the 16-18 types of the rough-foot-chickens lives in the restrained and cold areas of North America and Eurasia. they snow-were enough yourself strongly in its physique and behavior at them and hard winters of its spread-area adjusted.
Characteristics So, the runs and feet carry a dense plumage; the so to speak quick spring without all flag-formation, also the toes be with some types (snow-chickens) befiedert, while other rough-foot-chickens train lateral series of "Balzstiften." its dense leg-plumage protects this Fasanenartigen from cooling once and prevents sinking in to the other in the snow. Also the beak-root and nose-holes of the rough-foot-chickens are protected by feathers. At all, the entire plumage of these powerful hen-birds is very dense and stable.
Nutrition Many types take only needles to itself in the winter at times if all other food-sources are profoundly snow-covered. In the summer, the food-offer is natural much more extensive; all rough-foot-chickens then eat also various fruits and seeds as well as amply insects (especially the squabs).
Gestaltliche adaptations Crop and muscle-stomach are powerfully developed with rough-foot-chickens, also big appendixes provide the preparation the (particularly in the winter) cellulose-hands food. In the winter, the horn-beak is developed much more powerful than in the summer with many rough-foot-chickens; at the time of the soft summery food, the birds throw off this "special-tools." Further typical body-characteristics of the rough-foot-chickens are the absence of spores at the runs as well as the relatively small and quite highly beginning rear-toes.
Many types show a distinctive Geschlechtsdimorphismus. The cocks become significantly bigger than female animals and train colorful Ãœberaugenwülste - so-called "roses" - shining during the Balzzeit, inflate big, colorful-colored airbags of the neck-region and resist particular plumage-parts of the head and neck-region. Also, the plumage of male rough-foot-chickens draws with many types opposite the "inconspicuous" camouflage-dress of the hens through considerably developed tail-feathers, iridescent blue and green color-tinges or otherwise strikingly color-like put down body-parts from.
Balzverhalten With most rough-foot-chickens, also the behavior of the sexes is performs courtship display different during it: The cocks leaves be, through the (as resonance-bodies working) inflatable airbags of reinforced reputations hear and/or generate additional sounds in that they "stamp" with the feet of the ground or the wings so move that "creaky" or "reedy" lute is the energy-feathers generates. High air-jumps and peculiarly "twisted" postures as well as characteristic Balzflüge accomplish the strongly ritualized reproductive-behavior.
Gesellschaftsbalz With polygamously living types of the rough-foot-chickens, several cocks present a "Gesellschaftsbalz" how it is known from big Birkhuhn (Lyrurus tetrix) Eurasia's 41 (hen) to 53 cm (cock). The approximately 50 cm long Kaukasusbirkhuhn (Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi) is somewhat more insignificantly colored and performs courtship display without tone-remarks. The performing courtship display Birkhähne ("game-cocks") appear in the free terrain in the dawn at traditional Balzplätzen where many further rivals can accumulate in areas with strong Birkwildbesatz. Ritualized, bloodless appearance-fights between the competitors clarify the order within the rivals; each cock occupies its own Balzrevier on the "tournament-place." The females, lured by the far-to noticeable Balzgeschehen, are usually "kicked" by the position-higher cocks and retreat after it to the brood-business.
Einzelbalz A Gemeinschaftsbalz and polygamy is with rough-foot-chickens of the open life-areas mainly distinctive, live during "forest-chickens" in monogamy in general and advertise from certain Balzplätzen from (in the branches of the trees or on crags) about its brood-partners. This is applicable to the 35-36 cm of big Haselhühner (Tetrastes bonasia) from the entire Eurasian area as well as for the close relation Schwarzbrust-Haselhühner (Tetrastes sewerzowi) from its narrowly restricted spread-area in west-China. Also other "forest-chickens", as that 42-45 cm big collar-chicken (Bonasa umbellus) from North America's restrained zones, that 38-40 cm big Canada-forest-chicken or fir-chicken (Canachites or Falcipennis canadensis) from the dense needle-forests of the northerly and northwest-like North America and its near relative, the sickle-chicken (Falcipennis falcipennis), from the eastern Siberia, lives in monogamy and performs courtship display less strikingly as Birk and prairie-chickens. Also with the 53 cm big dark forest-chicken or rock-mountain-chicken (Dendragapus obscurus) from the western North America doesn't differ as strongly as with the Auerhuhn cock and hen or Birkhuhn.
Behavior opposite the human being As well as often is rock-mountain-chicken also like fir-chickens at meetings with the human being very trustful, why one calls ("stupid chicken" or even "stupid-chicken") more final type also "Fool Hen." Sufficiently "stupidly", in order not to avoid unfortunately the human being, that still kill these birds, where it becomes its in possession. All rough-foot-chickens are estimated because of its welfare-taste highly as hunt-game and are decimated accordingly. At least just as catastrophically, survived of these magnificent hen-birds has an effect the "transformation" of its natural biotopes to "culture-landscapes" for it for itself through the human being. World-wide, the continuances - particularly in the last years - decline strongly.
Brood its nests are always based rough-foot-chickens on the ground; the simple hollows are from-dressed only skimpy with Nistmaterial. The nests consist of 6-12 eggs and become erbrütet for 21-28 days from the female bird. The slipping boys are far developed (Nestflüchter), gehudert and umsorgt still become intensively in the first days of its life, however. Form high-protein insect-food the predominant food-share; only later, young rough-foot-chickens take more and more vegetable food to itself.
Further details Auerhuhn, prairie-chickens, Birkhuhn, snow-chickens.
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