Who among us does not know pigeons? Has anyone heard that there are green pigeons? It turns out that amazing birds really exist... but where?

These birds with green plumage live in southern Asia and some areas of Africa. It is almost impossible to see such a creature in the wild, and all because the bird blends in with the green foliage that surrounds it. Even if a flock of these unique birds sits on a tree, it will be difficult to distinguish.

In our country, these birds can be observed in the Primorsky Territory and nearby areas. In addition, the green dove has chosen a part of the Kuril ridge, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island.

What does a bird called a green dove look like?

In principle, this bird is no different from the usual urban central part of Russia, with the exception of body coloring.

Green pigeons grow up to 30 centimeters in length, and their weight ranges from 250 to 300 grams.

The body constitution of the bird is squat. The tail is not long at all, and the legs have feathering. The wing length of this bird is about 20 - 25 centimeters.

Depending on the variety, the plumage of pigeons can be diluted with other colors. For example, there are individuals with a pink neck that stands out against the general green background of the body, and some others.

What is the green pigeon's lifestyle in nature?

Representatives of this genus can be observed in mixed and deciduous forests. They prefer trees such as bird cherry, cherry, elderberry, and grape vines, because their food is located on these trees.

They can live both on plains and in mountainous areas. Green pigeons move very quickly from branch to branch. Their entire life mainly passes in the crowns of trees, and on the ground they can only be found in search of drink.

The flight of these birds is also very dexterous and fast. Green pigeons are very maneuverable in the air.

Sometimes these birds scream loudly while flying above the ground. But their screams bear little resemblance to the sounds made by the pigeons we are used to. The voice of green pigeons is more like the croaking of a frog or the yelp of a small puppy. Sometimes these birds simply whistle, for which they are also popularly called whistling pigeons.

What do green pigeons eat?

These birds are herbivores. They feast on a variety of berries, figs, fruits and other “delicacies” of plant origin.

Breeding green pigeons

At the moment, little is known about the breeding of offspring by these birds. Perhaps it's all about their secretive lifestyle. It can be assumed that reproduction in green pigeons occurs in approximately the same way as in other brothers in the family.

We are so accustomed to the sight of city sisars that it is not easy for us to imagine that a dove could be any other color. Of course, this does not apply to decorative breeds.

In Japan there is a bird of the pigeon family called the Japanese green pigeon. But this pigeon is not a fan of big cities, it does not beg for food from people, but lives quite solitary. This is a very cautious and timid bird, which, of course, creates obstacles for ornithologists in studying it. The nests of these birds are located in trees almost 20 meters from the ground

This bright relative of the Russian sisar can reach a length of 35 centimeters and weighs about three hundred grams. The main color of this bird is yellowish-green, but the wings and tail are brighter. Japanese green pigeons live mainly in subtropical forests. But the bird is considered little studied due to its shy nature.

The Japanese green pigeon feeds on plant foods similar to what parrots eat. The basis of its diet is berries and fruits (bird cherry, cherry, honeysuckle, fig tree fruits, etc.). Japanese green pigeons are monogamous and live in families. When there is a lack of food, they can fly long distances in flocks to find food. Among natural enemies this type predator birds– peregrine falcons.

In Russia, this bird is found in very limited habitats in the Primorsky Territory and Sakhalin and is listed in the Red Book.

As you know, forests are not only the lungs of the planet and a storehouse of various berries, mushrooms and medicinal herbs, but also home to many amazing animals. In this regard, we are telling you about some rare animals that live in Russian forests.

Musk deer

This small deer-like animal with fangs lives in the mountain coniferous forests of the Sayans, Altai, Transbaikalia and Primorye. Despite its terrifying appearance, the musk deer feeds exclusively on vegetation. However, the musk deer is notable not only for this, but also for its attractive smell, which lures females for mating. This smell appears due to the musk gland located in the male’s belly next to the genitourinary canal.

As you know, musk is a valuable component of various medicines and perfumes. And it is precisely because of this that musk deer often become the prey of hunters and poachers. Another reason why this unusual animal is considered an endangered species is that its range is shrinking due to increased economic activity humans (mainly with deforestation).

One solution to the problem of preserving the species in the wild is farm breeding musk deer and selection of musk from living males. However, breeding musk deer is not as easy as, for example, cows.

Japanese green pigeon

This unusual bird, about 33 cm long and weighing approximately 300 grams, has a bright yellowish-green color. It is common in Southeast Asia, but is also found in the Sakhalin region (Crillon Peninsula, Moneron Islands and South Kuril Islands). The bird inhabits deciduous and mixed forests with an abundance of cherry and bird cherry trees, elderberry bushes and other plants, the fruits of which it feeds on.

The Japanese green pigeon is a rare species, and therefore little is known about its life. Today scientists know that green pigeons are monogamous birds. They weave their nests from thin twigs and place them in trees at a height of up to 20 meters. It is believed that partners hatch eggs in turns for 20 days. And after this, helpless, down-covered chicks are born, which will learn to fly only after five weeks. However, pairs or flocks of green pigeons are rarely seen in Russia; most often they are noticed alone.

Far Eastern or Amur leopards

These graceful cats today inhabit the forests of the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang and the Primorsky Territory of Russia. In this small territory (an area of ​​about 5000 km²), about forty of these cats live today, 7-12 individuals of which live in China, and 20-25 in Russia.

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, there were much more rare cats, and their range covered a considerable territory - the eastern and northeastern parts of China, the Korean Peninsula, the Amur, Primorsky and Ussuri territories. However, between 1970 and 1983, the Far Eastern leopard lost 80% of its territory! The main reasons then were forest fires and the conversion of forest areas for agriculture.

Today, the Amur leopard continues to lose its territory and also suffers from a lack of food. After all, roe deer, spotted deer and other ungulates, which this leopard hunts, a huge number killed by poachers. And since the Far Eastern leopard has beautiful fur, it itself is a very desirable trophy for poachers.

Also, due to the lack of suitable food in the wild, Far Eastern leopards are forced to go to reindeer herding farms in search of it. There, predators are often killed by the owners of these farms. And on top of that, due to the small size of the population of Amur leopards, it will be very difficult for representatives of the subspecies to survive during various disasters like a fire.

However, all this does not mean that the subspecies will soon disappear. Today there are still large areas of forest that provide suitable habitat for the Far Eastern leopard. And if these areas can be preserved and protected from fires and poaching, then the population of these amazing animals in the wild will increase.

Interestingly, Far Eastern leopards are the only leopards that have been able to learn to live and hunt in harsh winter conditions. In this, by the way, they are helped by long hair, as well as strong and long legs, which allow them to catch up with prey while moving through the snow. However, Amur leopards are not only good hunters, but also exemplary family men. Indeed, sometimes males stay with females after mating and even help them with raising kittens, which, in principle, is not typical for leopards.

Alkina

These butterflies live in the southwest of Primorsky Krai and are found along streams and rivers in mountain forests, where the food plant of the caterpillars of the species, the Manchurian liana, grows. Most often, male butterflies fly to the flowers of this plant, and females sit in the grass most of the time. Alkinoe females tend to linger on this plant to lay eggs on its leaves.

Today, due to disturbance of the habitat of kirkazona and its collection as a medicinal plant, its quantity in nature is decreasing, which, of course, affects the number of alkinoe. On top of everything else, butterflies suffer because they are collected by collectors.

bison

Previously, these animals were widespread in the territory former USSR, but by the beginning of the 20th century they were preserved only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the Caucasus. However, even there their numbers were steadily declining. For example, by 1924, only 5-10 bison remained in the Caucasus. The main reasons for the decline of bison were their extermination by hunters and poachers, as well as destruction during military operations.

The restoration of their numbers began in 1940 in the Caucasus Nature Reserve, and now bison inhabit two regions in Russia - the North Caucasus and the center of the European part. In the North Caucasus, bison live in Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and the Stavropol Territory. And in the European part there are isolated herds of bison in the Tver, Vladimir, Rostov and Vologda regions.

Bison have always been inhabitants of deciduous and mixed forests, but avoided extensive forest areas. In the Western Caucasus, these animals live mainly at an altitude of 0.9 - 2.1 thousand meters above sea level, often going out into clearings or treeless slopes, but never moving away from forest edges.

By appearance The bison is very similar to its American relative, the bison. Nevertheless, it is still possible to distinguish them. First of all, the bison has a higher hump and longer horns and tail than the bison. And in the hot months, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair (it even seems that it is bald), while the bison has hair of the same length all over its body at any time of the year.

The bison is listed in the Red Book of Russia as an endangered species and today lives in many nature reserves and zoos.

Fish owl

This species settles along the banks of rivers in the Far East from Magadan to the Amur region and Primorye, as well as on Sakhalin and the Southern Kuril Islands. The fish owl prefers to live in the hollows of old trees with an abundance of aquatic prey nearby, however, old forests and hollow trees are often cut down, which inevitably displaces these birds from their habitats. In addition, fish eagle owls are caught by poachers, and they often fall into traps while trying to pull the bait out of them. The development of water tourism on the Far Eastern rivers and, consequently, increased disturbance of these birds gradually leads to a decrease in the number of eagle owls and interferes with their reproduction. All this has led to the fact that today this species is endangered.

The fish owl is one of the largest owls in the world, as well as the largest member of its genus. Interestingly, these birds can hunt in two different ways. Most often, the fish eagle looks for fish while sitting on a stone in the river, from the shore or from a tree hanging over the river. Having noticed the prey, the eagle owl dives into the water and instantly grabs it with its sharp claws. And when this predator tries to catch sedentary fish, crayfish or frogs, it simply enters the water and probes the bottom with its paw in search of prey.

Giant noctule

This bat, the largest in Russia and Europe, lives in deciduous forests in the territory from the western borders of our country to the Orenburg region, as well as from the northern borders to the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions. There they settle in tree hollows, 1-3 individuals each, in colonies of other bats (usually rufous and lesser noctules).

The giant noctule is a rare species, but ecologists do not know exactly what is causing their low numbers. According to scientists, the threat is posed by deforestation of broad-leaved forests. However, today there are no special measures to protect these animals, since it is not clear what measures will be effective.

It's interesting that these the bats They hunt large beetles and moths, flying over forest edges and ponds. However, analysis of blood and droppings showed that these animals also feed on small birds during migrations, however, this has never been recorded.

Sky barbel

In Russia, in the south of the Primorsky Territory (in the Terneysky, Ussuriysky, Shkotovsky, Partizansky and Khasansky districts) a beetle with a bright blue color lives. It lives in broadleaf forests mainly in the wood of the greenbark maple. There the female beetle lays eggs, and after about half a month the larvae appear. They develop in the wood for about 4 years, and then, in June, the larva gnaws out the “cradle” and pupates. After about 20 days, the beetle emerges from the wood and immediately begins to reproduce. He will spend all his strength on this for the rest of his life, which lasts only two weeks.

The barbel is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species whose numbers are declining. According to environmentalists, the reason for this is deforestation and a sharp decrease in the number of greenbark maples.

Himalayan or white-breasted bear

The Ussuri white-breasted bear inhabits the deciduous forests of the Primorsky Territory, the southern regions of the Khabarovsk Territory and the southeastern part of the Amur Region. Until 1998, it was listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species, and today it is a hunting species. However, if in the 90s its population was 4-7 thousand individuals, now this bear is on the verge of extinction (its population is up to 1 thousand individuals). The reason for this was, first of all, deforestation and mass hunting. The latter, by the way, was discussed during the international environmental forum “Nature without Borders” in Vladivostok, after which in 2006 a decision was made in the Primorsky Territory to introduce restrictions on hunting the Himalayan bear during hibernation.

The white-breasted bear leads a semi-arboreal lifestyle: in trees it obtains food and hides from enemies (these are mainly Amur tigers and brown bears). Almost the entire diet of this bear consists of plant foods, in particular nuts, fruits and berries, as well as shoots, bulbs and rhizomes. It also does not refuse to feast on ants, insects, mollusks and frogs.

Black stork

This is a widespread but rare species, the number of which is declining due to human economic activity, manifested in the clearing of forests and drainage of swamps. Today the bird is found in forests from Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions to Southern Primorye. The black stork prefers to settle near bodies of water in deep, old forests.

It is there, on old tall trees (and sometimes on rock ledges) that black storks build nests, which they will then use for several years. When the time comes to invite the female to the nest (around the end of March), the male fluffs up his white undertail and begins to emit a hoarse whistle. The eggs laid by the female (from 4 to 7 pieces) will be incubated by the partners in turn until the chicks hatch from them after 30 days.

Red or mountain wolf

This representative of the animal world has a body up to 1 meter long and can weigh from 12 to 21 kg. Outwardly, it can be confused with a fox, and this is precisely one of the main reasons for its extinction. Hunters who know a little about animals shoot mountain wolves in large numbers.

He attracted people's attention with his fluffy fur, which has a beautiful bright red color. It is also worth noting that his tail is slightly different from a fox's, having a black tip. The habitat of this wolf is the Far East, China and Mongolia.

Przewalski's horse

The Przewalski's horse is the only species of wild horse remaining on our planet. The ancestors of all domestic horses were other wild horses - tarpans, now extinct. In addition to the tarpan, a close relative of the Przewalski's horse can be considered the Asian donkey - the kulan.

The Przewalski's horse is considered a primitive species and, along with equines, retains some characteristics of a donkey. It differs from domestic horses in its dense build, short, strong neck, and low legs. Her ears are small, but her head, on the contrary, is large and heavy, like a donkey’s. A distinctive feature of wild horses is a stiff, erect mane without bangs. The color of Przewalski's horses is red with a lighter belly and muzzle. The mane, tail and legs are black.

Due to a lack of food resources and hunting, Przewalski's horses completely disappeared in nature by the 60s of the 20th century. But a large number of These animals are preserved in zoos around the world. As a result painstaking work It was possible to overcome the problems with inbreeding of Przewalski's horses and some of the individuals were released in the Khustan-Nuru Nature Reserve (Mongolia).

Interesting fact— as an experimental project, in the early 1990s, several individuals were released into the wild, and not just somewhere, but into the exclusion zone Chernobyl nuclear power plant. There they began to multiply, and now there are about one hundred of them in the zone.

Amur goral

The Amur goral is a subspecies of mountain goat named Goral, found in the Primorsky Territory in the amount of 600-700 goats and goats. Protected by the state. Friends and relatives of the Amur goral live in the Himalayas and Tibet, and correspond with the Amur goral extremely rarely.

Goral is afraid of the wolf and often dies from its arrogant teeth. In general, it seems that wolves are the most important goats. In fact, only a real goat can calmly eat the Amur goral, which is listed in the Red Book.

Western Caucasian tur or Caucasian mountain goat

The West Caucasian Tur lives in the Caucasus Mountains, namely along the Russian-Georgian border. It was recorded in the Red Book of Russia “thanks to” human activity, as well as due to mating with the East Caucasian aurochs. The latter leads to the birth of infertile individuals.

The number of these animals in the wild today is estimated at 10 thousand individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature gives Western Caucasian tur status “in danger”.

Asiatic cheetah

Previously, it could be found on a vast territory that stretched from the Arabian Sea to the valley of the Syrdarya River. Today in nature there are only about 10 individuals of this rare species, and in all zoos in the world you can count 23 representatives of the Asian cheetah.

The Asiatic cheetah is not much different in appearance from its African counterpart. An elegant body without a single hint of fat deposits, a powerful tail and a small muzzle, decorated with pronounced “tear tracks”. However, genetically these subspecies differ so much that the African cat will not be able to replenish the population of Asians.

The reasons for the disappearance of this animal were interference in the lives of human cats and the lack of their main food - ungulates. The predator cannot meet its nutritional needs with hares and rabbits and often attacks domestic animals.

This aristocratic cat considers it unworthy to hide in ambush during a hunt. It silently approaches the potential victim at a distance of up to 10 meters and instantly picks up a huge speed of up to 115 km/h and catches up with the prey, knocking down even large animals with a blow of its paw, and then strangling the victim. A hunter needs only 0.5 seconds to jump 6-8 meters long. However, the chase lasts only about 20 seconds; the cat spends too much energy on such a super-powerful jerk; the breathing rate in such a race exceeds 150 times per minute. Half the chases are unsuccessful, and while the cheetah is resting, its prey is often taken by larger cats. However, an Asian will never eat leftovers from other animals or carrion. Rather, he would prefer to go hunting again.

Probably, these beauties almost went extinct during the Ice Age, all representatives are close relatives, and even without human intervention, signs of inbreeding and extinction are clearly visible. There is too much mortality among cheetah kittens, more than half of them do not live to be 1 year old. In captivity, these predators practically do not produce offspring. In ancient times, when these hunting cats occupied a worthy place in the courts of high nobles and did not need anything, the birth of kittens was very rare.

Amur tiger

The Amur tiger is the largest tiger in the world. And the only one of the tigers who has mastered life in the snow. No other country in the world has such an asset. Without exaggeration, this is one of the most advanced predators among all others. Unlike the lion, which forms prides (families) and lives through collective hunts, the tiger is a distinct loner, and therefore requires the highest skill in hunting.

The tiger crowns the top of the food pyramid of a unique ecological system called the Ussuri taiga. Therefore, the state of the tiger population is an indicator of the state of the entire Far Eastern nature.

The fate of the Amur tiger is dramatic. IN mid-19th centuries it was numerous. IN late XIX V. Up to 100 animals were hunted annually. In the thirties of the last century, the tiger was occasionally found only in the most remote corners of the Ussuri taiga, difficult to reach by humans. The Amur tiger is on the verge of extinction due to unregulated shooting of adult individuals, intensive capture of tiger cubs, clearing of forests in the vicinity of some rivers and a decrease in the number of wild artiodactyl animals caused by increased hunting pressure and other reasons; Winters with little snow also had an adverse effect.

In 1935, a large and one-of-a-kind Sikhote-Alin State Nature Reserve was organized in the Primorsky Territory. Somewhat later - Lazovsky and Ussuriysky nature reserves. Since 1947, tiger hunting was strictly prohibited. Even the capture of tiger cubs for zoos was allowed only on occasion, with special permits. These measures turned out to be timely. Already in 1957, the number of Amur tigers almost doubled compared to the thirties, and by the early sixties it exceeded one hundred. The Amur tiger is protected by the state - it is listed in the Red Book Russian Federation, hunting and trapping of tigers is prohibited.

Since 1998, the federal target program “Conservation of the Amur Tiger”, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation, has been implemented. There are just over 500 Amur tigers left in the Far East. The country has a presidential program to protect them. Without exaggeration, every animal has a special place.

Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

Japanese green pigeon(lat. Treron sieboldii listen)) is a species of bird in the family Pigeonidae. The specific Latin name is given in honor of the German naturalist Philipp Siebold (1796-1866).

Characteristic

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Japanese green pigeon

The Japanese green pigeon (Treron sieboldii) can be called one of the most mysterious birds. For more than half a century, debates about its nesting in Kunashir have not subsided among ornithologists. The green dove is a very cautious and secretive bird, preferring to stay in the crowns of trees. Even in Japan, where it is more numerous and better studied, only a few nests are known “due to the difficulty of finding them.”

The increased interest in this bird did not arise by chance. Firstly, the Japanese green pigeon is the only representative of the genus Treron in the fauna of Russia. Its main range covers Southeast Asia and includes the Japanese archipelago, the islands of Taiwan and Hainan, southern and central China and Northern Vietnam. In Russia, the green pigeon is most often observed in Kunashir, as well as in the south of Sakhalin, Moneron and in the Primorsky Territory. In addition, it was celebrated on the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge, Raikok in the Middle Kuril Islands and the extreme south of Kamchatka.

Secondly, as a rare species with local distribution and low numbers, the green pigeon is included in Appendix 2 of the Red Book of Russia and in the main lists of the Red Books of the Sakhalin Region and Primorsky Territory.

And finally, since the 1960s, it has been noticed that he flies to Kunashir every year, spends the whole summer there, and leaves the island in the fall, as everyone else does migratory birds. That is why it was decided to analyze the available data on the green pigeon, accumulated in last years, and weigh the pros and cons of its nesting in Kunashir.

Conducting zoological research in the Southern Kuril Islands in 2013-2017, reserve staff met green pigeons more than 120 times. In the warm season, the green pigeon in Kunashir is a fairly common and widespread bird. It everywhere inhabits coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests on the Sea of ​​Okhotsk coast of the island, occasionally found on the Pacific coast, where dark coniferous forests predominate.

Green pigeons arrive from wintering grounds from Japan to Kunashir in the second or third ten days of April. They fly to their wintering grounds in the first half of October. Green pigeons begin to sing in the third ten days of May, and the last songs of males are recorded in early September. The main food of green pigeons are buds, flowers and fruits of various plants, which they eat as they mature.

Perhaps the most interesting and intriguing question regarding the green dove on Kunashir is the question - do these birds nest on the island? Unfortunately, the staff did not conduct special research or search for nests, but some observations indirectly indicate the nesting of a green pigeon on the island.

For example, from observations of birds, it seems that in late May - early June, males are distributed among nesting areas, stick to them throughout the season and actively sing in the occupied territory. Similar behavior is known from the caldera of the Golovnin volcano, the valleys of the Severyanka and Andreevka rivers, and from the ascent to the “Shpanberg Pass” (the road to the Rudnoye level), where males were observed singing in the same place for 2-4 weeks. At the end of July - beginning of August 2013, at Cape Dokuchaev, birds were seen repeatedly flying into the same place of the crown of a tall elm densely entwined with vines, which may indicate the presence of a nest on this tree.

And in the valley there is a stream. 1st Fish Farm On June 25, 2015, the attention of the employees was attracted by the unfamiliar muttering of a bird, followed by a pair of pigeons “kissing” on the branch of a tall tree, which can be regarded as courtship between a male and a female.

According to Japanese ornithologists, during the breeding season green pigeons often sing Oh-, aoh-, Ah-oah-, Oh-aoah- with an emphasis on the “a” part. This is exactly how green pigeons sing in Kunashir from late May to early September.

At the same time, there are arguments against nesting of this species in Kunashir. For example, according to Japanese ornithologists, during the breeding season, green pigeons actively consume sea ​​water or water from mineral and hot springs, and such behavior is unknown during the non-breeding season. To date, in Kunashir there are no observations of green pigeons drinking sea or mineralized water.

There is no data on encounters of young birds or adults with broods. Of the 120 observations of green pigeons in Kunashir in 2013-2017, there is only one indication of a meeting of three birds together, flying in the treetops one after another - on July 24, 2015 in the Znamenka tract. In all other cases, either single birds or a pair of birds were observed.

As follows from the above analysis, there are many arguments in favor of the green pigeon nesting in Kunashir. However, as well as arguments against this. Therefore, as the famous Russian ornithologist Vitaly Nechaev, who worked in Kunashir back in the 1960s, once said: “As soon as you find a nest of a green dove, I will immediately come to Kunashir again.”

A small selection of photographs of unique and rare bird- Japanese green pigeon.