It is spring, the forest of Daxing'anling is full of life, a flying dragon bird walking in the snow in the forest, it is draped in colorful feathers, making a beautiful song, as if calling friends. Unfortunately, not only did it not summon its kind, but it was targeted by the predator Sable. The Wyvern bird is one of the sable's favorite foods, only to see it sneak silently through the snow, approach the Wyvern Bird, and then fight to bite the Wyvern Bird.
This flying dragon bird was also quite clever, and found the natural enemy coming in time, sprinted a few steps, and suddenly took off, flying from the ground to the branches. The sable missed a blow and lost the opportunity, but seeing that the food in its mouth refused to give up, it made a frightened posture and wanted to climb up to the tree to catch the flying dragon bird. But the sable ran under the tree, and the dragon bird flapped its wings again and flew to another tree.
Almost eaten by the sable, the dragon bird was obviously frightened, and after escaping with the help of branches, stayed in the tree all day until it was dark, and buried itself in the snow nest to sleep.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >01 was a tribute to the royal family in ancient times and is now a protected rare species</h1>
The Chinese scientific name of the flying dragon bird is the flower tail hazel chicken, commonly known as "flying dragon", and the name is very domineering and stylish. Biologically , the Wyvern belongs to the suborder Chickaceae , Grouse family , and Hazelnut genus.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the flying dragon bird was listed as a treasure dedicated to the imperial family, exclusively for the emperor and nobles to enjoy, known as the "year of the common bird", ordinary people generally do not have the opportunity to see this beautiful appearance, delicious flesh of the bird.
It is said that the Qianlong Emperor liked to eat dishes made of flying dragon birds, because it was delicious and unforgettable, and it was also known as "heavenly dragon meat". I just want to say that in order to eat a chicken, it is really a lot of tricks.
However, the flower-tailed hazelnut is not without reason for its called the flying dragon bird, its neck bones are long and curved, like a keel; its claws are strange and unique, with scales on the claw surface, resembling dragon claws. Therefore, the flower-tailed hazel chicken is a veritable "flying dragon".
Its feathers can be made into ornaments, and its flesh can be eaten, but due to human hunting and habitat destruction, this beautiful creature has become very rare and even endangered.
The flying dragon bird is distributed in the forests of the Daxing'an Mountains and Changbai Mountains in the northeast, and is now a national second-level protected animal, so you can't harm it!
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02 is active in pine trees during the day and buried in snow nests at night to avoid sables</h1>
The Wyvern is rounded, with chestnut-brown feathers covering the whole body, covered with speckled stripes, which are easier to hide in the woods. During the day, it always likes to stay among the branches of pine branches, even under the trees, and walk slowly in the bushes.
Their vigilance is very high, they are easily frightened, and once they find that there is wind and grass around them, they will run a few steps to take off, or take off directly, fly to the tree, and use the branches to hide and escape.
Due to its lack of resistance and combat effectiveness, the flying dragon bird has become the prey object of many predators, and its natural enemies include sables, long-tailed forest owls, green ferrets, golden eagles, sparrowhawks, lynxes, foxes and so on.
The flying dragon bird is most afraid of sables, the little guy is agile and fast, can climb trees, and if he is bitten, he will die. So if the dragon bird is targeted by the sable, the most effective way to escape is to run from the tree, fly from this tree to another tree, until it gets rid of the sable.
In winter, covered with snow, the dragon bird is almost all day long in the trees, feeding on the trees, resting or frolicking in the trees. Its claws have ctenophoric edges that can grasp ice-slippery branches.
But at night, they would get off the tree and headlong into the snow nest to sleep. According to the researchers, the wyvern bird will insert its head under the snow, poke a small hole in the snow meter to breathe air, and the tail feathers block the entrance.
Hiding in a snow nest overnight may seem silly, but it's actually a clever thing to do. The Wyvern covers itself with heavy snow and hides, making it impossible for predators such as sables to detect its existence. In addition, the temperature under the snow is higher than the outside temperature, which can also play a warm role.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03 stands on a branch and pecks at the buds until it fills up</h1>
Although the Wyvern Bird has such a domineering name, in fact, its appearance is not mighty nor beautiful, and its personality is relatively docile and quiet. Survive in nature, learn to be a bird in a low profile, not noisy, better hide yourself.
They are more adaptable to the environment, especially like to stay in the coniferous broad-leaved forest, often in groups of three or five, adult dragon birds often walk with male and female, inseparable from their partners, strengthening the vigilance against natural enemies.
When foraging, they disperse, keeping a distance from each other and communicating with each other with their calls. The Wyvern especially prefers to eat pine nuts, hazelnuts, acorns, and the buds, tender tips, and inflorescences of willow pine trees.
The recipes are extensive, and the foods that are eaten vary as the seasons change. Spring and summer are dominated by the green part of the plant; in winter, the basic food is the branches and a small number of inflorescences.
Occasionally, the Wyvern bird will also eat some lepidoptera insects, snails, ants and its eggs to change flavors and supplement nutrition.
They will be on different branches, their claws clutching the branches, extending their necks to peck at the buds on the branches. The amount of food is not small, it is a foodie, and it will not stop eating until it is filled.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >04 Spring males occupy the territory for courtship, and females leave the nest and cover their eggs with dead leaves</h1>
After the cold winter, everything recovers, and the wyvern bird also enters the breeding season, the male's body feathers are more vivid, the black feathers in the throat are particularly prominent, and the eyelids on the upper part of the eyes become, announcing the division of their territory through the song.
When courting, the male's tail opens like a feather fan, and the crown of the feather rises, and the wings are also flapping while running. After each occupies the territory, the males will fight with each other, and if there is an intruder, they will be ruthlessly driven away.
For the fight between the males, the females are indifferent and leisurely forage for food. After choosing a mate, the male and female birds will chirp and call each other, inseparable.
The female bird will choose to nest in a hidden place under the roots of the tree, pick a shallow pit, lay a few leaves, and finish. Each clutch lays 8-14 eggs, and the female incubates the eggs alone. During the incubation process, when it needs to leave the nest to forage, it will cleverly cover the eggs with dead leaves to keep the nest consistent with its surroundings, so as to avoid predators from sneaking in.
After 21-25 days of careful incubation, the chicks break out of their shells, and after a while the feathers dry out, they can follow the mother bird out of the nest. The mother bird is busy raising the chicks, taking them to forage for food, and teaching them to find food to fill their stomachs.
In the summer, the food is abundant, but the harsh climate is also more frequent, during this time the chicks have just grown feathers, the waterproof function of the feathers is not perfect, the most susceptible to rainfall and temperature, the weaker individuals will face the risk of death.
After the summer, the chicks gradually grew up and took the shape of an adult wyvern. They will leave the family group and spread to other groups.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
The flying dragon bird was once a treasure of the tribute royal family and a favorite dish of the Qianlong Emperor, but it was endangered due to man-made hunting and habitat destruction, and later under the protection of people, the population gradually stabilized.
Snow Spirit Valley Animal Lab/Production
Biology graduate student Lin Xue/Writer
References: Zoology of China, China Forestry Network, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Geography of China