Chibis - a bird-symbol of the Slavic peoples

Chibis has a wide range of habitats, covering the north-western part of Africa, the steppe and forest-steppe zone of Eurasia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Only near the Baltic Sea and in Western Europe, they lead a sedentary lifestyle, and the rest of the territory is traveled by a chibis. The bird is known to many, because in nature it occurs very often and attracts attention with a loud, raspy cry.

Chibis meadow in size resembles a jackdaw or a dove, only its wings are much wider. Black-and-white coloring of plumage with a purple and blue-green gloss immediately rises in the eyes, and a pappus is located on the nape. After wintering in warm regions, they arrive to us early in the spring, when the snow still lies, and immediately settle down in meadows, near marshes or on wet fields. They prefer to live in large families or in pairs, fly away in packs that reach more than a hundred birds.

In many countries, the chibis is known. The bird has different names - for example, in Russia it is called pigalitse, meadow, vshivik, and in Poland and Ukraine it is mistakenly called a seagull. The Slavic peoples loved it at all times, revered it, so it was strictly forbidden to kill the birds. Perhaps most of the legends, songs and poems are not dedicated to a real seagull, namely a chibis, because it also has a characteristic sad, crying sound of a voice. One of the Ukrainian hetmans made this bird a symbol of Ukraine, in legends it appears that inconsolable widow, then a miserable mother, who takes away children.

In place of nesting, along with such early guests as a wild pigeon, a lark, a starling, a chibis flies. The bird nests the nest right on the ground, pulling out a shallow hole and spreading it with dry grass. The female lays four eggs, which then take turns with the partner. Parents are worried about the safety of chicks, so when they see a person from afar they fly to meet them from their hiding place and shout. Their cries are very much like the cry of "whose you are, who are you." Chibis do not back down and escort a dangerous object, creating incredible somersaults in the air.

Nestlings behave a little like penguins, in case of danger they hide. Running a small distance, the kids stretch out a "column", as if listening to the surrounding sounds. Insects, worms, snails, centipedes and various invertebrates are fed by a chibis. The bird has adapted to dwelling in agrolandscape environment, it feels comfortable in the neighborhood with cattle and man. The decrease in agricultural land also affected the populations of this species of birds.

Strangely enough, but the abandoned and unprocessed fields, overgrown with high grass weeds do not consider the chibis as their home. The bird, whose photos evoke tenderness, unfortunately, is encountered less and less. It should be noted that their numbers are decreasing every year. The reason for this is not only the change in the natural habitat, but also the extermination of thousands of individuals by hunters. Especially the chibis suffer during wintering where their meat enters the diet of local residents: Iran, China, the countries of the Near East. Therefore, biologists make every effort to protect birds from extermination, at least in Russia.