exposed at low tide. Inland, oystercatchers inhabit the banks of rivers and lakes. In the central regions of the European part of Russia, nesting of the Oystercatcher has also been noted in the fields, and quite far from the water. Each pair has a small nesting area protected by it, but at the same time, dozens, and in suitable conditions, hundreds of pairs nest in the immediate neighborhood. The nest is placed openly and is a simple shallow hole. In a full clutch there are 3, sometimes 4 or 2 eggs. The eggs are large, 51-63 mm long, 37.5-43 mm wide. The color is pale buffy with dark brown and grayish-brown spots and dashes. Both parents incubate, replacing each other quite often. The duration of incubation is 26-28 days. Down jackets leave the nest on the day of hatching, but at first they do not go far from it and are often warmed by their parents. It is curious that adult oystercatchers not only lead their chicks, but also feed them, that is, bring them food in their beak, sometimes from a fairly considerable distance. At the same time, parents have big failures. In cases where they are forced to bring food from afar, they are sometimes unable to properly feed the chicks and the brood dies of exhaustion. Even half-fledged chicks cannot forage for themselves. Parents sometimes look for food right there, very close, and the chicks are indifferent to this. An adult bird brings an insect to the chick, holding it in its beak, sometimes lays it on the sand and stands motionless, lowering its beak and as if pointing at the prey, until the chick finally grabs it. Every evening, while the parents are feeding the chicks, which lasts about 3 weeks, the family returns to the nesting site, which continues to be protected by adult birds. The attachment of Oystercatchers to the nesting territory they have chosen once is confirmed by ringing: birds from year to year return to the same place in spring and often use the old nest. The food of oystercatchers is varied. As a rule, they catch openly holding prey on land and in shallow water, they can get animals buried in soft ground. The main food objects of the oystercatcher are polychaetes, mollusks, crustaceans, insects and their larvae (dipterans, beetles, caterpillars of myotis, etc.). Oystercatchers also hunt for small fish. Oystercatchers smash shells of crustaceans with blows of their beaks. Medium-sized shells are often carried by a bird to the rocks, thrust into a crack there and then opened. Getting insects out from under the stones, the oystercatcher either pulls them out from there, slipping its beak down, or turns over the stones, like a turnstone.

Oystercatcher black / Haematopus bachmani

Distribution is limited to the sea coast, where rocky areas are preferred. The southern border of the range coincides with the place where the rocky coast turns into sandy beaches. Avoids nesting where there is any vegetation, occurring in abundance on treeless islands with beaches of their pebbles or shells. In favorable biotopes, the nesting density reaches 17 pairs/km of the coast. Birds start breeding when they reach the age of three. Throughout the range, most of the clutches are laid in May - early June. The nest is placed openly and is a simple shallow hole. The same nesting pits are used year after year; in California >5 years. Sometimes several nesting holes are made, from which the female chooses one where to lay her eggs. The clutch consists of 1-3 eggs, occasionally 4 and the only clutch of 5 eggs found in California. The average size of the eggs is 56.2x38.6 mm and weighs 46 g. The color of the shell is pale buff to olive-buff with dark brown and grayish-brown spots and streaks. Eggs are laid about once a day. The clutch is incubated by both parents for 26-32 days, usually 26-28 days; eggs are heated 90-98% of the total incubation time. The restlessness of birds lengthens the time of incubation. Although the eggs were laid at 24-hour intervals, the chicks hatch at 4-hour intervals. They can leave the nest at the age of one day, and at the age of 3 days the chicks can already walk and swim well. During the first 24-48 hours, the parents heat the offspring continuously, then until the age of 20-23 days - from time to time. Chicks begin to eat at the age of 12-24 hours; younger ones do not respond to it. Small chicks are fed by males, females begin to feed them to a greater extent when they, together with their parents, move to feeding places. The chicks begin to fly at the age of 38-40 days, but remain on the territory of their parents, accompanying them during feeding flights. Parents can feed chicks over three months old. Probably, the chicks fly for the winter together with their parents. Birds can live at least 9-16 years.

Sandpipers are well-known birds of river banks and swamps. This bird, like starlings, is characterized by quick and unexpected turns, which, as if on command, are made by the whole flock, sometimes very large.

The order of waders (Limicolae) is so diverse that it is absolutely impossible to note everything significant in their biology. Sandpipers are brood birds that feed almost exclusively on animal food, but sometimes they eat berries and roots. During breeding, most live in pairs. Nests are built on the ground, mostly very poorly. The number of eggs is usually constant and equal to four. All waders are associated with water bodies - rivers, lakes or swamps. Even forest species (for example, woodcock, black cock) keep in damp places, mostly near swamps or streams. In the spring, many people have well-defined current phenomena (flying, dancing, singing). Some waders nest in colonies with many pairs nearby (eg lapwings, curlews, godwit).

Many species form flocks after nesting, and migration is very noticeable. This detachment is remarkable for the longest flights for wintering (for example, to South Africa at the great snipe, and for some even to Australia).

Of the coastal ridges, the carrier (Tringa hypoleucos L.) is the most widespread and even numerous. It is found on every even a small river. Carriers are especially noticeable in the second half of summer and autumn. In a flock of 5-6 birds, they fly over the very water from one bank to another with a whistle.

On rivers with sandy and pebbly shoals, plovers hold and nest. Two very closely related species - the tie plover (Charadrius hiaticula L.) and the small plover (Charadrius dubius Scop.) differ in size (the first one is larger), but mainly in habitat. A small plover lives on our small rivers, and a tie-tie plover appears only in autumn, on migration. Its main summer habitat is along the northern sea coasts (of the Baltic and White Seas). When observing through binoculars (especially flying birds), you should look for white spots in the wings. They are available at the necktie.

Many are long-legged and long-beaked. The beak of some is curved downwards or upwards, and in one species to the side. The spatula is widened at the end with a spatula. The paws are three- or four-fingered, with or without webbing at the base of the toes. The phalaropes have small lobes on the sides of the fingers. There is a coccygeal gland. Gulls and guillemots too.

Females and males in most species in the same plumage. Most species are monogamous. Females and males incubate for 19 - 28 days, or only females (snipes, woodcocks, great snipes), in phalaropes and yakan only males. There are usually four eggs, in crustacean plovers - one white egg. Nests on the ground. Some in holes, crevices, in strangers or their nests in trees. Almost all chicks are of the brood type (in crustaceans and white plovers - rather chicks). About 190 species in all landscapes and countries of the world from the Arctic to Antarctica.

Types of waders

Oystercatcher. The species sometimes includes the Australian (Haematopus longirostris) and New Zealand (Haematopus finschi) piebald oystercatchers, a common feature of which is a white "wedge" - a prominent white spot on the shoulder blades. Migratory species over most of its range. The nominate subspecies H. o. ostralegus H. o. longipes) and the Far Eastern (H. o. osculans) subspecies of the oystercatcher are included in the Red Book of Russia as subspecies that have become rare as a result of human activities (category 3). A large stocky oystercatcher about the size of a gray crow. Body length 40-47 centimeters, weight 420-820 grams, wingspan 80-86 centimeters.

The plumage has contrasting black and white tones. In an adult bird in the breeding plumage, the head, neck, upper chest, fore-back, small and medium wing coverts and the end of the tail are black, with a slight metallic sheen. The wings are black on top with a wide white transverse stripe. The rest of the plumage - the bottom, sides, underside of the wing, the uppertail and the stripe on the wing are white. There is a small white spot under the eye. The beak is orange-red, straight, flattened laterally, 8-10 centimeters long. Legs relatively short for a sandpiper, pinkish red. The iris is orange-red. In autumn, the metallic sheen disappears, a white spot in the form of a half-collar appears on the throat, the tip of the beak darkens. Females do not differ externally from males. In young birds, black tones have a brownish tint, there is no white throat spot, the beak is dark gray with a dirty orange base, the legs are pale gray, the iris is dark. Runs and swims well. The flight is direct, swift, with frequent wing beats, reminiscent of the flight of ducks. A fussy and noisy bird. The main cry, made both on the ground and in the air, is the far audible trill "quirrrrrr". While incubating, it emits a sharp, repeated “quiek-quiek-quiek”, usually with the beak lowered. The last song, often speeding up and turning into a trill, sometimes comes from both members of the pair at the same time, or from a small compact group of birds.

A small sparrow-sized bird that lives on open and low-lying shores of brackish and salty reservoirs. Migrant. In the male, the color of the upper side of the body is brownish-gray with a reddish neck, the underside of the body, forehead and stripe above the eyes are white, a black stripe runs from the beak through the eyes, and the crown is also black. There are two dark spots on the sides of the chest, legs and beak are black. The color of the female is almost the same, only there is no black color on the crown.

Big Curlew. Species of birds from the snipe family (Scolopacidae). The large curlew reaches a size of 50 to 60 centimeters and weighs from 600 to 1000 grams. Its wingspan is between 80 and 100 centimeters. A characteristic feature of the large curlew is a long and downwardly curved beak. The female, as a rule, is somewhat larger than the male, and her beak is even longer and more curved. In addition, there are no external differences between both sexes. The coloration of the curlew is rather modest, the plumage varies from beige-brown to gray-brown with various stripes and patches. The call of the Curlew consists of a long, almost mournful sound, reminiscent of "kuri-li". Perhaps that is why in the English-speaking world this bird is called Curlew. Curlews nest in marshy and other wet areas such as marches. In winter, they live along the coasts and in the watts, in the depths of the mainland - in fields and water meadows. Their main distribution area is Northern and Central Europe, as well as the British Isles. In winter, these birds migrate to the coasts of Western and Southern Europe. Curlews are also found in a large part of Asia, their range reaches Lake Baikal and Manchuria in the east and Kyrgyzstan in the south.

Snipe. Can be seen on a spring excursion during his current flight. It is noticeably smaller in size than the woodcock (approximately the size of a thrush), the same reddish-brown, but differs from it in the white belly and light longitudinal stripes on the back. The snipe lives in meadow and peat bogs with stunted woody vegetation. Starting its current flight, it rises obliquely from the ground or from a bump, climbs almost vertically to a very high altitude and, having described several circles there, suddenly rushes down. During this fall, a lingering and loud trill is heard, the so-called "bleating", which is caused by the fluctuation of the spreading tail (tail) feathers. But then the bird stopped the fall, soared up again, and the sound stopped. Only staccato cries are heard from above.

Avocet. A black and white large sandpiper with an upcurved beak from the Avocet family, common on the gently sloping shores of reservoirs with salty or brackish water in Eurasia and Africa. In Russia, it breeds in Ciscaucasia, in the Caspian lowland and in the south of Siberia in the steppe zone of the Minusinsk Basin, and is found in many regions of the Altai Territory. Breeds in May-June, in colonies up to 200 pairs, in muddy bays near water. The nest is arranged in a small earthen hole in the sand or among low-growing grass. Clutch contains 3-5 eggs of ocher color with black spots. It feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates, including small brine shrimp and insects, which it finds in water or a layer of silt. Occasionally eats seeds of pondweed and other salt marsh plants. From afar, avocet can be mistaken for a seagull. However, upon closer examination, it is an easily recognizable bird, within its breeding range, unlike any other species. First of all, a long thin beak catches the eye, strongly curved upwards in the apical half - this feature distinguishes the bird from the related and similar in color stilt, which has a straight and shorter beak. Avocet is also much larger - its length is 42-46 centimeters, wingspan 67-77 centimeters. The plumage is predominantly white, with the exception of a black cap extending far to the back of the head and upper part of the neck, and black transverse stripes on the wings. The tail is short and straight. The legs are bluish, with swimming membranes. Does not form subspecies. dark reddish brown. Males and females almost do not differ in size and color from each other, except that in the female the base of the beak may be slightly lighter, and a white ring is noticeable around the eye. In young birds, black tones in plumage are replaced by dirty brown, sometimes brown.

Sandpiper Sparrow. One of the smallest sandpipers, about the size of a sparrow. In breeding plumage, the bottom of the bird is white, the front of the chest, goiter, throat, sides of the neck and cheeks are reddish-ocher in color with brown streaks. The paws are black (the similar white-tailed sandpiper has yellow paws). Winter plumage is greyish-brown. Length 12-14 centimeters, wingspan 28-31 centimeters, weight 20-30 grams. Sparrow Sandpiper - migrant, breeds in northern Scandinavia and Siberian tundra. It winters in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Central and South Africa. The females are bigamous and mate with two males. Eggs are laid in two nests, with the first nest incubating the first male, and the second female. Incubation begins in June. The nest of the oystercatcher is a hole with crushed last year's grass, often under a bush, sometimes on a dry sandy area. The clutch contains 4 brown-olive eggs. The life expectancy of the oystercatcher is 12 years. The oystercatcher feeds both during the day and at night in shallow water and near muddy shores, mainly on insects and their larvae, less often on mollusks and small crustaceans.

Turukhtan. It is interesting in that during the mating season, males form an unusual colorful outfit: elongated feathers, the so-called collar, grow on the neck, elongated feathers form ears on the sides of the nape. It is almost impossible to find two males in the spring, in which the color of the collar and ears would be the same.
Another feature that is unique to turukhtans is the so-called fights between males during the spring current. A small group of turukhtans, among which there are both males and females, arrives at the place of the current, located somewhere in the middle of a swamp, near a small puddle or lake. Current from year to year occur in approximately the same places.
Immediately after arrival, the current begins. Having loosened and puffed up their collars and ears, the birds of the sandpiper become fighting poses and jump on each other, resembling miniature cockerels. No wonder in many places turukhtans are called cockerels.
The most interesting thing is that these fierce attacks and fighting poses are just a game. Unlike real roosters, turukhtans during their fights do not cause the slightest damage to each other, they do not even touch one another. This is in the full sense of bloodless and purely ostentatious battles. In spite of this, and perhaps precisely for this reason, the observation of turukhtani battles is a very great pleasure. After the attacks, the opponents peacefully sit down one against the other and sit for a long time, and then the same game is repeated again. Neighbors do the same. Sometimes several pieces run into one pile at once; the rest are standing, sitting or lying on the ground in the distance. Despite the combat appearance, the picture is very peaceful. After the current, the birds scatter, so that tomorrow morning or evening they will again gather here for fighting.

Lapwing. This sandpiper, slightly smaller than a jackdaw, has a very original feature - a thin crest, pulled up at the back of the head with a long pigtail. Lapwings live in colonies in the places indicated above, and we still notice them from a distance, quickly running between bumps. When a person approaches, the birds take off and with a piercing nasal cry (like “whose you ..” or “kei-hands ...”) begin to fly around. The flight is very strong, with sharp turns and pirouettes, during which a sharp wing noise is heard. It is especially interesting to observe the attack of a lapwing on a dog and even on a person near the nest itself.

Photo of waders

Oystercatcher. Photo: Omar Runolfsson

Sea plover. Photo: Mike Baird

Turukhtan. Photo: Arjan Haverkamp

Lapwing. Photo: Eddy Van 3000