Caucasian snowcock

The Caucasian snowcock (Tetraogallus caucasicus) is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.

Caucasian snowcock
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Tetraogallus
Species:
T. caucasicus
Binomial name
Tetraogallus caucasicus
(Pallas, 1811)
Tetraogallus caucasicus - MHNT

It is native to the Caucasus Mountains, particularly the Western Caucasus, where it breeds at altitudes from 2000–4000 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 50–60 cm (20–24 in) long bird. 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, sooo-looo-leeee. The calls include loud cackles and bubbled buck-buck-buck-buck-burrrrrr.

See also

Media related to Tetraogallus caucasicus at Wikimedia Commons

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Tetraogallus caucasicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse by Madge and McGowan, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0


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