Huxiang Natural Calendar丨 "Teletubbies" is "Foodie among Birds"

Huxiang Natural Calendar丨 "Teletubbies" is "Foodie among Birds"

Thursday, September 23, 2021 The 1st day of the autumn equinox

Wearing a phoenix crown on his head, a colorful robe, and red boots on his feet... At first glance, the crested wheat chicken only feels that it is gorgeously dressed and elegant, but when you look at the top of its head, a slender and slightly forward-curved black crown feather protrudes on each side, but it is very cute like a "teletubbies", some cute.

In the north of China, the crested wheat chicken is a summer migratory bird, and the southern part is a winter migratory bird. In the spring, they migrate to the Northeast breeding grounds as early as early to mid-March, and leave the breeding grounds in mid-to-late September. Crested wheat chickens are very collective, especially in winter, often migrating in large groups of tens to hundreds.

Although the crested wheat chicken is not large, the body length is only about 30 cm, but their diet and food intake are amazing, they are typical "foodies", can swallow frogs raw, or some invertebrates that are not very large.

In order to fill their stomachs more easily, crested wheat chickens are mainly active in plain areas. These areas often have vast farmlands that don't require much effort to feast on.

Crested wheat chickens like to eat locusts and are very popular with farmers. Therefore, areas with a large number of crested wheat chickens are not prone to locust infestation.

In addition to locusts, crested wheat chickens also eat a variety of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and beetles. In short, all kinds of agricultural pests within the habitat range cannot escape the ruthless iron mouth of the crested wheat chicken.

Of course, crested wheat chickens don't just eat meat, they also eat vegetarian. For a balanced diet, plant seeds or young leaves are occasionally eaten.

As for the crested wheat chickens that do not live in the farmland, the food is more miscellaneous. Their fishing and shrimp catching skills are good, and many meals are solved by river fresh.

Crested wheat chickens, which live in hilly and mountainous areas, will prey on small animals such as snails and earthworms.

In short, within the scope of the stomach and intestines, the crested wheat chicken can be said to eat everything, and it is a well-deserved "foodie among birds".

【Small business card】

Crested wheat chicken, also known as tianjie, is a medium-sized wader of the genus Wheat chicken in the family Ploveraceae, with a body length of 29–34 cm. The top of the head has slender, slightly curved black crown feathers, which resemble the corners protruding from the top of the head, which are very eye-catching. The length of the nasal groove is more than half the length of the mouth. The wings are round. The taddle is slender and the lower part of the shin is also naked. The middle toe is the longest, with or without webbing between the toes, and the posterior toes are small or degenerate. The caudal shape is short and rounded, and the tail feathers are 12 pieces.

Crested wheat chicken is distributed in most parts of China. It is a winter migratory bird in Hunan, and wintering populations in lakes, rivers and farmland in the Dongting Lake area of northern Hunan and the hilly area of the Xiangzhong Plain are more common.

Text/Peng Kexin Photo/Zhang Jingming Design/Ye Yanna Think Tank/Zhang Zhiqiang Coordinator/Zhou Yuegui Special Support/Hunan Forestry Bureau

[Editor-in-Charge: Meng Jiaoyan]

[Source: Hunan Daily· New Hunan Client]