Large snail - description, habitat, interesting facts. Great snail (tringa nebularia) Taken and necessary protection measures

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Big snail, or river sandpiper, or light sandpiper(obsolete) - Tringa nebularia

Appearance. Almost the size pigeon, the dark beak is slightly curved upward. The color is brownish-gray above, the undertail and rump are white, and there are dark streaks on the crop, sides, throat, back and shoulders. The legs are long, dark green, the wing is striped underneath.
Loud melodic two-syllable whistle “tli-tui”.
Habitat. Lives in forest swamps.
Nesting sites. Typical nesting sites for the large snail are areas of coastal meadows overgrown with grass and low bushes, moss swamps with small lakes and sparse pine trees, as well as extensive swampy clearings with isolated trees.
Nest location. Nests on the ground. The nest is usually located in a dry area near a bush, between stones or near the trunk of a fallen tree.
Nest building material. To line the tray he uses grass leaves and pine needles.
Shape and dimensions of the nest. It is a shallow hole in moss or soil, sparsely lined with leaves of grass and pine needles.
Features of masonry. The clutch contains 4 cone-shaped eggs. Their color is yellowish-brown, cream or yellowish-white. Towards the blunt end of the egg there are sharply defined large red-brown spots, as well as smaller markings and a small number of deeper grayish-blue spots. Egg size: (45-54) x (31-36) mm.
Nesting dates. Arrives at nesting sites on different dates in April. Nests with eggs are found in May, downy chicks - at the end of May and June. Departure takes place in the second half of August - September.
Spreading. Distributed throughout almost the entire taiga zone, in places in the forest-tundra and forest-steppe from Britain to Kamchatka. To the south it is distributed in the northwestern lake region, along the valleys of the Oka and Kama rivers, and in negligible quantities further south; in addition, it is found in the mountains of Central Asia.
Wintering. Winters partly in Britain and Transcaucasia, but mainly in Africa, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Economic importance. The meat of the great snipe is excellent compared to many other waders, not much inferior to the meat of the snipe. Due to its extreme caution, the ulita shoots mainly at evening feeding sites, lying in wait from an ambush.

Description of Buturlin. Big ulit is truly the most big from snails. Its body is almost the same as that of a lapwing, although at first glance it seems smaller than the latter due to its shorter and much narrower wings.
From a distance a large street seems light, in autumn almost whitish or ashy, and in the summer the bright white color of not only the rump and loin, but the entire back of the back stands out sharply. Based on these characteristics, one of the waders in the southern half of our country, the sandpiper, is very similar to the large snail, but this latter one is one and a half times smaller. Julitta is easy to recognize by its ringing scream“kew-kew-kew...” or “whew-whew...”.
Plumage The upper side is brown, with blackish centers of feathers and smoky-brown wide edges, and on the head with white edges. The throat, crop, chest and sides are white, with brown markings; the belly is white. Underwing coverts and axillary feathers; with smoky transverse spots or stripes. Tail feathers, except for one or two lateral pairs, with brown transverse stripes. In autumn attire the mantle is grayer and lighter, the black color is reduced to core stripes; the underside is almost entirely white, with only dark streaks on the sides of the crop and chest. Juveniles have a brown mantle, with buffy and whitish marginal spots; craw feathers with narrow, smooth dark edges.
The eye is brown; the beak is brown, slightly curved upward, but not arched, but at a very obtuse angle; legs are olive or yellowish green. Wing length 15.5-20 centimeters. The plumage of the frenulum does not reach the posterior edge of the nostril by 1.5-2.5 millimeters.
In spring the first big snails are shown in the southern parts of our country around mid-April, singly, in pairs and in small flocks; at the beginning of May they appear already in the Leningrad region, and at the end of the middle ten days of May - even in lower Pechora, beyond 65° north latitude.
Having split into pairs, the waders arrange their nests mainly in forest swamps, each pair at some distance from the other. The nest is most often placed near a hummock, stone or fallen tree. Nests and eggs regular Easter cake type; the eggs range from 45.8 to 59.8 millimeters in length and 32.4-37.7 millimeters in width.
Young in the Northern region they take wing around July 20. In the first days they are very quiet, hide tightly in the grass and reluctantly fly out from under your feet. Their parents protect them even at this time. It happened to be observed that, noticing a person approaching such a brood three hundred steps away, the female, sitting on a dry top, warns the young with a frequent loud cry.

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A representative of the snipe family, a rare species that requires protection and protection. This article will talk about the big snail in a detailed format.

Description, appearance

The snail is not too large in size, the weight of adult individuals ranges from 110 to 280 grams. The body shape is slightly elongated. The paws are dark green in color and quite long. The beak is upturned, the tip points upward. The wings, in comparison with the rest of the color, stand out. They are usually dark. Small specks are distributed from the head in a uniform and beautiful pattern. The lower part of the body is white without any inclusions or peculiar patterns. Thanks to such an interesting color, the large snail cannot be confused with other birds. Young representatives are similar to adults, but there are some distinctive features. Their chest is off-white, with dark markings, streaks and stripes.

Spreading

They are very fond of various bodies of water and wetlands. They migrate in small groups, about 10 birds.

Nesting and breeding

Their nest is a hole in the ground, usually quite small. The female lays 4 eggs and incubates them for 24 days. They build nests near any source of water, it can be a river, a pond, a swamp. There must also be a noticeable object nearby. They do this, guided by the instinct of self-preservation, which allows them to protect themselves from certain threats. The adult representatives are very caring and accompany the chicks until they fly. The babies' muscles are slowly strengthening and becoming stronger every day. But adult birds still show anxiety and restlessness.

Voice

Relatives

It is impossible not to talk about the so-called “relatives” of the big snail. This includes the morodunka. It also has an upturned beak and an interesting coloration. But her paws are dark yellow. It also likes to winter in Africa and Western Europe. But in Italy it is rarely seen - this is rather an exception. Morodunka is also spreading in Russia. As a comfortable place for its nests, it chooses warm areas near rivers and various reservoirs. A very similar behavior pattern to large waders; they show care for their offspring.

Number

The large snail is a worthy representative of its family. The bird has an unusual color, which makes it immediately noticeable. Unfortunately, a trend towards a reduction in this species has been noticed. The issue became very acute, and some measures were taken. After all, this greatly alarmed the specialists. The environment is deteriorating every year, many species of animals, birds, and plants are disappearing. Therefore, we must try to preserve nature and what it has given. Measures are required that help improve the situation and create a certain balance and harmony that reigned until a person began to destroy everything that prevented him from achieving his selfish goals. Now they have actively begun to implement measures to protect the environment, and this really helps.

Likewise, the number of large snail has increased over the past decade. The species has mastered new places where it now builds its nests and raises its offspring. For example, representatives of the family were spotted in the Moscow region.

Measures taken to see improvements
It is worth noting those measures that helped increase the numbers. Firstly, the species was listed in the Red Book. This made it possible to draw attention to such a problem as disappearance over a certain period of time. After all, every year the figure became smaller. Protected nests played an important role in the spread of the large snail in the Moscow region. The day before, recommendations were put forward on organizing protection sites for birds. They are under the protection of professionals, which will keep them safe. The snails found acceptable living conditions and a suitable climate. Now you can be sure that everything will be fine, and perhaps the species will “grow” and spread to other areas.

Video: Great snail (Tringa nebularia)

Vida

Appearance and behavior. The largest of the snails, almost the size of a pigeon, with a relatively long beak and long legs. The general color tone, except for the white belly, is light gray. The wings are long, sharp and narrow. Body length 30–35 cm, wingspan 53–60 cm, weight 135–270 g. Males and females are equally colored.

Description. Adult birds in breeding plumage are white below, with brownish-black longitudinal stripes on the throat, neck, chest and sides. The head and neck are also dotted with black longitudinal stripes. The interscapular and humeral regions, as well as the wings above, are gray and black, with white spots and black transverse stripes. The middle of the back and rump are white. In a flying bird, the white coloring of these parts of the body is clearly visible in the form of a wedge extending far onto the back. The underside of the wing is light. The tail feathers are white with a brown transverse pattern. The tail is straight cut, only the central pair of tail feathers is slightly longer than the others and has grayish tips. In a flying bird, only the fingers protrude beyond the edge of the tail. The legs are olive-greenish or greenish-gray. There is a very small membrane between the bases of the middle and outer fingers; between the middle and inner fingers it is practically not expressed. The beak is gray-slate, powerful, with a characteristic slight upward bend in the anterior third. Brown rainbow.

Adult birds in winter plumage are white below with brown spots on the front and sides of the neck. The pattern of the upper body is similar to that of birds in summer, but the dark areas of the plumage are generally gray. The middle of the forehead and sides of the head are white. A young bird in youthful plumage is brownish-brown above with pale buffy feather edges. The underside of the body is white, on the sides of the neck and chest there are brown longitudinal stripes and a faint brown transverse wavy pattern. The middle pair of tail feathers is the same color as the neighboring ones.

Young birds in their first winter plumage are similar to adults in winter, but the middle pair of tail feathers is without gray tips. The downy chick is light brownish above with blackish, irregularly shaped spots, and pure white below. A wide black stripe runs along the middle of the back, and a pale ocher stripe runs along its sides. The forehead is white, a black stripe runs from the base of the beak through the middle of the forehead to the crown, another black stripe stretches from the beak to the eye through the frenulum. The middle of the crown is black with pale buffy spots and stripes. A white stripe runs above the eye to the back of the head. It differs from other snails in its large size and rather powerful long beak with a characteristic slight upward bend in the apical third. The white color from the loin and rump extends at an angle far down the back.

In a flying bird, only the ends of the fingers protrude beyond the edge of the tail, which, together with its large size and powerful beak, distinguishes the large snail well from.

Voice. The call in flight is a loud two-syllable “ tyyu-lyuyuv" or three-syllable " wow-wow-wow" When taking off from the ground they emit a loud, powerful " thuy" or " bye bye" Current song - loud, leisurely " tu-ve, tu-ve, tu-ve..." or " aphids, aphids, aphids..." The cry of concern near the brood is a sharp loud " bye bye bye bye...».

Distribution, status. Forest zone of Eurasia from Scotland and the Scandinavian Peninsula to Kamchatka and the lower reaches of the Amur. In the north it reaches the forest-tundra, in the south up to the subzone of mixed forests, in Western Siberia in places it extends into the forest-steppe. In the European part of Russia it breeds from forest-tundra to mixed forests, most common in the middle and northern taiga. Winters in Africa, the Middle East, the southern Caspian Sea, Pakistan, India, Indochina, eastern China, Indonesia and Australia.

Lifestyle. It arrives at breeding sites early, at the beginning of the growing season of semi-aquatic vegetation - from mid-April in the south of the breeding range to mid-May in the north, in the forest-tundra. Flies singly or in flocks. To feed and rest, it stops along the banks of rivers in floodplain floodplains and near lakes with grassy banks, in sedge and cotton grass watershed swamps. After being distributed among the territories, the males begin mating. During lekking flight, which is an alternation of ascents and descents, the male flies over his area with a song. After the formation of a pair, the intensity of the current decreases. A couple from a couple settles at a considerable distance. Nesting habitats are grass and sedge-moss bogs, damp meadows, overgrown peat quarries, grassy shores of forest lakes, extensive clearings among pine forests, raised bogs, heather wastelands, forest-tundra shrub woodlands with swamps.

The nest is located on the ground among dense low-growing bushes, often near a small tree or stump, on moss hummocks, between fallen trees in clearings, between stones on bushy mountain slopes, in any case, near a large noticeable object. The clutch consists of 4 pear-shaped eggs, in which blackish or reddish-brown large and small spots are scattered over a pale-brown, pale-olive or cream background. The nest has a thick lining of moss, lichens, fragments of twigs, pieces of pine bark, stems of herbaceous plants, that is, those materials that can be found in the immediate vicinity of the nest. Both parents incubate the clutch for 24–25 days. When there is danger, they take off in advance or hide, leaving the nest only when a person comes close. If nests are destroyed, they can nest again. When there is disturbance at the nest or near the chicks, they fly out towards danger, fly around with frequent screams, sometimes imitate an attack, and often perch on the tops of trees.

After the chicks hatch, the families move to the shore of a pond, to a swamp, or to a damp place in a forest or meadow. The chicks swim well, willingly go into the water and swim across small bodies of water. Both parents lead the chicks; in some cases, the female leaves the brood before the young birds take wing. The chicks become flightable at the age of about a month. It feeds mainly on aquatic insects - water striders and other water bugs, dipteran larvae, dragonflies, as well as fish fry. During wintering, it eats small crabs, mollusks, and polychaetes. It catches prey in the water, and often goes deep into it, plunging up to its belly, and also collects silt or damp sand from the surface. Probes the sludge regularly. When fishing, it runs through shallow water and makes deft sharp turns with its whole body from side to side, while plunging its beak and sometimes even its head into the water. He grabs the fish across the body with the end of his beak, then turns it with sharp movements so that the head is directed towards the throat, and then swallows it.

Kulik-Selyanets (formerly - Ulіt Vyalyki)

Brest region - single registrations in the east

Vitebsk region - nesting

Gomel region - single registrations in the west

Minsk region - extreme north and extreme northeast

Mogilev region - west and center

Snipe family - Scolopacidae.

Monotypic species, does not form subspecies.

Rare breeding migratory species. Nesting has been proven by only a few finds in the Vitebsk region: 06/21/1975 a downy chick was caught in the Berezinsky Nature Reserve; 05/06/1987 a nest with a clutch of 4 fresh eggs was found in the Liozny district; On May 21, 1995, a nest with 4 fresh eggs was found in the Shumilinsky district; On May 18, 2002, another nest with 3 fresh eggs was found in the same place. One of the last finds of 4 pairs + chick occurred on May 26, 2013 in the Krasny Bor nature reserve, Rossonsky district. Also, individual pairs of large snail with obvious signs of nesting behavior were recorded in spring and summer in raised bogs in other areas of the Vitebsk region. (Miory, Sharkovshchinsky, Vitebsk).

In addition, large snails with signs of nesting behavior were recorded in some swamp areas of the Mogilev, Gomel and Brest regions, but nesting here requires confirmation by finds of nests or flightless chicks. In the southern part of the republic, in the summer it is recorded in the Olmansky swamps, where there is probably an isolated settlement, since the species has been proven to nest in the border regions of Ukraine.

Relatively large sandpiper. The color of the plumage is very similar to the porcupine, the main differences being its noticeably larger size and a slightly upturned beak. The upperparts are light brown with white streaks, especially on the front of the back. Its back and lower back are white. The underparts are also white, but there are black-brown longitudinal streaks on the crop and chest. The outer tail feathers are white, the middle pair is smoky gray with dark transverse stripes. The beak is of medium length, laterally compressed and noticeably bent upward. Its color is dark brown. Legs are brownish-green. Brown rainbow. Male weight 155-180 g, female 148-195 g. Body length (both sexes) 33-37 cm, wingspan 62-70 cm. Male wing length 18-19 cm, tail 7.5-8.5 cm, tarsus 6.5-7 cm, beak 5-6 cm. Wing length of females 18-19.5 cm, beak 4.5-6 cm, tarsus 6-6.5 cm.

Like other snails, they willingly perch on trees, especially on dry tops and branches. They do not form large flocks. Even during flights they stay in small groups. Very careful birds.

The large ulit lives mainly in forest swamps or swampy river floodplains adjacent to the forest, along the banks of forest lakes, among vast raised and transitional swamps, sparsely overgrown with swamp pine and shrubs. Sometimes it settles in open areas of floodplain meadows, overgrown with tall grass, shrubs and solitary trees.

A characteristic nesting bird of the raised swamps of the Belarusian Lake District. It is most numerous in the ridge-lake complex of vegetation and near large swamp lakes with rafting shores. It is also found in the ridge-hollow complex with pine, giving preference to rafting areas.

It nests in separate pairs, choosing the most remote uninhabited areas. When nesting, the most secretive of the waders in Poozerie, as a rule, makes a nest in swamp pine forests, even in very closed wild rosemary on low manes and along the edges of islands, in groves along the shores of swamp lakes.

Most often, ulit was observed in flooded open areas. However, the first nest of the great snail, discovered on May 6, 1987, was located in a sphagnum pine forest along the edge of a small raised bog in the Liozno district of the Vitebsk region. The nest was located on a hummock, open, near several pine trees: one dry (3 m high) and two green (1.7 and 2.0 m high).

The nest is made on the ground, usually in a dry place, under the cover of a bush or near the trunk of a fallen tree.

The nest is a hole trampled in a moss hummock, hidden among sedge, heather or wild rosemary, lined with dry blades of grass, pine needles, and moss.

The tray of the first nest found was abundantly lined with dry pine needles with a small admixture of small heather branches.

When examining one incomplete clutch of three eggs on May 18, 2002, there was no lining in the tray; in other nests with full clutches, the trays were lined with dry leaves of blueberry, bog myrtle, and thin flakes of pine bark. Also, pine needles were always present in the tray, since the nests were often located under the cover of swamp pines, often on moss hummocks near the trunk. Another interesting feature of large snails is that they almost always make nests next to the dry trunks of fallen swamp pine trees.

Nest dimensions: tray diameter 9.3–14.0 cm, average 11.9±0.6 cm; tray depth 3.5–7.5 cm, average 5.3±0.5 cm.

Vladimir Bondar. Zatoka "Tehnopribor", env. Mogilev

A full clutch contains 4 eggs, in exceptional cases 5. In Europe, isolated finds of clutches consisting of 7 or 8 eggs (belonging to more than one female) are known. In the examined complete clutches in Poozerie there were 3–4 eggs, on average 3.9±0.1 eggs per clutch. The eggs are pear-shaped. The shell is slightly shiny, sometimes matte. The color of its main background varies from light yellowish-brown or dark creamy to yellowish-gray. Large and small surface spots, sometimes larger strokes or relatively small specks and specks of a dark or black-brown or light red-brown color. They are distributed evenly or concentrated predominantly at the obtuse pole. The deeper spots are light gray, violet-gray and brownish-gray. Egg sizes: 32.7–42.4x46.7–55.0 mm, on average 34.7±0.3x49.9±0.3 mm. Egg weight is 25.70–32.56 g, on average 28.96 ± 0.37 g.

The bird begins nesting in early May, but fresh clutches can be found in the first ten days of this month. In friendly warm springs, fresh clutches in Poozerie were found from May 6 to 8, and in cold, protracted springs, an incomplete clutch of three eggs was examined on May 18 and a complete fresh clutch in another nest on May 21. Clutches of varying degrees of incubation were examined from May 9 to May 23. A newly dried chick was found on April 25, 2008, 23 m from the nest (in the nest itself there was a dead downy chick and egg shells). Chicks in downy plumage, but of different sizes, were seen from June 15 to June 21; a chick that began to fledge was observed on June 10, 2000.

There is one brood per year. The male and female incubate the clutch for 24-25 days; later, both birds lead the chicks and protect the brood in case of danger. Large snails incubate the eggs very tightly: they fly up 1.5–5 m from the researcher and sometimes move away, pretending to be a wounded bird.

Immediately after hatching, the large snail transfers the chicks to flooded open areas, where adult birds become very noticeable by their alarm cries heard from afar.

The autumn migration begins in mid-August and continues throughout September.

The food of the large snail is various invertebrates, primarily insects and their larvae (including aquatic ones), arachnids, and small mollusks.

Adult large snails are found in the prey of the golden eagle, and chicks are found in the prey of the merlin.

The number of large snail in those raised bogs of the Belarusian Lake District where it nests ranges from 1 pair per 10 km² (in swamps with an area of ​​at least 1000 hectares) to 6 pairs per 10 km² (in smaller swamps). The drainage reclamation of raised bogs and, to a lesser extent, the disturbance factor have a significant impact on the number of large snails in the Belarusian Lake District.

Included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus.

The maximum age recorded in Europe is 24 years 5 months.

Vladimir Bondar. Zatoka "Tehnopribor", env. Mogilev

Literature

1. Grichik V.V., Burko L.D. "Fauna of Belarus. Vertebrates: textbook" Minsk, 2013. -399 p.

2. Nikiforov M. E., Yaminsky B. V., Shklyarov L. P. “Birds of Belarus: A guide to nests and eggs” Minsk, 1989. -479 p.

3. Fedyushin A.V., Dolbik M.S. “Birds of Belarus”. Minsk, 1967. -521 p.

4. Ivanovsky V.V., Vorobiev V.N., Mindlin G.A. "Materials on the ecology of waders of the Belarusian Lake District" / Bulletin of the Vitsebsk State University. 2015. No. 1. P.38-43

5. Minutes of the meeting of the Belarusian Ornithological and Faunal Commission (BOFK) dated February 17, 2015.

6. Mongin E. A. “Big snail” / Red Book of the Republic of Belarus. Animals. Rare and endangered species of wild animals. Ed. 2nd. Minsk, 2006. P.126-127

7. Kozlov V.P., Lychkovsky B.D. “On the nesting of the great snail in the Belarusian Poozerie” / Abstracts of the 12th Baltic Ornithological Conference. Vilnius, 1988. P.94-95.

8. Fransson, T., Jansson, L., Kolehmainen, T., Kroon, C. & Wenninger, T. (2017) EURING list of longevity records for European birds.

Great Snail - Tringa nebularia

Appearance.

Lifestyle.

Reference books by geographer and traveler V.E. Flint, R.L. Boehme, Yu.V. Kostin, A.A. Kuznetsov. Birds of the USSR. Publishing house "Mysl" Moscow, edited by prof. G.P. Dementieva.