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The Caucasian snowcock (''Tetraogallus caucasicus'') is a
The Caucasian snowcock (''Tetraogallus caucasicus'') is a snowcock
The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus ''Tetraogallus'' of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and we ...
in the pheasant family Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hunti ...
of the order Galliformes
Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...
, gallinaceous birds.
It is native to the Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
, particularly the Western Caucasus
The Western Caucasus is a western region of the Caucasus in Southern Russia, extending from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus.
World Heritage Site
The Western Caucasus includes a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising the extreme western e ...
, where it breeds at altitudes from 2000 to 4000 m on bare stony mountains. It nests in a bare ground scrape and lays typically 5-6 greenish eggs, which are incubated only by the female. Its food is seeds and vegetable matter. It forms small flocks when not breeding.
Description
This is a longbird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
. Its plumage is patterned with grey, brown, white and black, but this snowcock looks grey from any distance. The breast is darker and the flanks ruddier than the rest of the body. It has a white throat and a white patch on the side of the neck. The nape is rust-coloured.
In flight, this wary bird shows white flight feathers and undertail, and reddish sides to the tail. Male and female plumages are similar, but the juvenile is slightly smaller and duller in appearance.
Caucasian snowcock has a desolate whistling song, vaguely like a Eurasian curlew
The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred t ...
, '. The calls include loud cackles and bubbled '.
See also
References
* ''Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse'' by Madge and McGowan,Caucasian snowcock
The Caucasian snowcock (''Tetraogallus caucasicus'') is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
It is native to the Caucasus Mountains, particularly the Western Caucasus, where it breeds at ...
Birds of Georgia (country)
Birds of Azerbaijan
Caucasian snowcock
The Caucasian snowcock (''Tetraogallus caucasicus'') is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
It is native to the Caucasus Mountains, particularly the Western Caucasus, where it breeds at ...
{{galliformes-stub