Chibis - Epup

Chibis

A large wader, similar to a pigeon. The upper body is brilliantly green, with purple, blue, and violet hues, appearing dark gray or black from a distance, and the belly is pure white. There is a long thin crest on the nape, the undertail is reddish, and the legs are reddish-brown, with four toes. In flight, it is distinguished from all other waders by its broad rounded wings; the tail is white on top with a black subterminal band. The female resembles the male but has a generally "dirtier" and lighter face, with black plumage areas having white mottling; the chin and throat are usually completely white (black in males), and the crest is shorter. The male's wing tip (in the wrist area) is much wider than in the forearm area, while this widening is less noticeable in females. The autumn coloration is similar to the spring one, but in all birds, the chin, throat, and often the upper chest are white, with an ochreous wash on the face, and there are ochreous fringes on the feathers in the scapular area and on the large wing coverts (there are no light fringes on the small wing coverts). Young birds have a short crest, feathers on the upper side with light fringes (including on the small wing coverts), and wings that are narrower than those of adults. One-year-old birds (2nd calendar summer) differ from older ones by their duller upper coloration, narrower wings, and a contact feature - heavily worn primary flight feathers. Weight is 180-230 g, length 28-31 cm, wing 21.0-23.7 cm, wingspan 70-76 cm.

Chibises are lively, active, and noisy birds. They run quickly and nimbly among the grass, often on uneven, bumpy ground, sometimes suddenly stopping (as is characteristic of lapwings), looking around, and then running further, sometimes catching an insect that comes their way. The flight of chibises is very characteristic, especially during the mating season. Loudly flapping their wings, the birds rise sharply upwards, then descend, flying in a swaying motion from side to side, describing a deeply undulating line, tumbling in the air, and chasing each other.

Chibises mainly feed on insects and their larvae, as well as mollusks, earthworms, and millipedes. They often eat beetles - click beetles, weevils, leaf-eating caterpillars, and they consume many caterpillars of butterflies, such as geometrid moths, as well as larvae of dipterans and click beetles (wireworms). When the opportunity arises, they catch ground beetles and locusts.

In Kyrgyzstan, the chibis is considered a nesting bird, with some individuals remaining to winter. During the nesting season, they are found everywhere, being numerous in the Chui Valley and in the Pre-Issyk-Kul area.

After arriving in early March, the birds settle near snowmelt puddles, on wet, thawing plowed fields from the autumn, along the edges of swamps, etc. Then they move to their nesting stations - wet meadows, edges of grassy swamps in forests and steppes, and less frequently choose dry areas of meadows for nesting; increasingly, chibises are starting to nest in fields. Chibises can settle in either separate pairs or large colonies. After arrival and even during migration, chibises exhibit courtship displays, which consist of a unique display flight accompanied by calls of "chyi-vy" and a distinctive buzzing of their wings. Sometimes chibises display on the ground. The male spreads its wings, fans its tail, and makes rhythmic movements up and down.

Then it presses its chest to the ground and, continuing to raise and lower its tail, works its feet energetically, resulting in a small, quite neat depression forming in that spot. One of these depressions later becomes a nest, built rather primitively, with a small lining of thin stems.

The breeding season for chibises is very extended, as the first clutches often perish from flooding, freezing, plowing of fields, or being destroyed by boys. However, chibises more often begin nesting when fieldwork is already completed. The clutch consists of 4 eggs, significantly less often 3, and even less frequently 5.

They are pear-shaped, brownish-sandy in color with black-brown spots. The average size of the eggs is 45 x 32.7 mm. Both birds incubate the eggs, but the female does so for a longer period. At the slightest danger, the incubating bird quickly and quietly leaves the nest, but does not lead away; instead, having moved away, it takes flight and circles loudly above the intruder.

Incubation lasts 24-29 days, longer in bad weather, shorter in good weather. After hatching, the parents lead the chicks to more protected and feeding areas. At 33 days of age, the young birds begin to fly, after which chibises gradually group into flocks. The migration of chibises occurs in October-November.

Birds