Vyahir.
The largest representative among our pigeons, weighing between 420–620 g. The overall coloration is bluish, darker on the head and neck, lighter on the belly. There is an ochre necklace on the sides of the neck; the sides and back of the neck have a metallic green and pinkish-red sheen. The throat and chest are bluish-wine-red. The tail is aspid-gray, lightening towards the tip to bluish, with a wide aspid-colored band at the tip of the tail. The base of the beak is red, with a yellow tip. The legs are raspberry-red. It can be easily distinguished from other pigeons in flight by the white spots on its wings, and in a sitting position — by the white spots on its neck.
In Kyrgyzstan, it is a common nesting migratory bird, often settling in juniper thickets at altitudes of up to 3500 meters. It is frequently found in large numbers in groves of wild apple trees, birches, and rowans. In spring, vyahirs arrive relatively early, in March, and shortly after their arrival, the males can be heard making courtship calls, which are unlike the usual cooing of other pigeons. Vyahirs typically nest in mountainous areas and less frequently in floodplain forests. The nests are located at various heights (from 5 to 8 m), in the crowns of large spruces, tree-like junipers, maples, and rowans. The clutch consists of 2 pure-white eggs. Incubation lasts 17–18 days, with both parents feeding the chicks.
The diet of the vyahir primarily consists of plant food. This includes acorns and cereal crops. Their menu also includes fruits, cones, nuts, berries, and other plants and their seeds. Wild pigeons have one particular feature.
To reach hard-to-access berries or nuts from a branch, they cling with their claws to the branch, hanging upside down. In conditions of food scarcity, these birds eat earthworms, slugs, and caterpillars.
The greatest natural threat to the vyahir population comes from predatory birds such as the peregrine falcon and hawk. They hunt both young birds and adults. Squirrels, magpies, jays, and gray crows also contribute to the destruction of wild pigeons by actively raiding nests with incubated clutches of eggs. Statistical data indicates that the annual population of vyahirs decreases by 40% due to the intervention of these animals.
Natural climatic factors also pose challenges. For example, premature cold spells, high humidity, and other calamities reduce the period of sexual activity in vyahirs, preventing them from raising 2 or more broods in a year. For instance, a late spring forces the laying of the first eggs into May, which does not allow time to form a second clutch.
Humans also play a role. The vyahir is a target for sport hunting. This bird has delicious, tender meat. Because of this, these birds often become victims of hunters.
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