Original: Bode Eco Center
Bode Kop 丨 "Diving YoungSter" --- little partridge
Realm: Animal kingdom Animalia
Phylum: Chordata phylum Chordata
Order: Ornithischia Aves
Eyes: Podicipediformes
Family: Podicedidae
Genus: Partridge Tachybaptus
Species: Tachybaptus ruficollis
Xiao pi'ti is one of the most common water birds in China, and they are widely distributed and can be seen in most of the open water in eastern China. Its range includes: Africa, Eurasia, India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia to northern New Guinea...
This kind of water bird, which is often mistaken for a small duck, is also often called "water hyacinth, wang eight duck, oil duck", which belongs to a kind of game bird. They are small, only 25-29cm...
During the breeding season, the small will be replaced with bright feathers, the throat and front neck are red, the top of the head and the back of the neck are dark gray-brown, the upper body is brown, the lower body is gray, and there are obvious yellow mouth spots...
(Smallbreeding feathers)
In the non-breeding feather period, its plumage color is relatively dull, the most obvious red feathers on the cheeks and neck become brown, the upper body is gray-brown, the lower body is white...
(Smallnon-breeding feathers)
Sometimes, when you approach the shore of a pool or lake, a small suddenly jumps out of the grass at the water's edge, staged a "light water float", flying on the water and running, running at great speed in the direction of the lake, as if the martial arts master in the TV series walks on the water with light skill. This exaggerated escape method also makes the small have a high degree of recognition...
(Running on the water)
They are good at swimming and diving, preying on aquatic insects, fish, shrimp, etc. underwater, diving time usually reaches 35 seconds to 45 seconds, and the diving distance is between 1-10m...
(Excellent fishing skills)
Every year from April to May, male and female small partridges chase each other on the surface of the water to make a breeding season-specific call: a repetitive high-pitched squeak...
After a brief marriage proposal, the married couple begins to build a nest and have children...
They use materials such as reeds and aquatic weeds to build nests, usually in hidden places with reeds, bushes and aquatic weeds nearby. The stained white eggs have irregular melasma spots, which are blunt and round in shape, and there are 6-7 eggs per clutch, and the parents take turns to incubate the eggs. When the parent bird leaves the egg, it will cover the egg with its mouth...
(Small in the hatching egg)
After 19-24 days of hatching small partridge, the newborn little partridge feathers are black, immediately able to swim and dive, at the beginning of life the little partridge is mainly fed by parents to insects...
(Newly hatched small )
(Brood in the brood)
Soon after birth, the young bird can follow its parents to the open water, and the black and white patterns slowly begin to appear on the body...
(Young birds snuggle up next to their parents)
Over time, young birds grow rapidly, and soon they will be able to take on the size of their parents and begin to face this cruel and beautiful natural world independently...