the length of the male Birkhuhns amounts approximately 53 cm, that the hen 41 cm. The cock has a blue-black plumage, a white wing-bandage, white sub-tail-blankets and weißbefiederte runs. The tail swang lyre-shaped. The big "roses" over the eyes shine red. The female is to be distinguished from the cock through the brown, crosswise-waved plumage. The runs are befiedert densely up to the toes, the beak is black. The hen is the Auerhenne like and writes down gebändertes plumage rust-yellow and black. The "roses" are indicated through a narrow, red line over the eyes.
Spread The spread agrees with that of the Auerhuhns. Birkhühner were all over Central Europe originally and almost all over England native. Today, they are very rare, decimates strongly also through shooting down, counted to the widespread game-chickens in Central Europe earlier, however. Bog-cultivations and afforestations increasingly constricted its habitats.
Habitats Birkhühner live in the lowland in bogs and heaths, in the mountains at the upper forest-border. In Germany, one finds the Birkhuhn only thinned out in some North German bogs and in the Bavarian forest.
Food The birds eat grain, berries, also insects and worms all sorts of greens, Sämereien. Very gladly, also young birch-bark ("Birkhuhn") is skinned!), why places are preferred where birches stand amply.
Way of life Birkhühner are stand-birds, who live sociably in contrast to the Auerwild. In the winter, Birkhühner rest at the ground and one can sometimes get snowed in completely up to the head.
Reproduction Already in March, the cocks are found to its impressive Balzspielen. Loudly it flaps the wings, they jump into the height, call, hiss "tschuwi" on that occasion or have appearance-fights among each other. The Balzspiele of the cocks become Z. B. in the "Schuhplattler" - imitated dance!
With the polygamous Birkhühnern, the cocks don't take care of the nest-construction and the brood-care. Only the hen scratches a ground-hollow, that often hides it between Binsen. Here, it hatches bay spotted eggs tan, isolated the 6-10 from May to June. The brood-duration amounts to 27 days. If the oberseits are brown-red and unterseits light-sallow bedunten chicks slipped, the hen continues it to the food-search of the Nistplatz. The boys can fly already after 2 weeks.
Also bastards, above all between Birkhahn and Auerhenne, occur. they are called Rackelhühner (Rackelwild).
Endangering The Birkhuhn became so rare through the destruction of its habitat that it is on the red list of the animals threatened by the extinction.
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