Field Horse - Ersynar

Field Grasshopper.

Slightly smaller than a sparrow, approximately the size of a forest grasshopper, with a longer beak, somewhat more slender body, and longer legs. Body length is 16–19 cm, wingspan is 26–30 cm, and weight is 18–27 g. It is distinguished from other grasshoppers by its light, uniform coloration and almost complete absence of spots. It moves on the ground by walking or running, sometimes slightly bobbing its tail up and down. A characteristic behavior when inspecting its surroundings is to stretch its entire body vertically upward. The claw of the hind toe is slightly curved, approximately equal in length to the toe or slightly longer.

They arrive in late April or May, with males singing even during migration. For nesting, they distribute themselves across various steppe areas, preferring uneven terrain. They settle in fields, meadows, and other open habitats, such as sufficiently large abandoned construction sites. They avoid areas with tall and dense vegetation. They are very characteristic of areas with sandy dunes. In the forest-steppe, they occupy similar open habitats, including the edges of forested areas, wastelands, and sometimes clearings among tree plantings. The nest is a depression under the cover of grass, a bush, or a stone, consisting of a thin-walled cup made of grass and thin roots, sometimes with the inclusion of fur.

The clutch consists of 3–6, more often 4–5 eggs. Their coloration is varied but much lighter than that of the forest grasshopper: whitish, light brown, and less frequently greenish background, with sparse speckles or small spots of brown, gray, or reddish colors. The chicks have long and dense down on their back and head, of a light ochre-brown color, and their mouths are dark yellow or orange, with yellowish-white beak cushions. They primarily feed on invertebrates, which they peck from the ground and grass. In autumn, they eat small seeds in small quantities. Young birds that have grown up wander across the steppe alone or in small groups. Migration begins in August and usually ends by mid-September.

Common in the steppe zone of the mountainous part of Kyrgyzstan.

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