Hatchet or Puffin long-crested is a sea bird of the auk family. It has a bright appearance - powerful, tall, strongly flattened from the sides like an ax, red-orange beak, white cheeks, and behind the eyes bunches of long yellowish straw-colored feathers. The color of the plumage is monotonous, black-brown. Medium size, body length about 40 cm; weight - 600-800 g. Paws are red. In winter, the cheeks darken, there are no braids, the beak is lower and without horny shields. Young birds are dark with a light belly, gray legs and a dull and weak beak. They live on the Asian and American coasts of the North Pacific, in the south to California. They are most often seen flying along the coastline close to the surface of the water in search of food for their young. In places they are very numerous, for example, on one of the islands of the Bering Sea, 100,000 pairs were counted in an area of ​​approximately 12 km². They serve as an object of fishing, meat and eggs are used for food. The largest hatchet colony is on the island of Spafaryeva in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk - there are more than a million nests there.

They nest in colonies along ocean coasts. Excellent flyer; it takes off heavily from the water, accelerating for a long time, but it keeps easily in the air, sometimes climbing to great heights. It swims well and dives more than 60 meters deep. Unlike most auks, this species does not rely on tarsals when walking. It runs by pushing with its fingers, like all other birds. It feeds on small fish and marine invertebrates. Noticing prey in the water, the hatchet dives and then swims underwater, using its wings and legs as oars, chasing a school of small fish. The wings of puffins are designed more for swimming under water than for flying in the air, therefore, in order to develop their top speed(up to 64 km / h), they need to flap their wings very quickly - 300-400 times per minute.

Returning from the hunt, the hatchet carries several fish in its beak at the same time. The average catch is usually 10 - 12 small fish, but there is a case (in Maine) when a caring father brought 62 fish in his beak. While the bird swims under water, opening its beak for new prey, its rough tongue presses the already caught fish against special outgrowths on the palate. They stand almost vertically. Silent, their voice resembles a muffled grunt.

The single egg is laid in a burrow, which it digs in soft soil or under stones. The hatched chick is covered with dense long and thin down; leaves the nest fully fledged. In the north of the range it nests more often in rock crevices, and to the south in burrows dug in a layer of peat. Sometimes the system of burrows is very large and branched, burrows of different pairs are connected by burrows. In the nesting chamber there is a meager grass lining. Often hatchet bird nests in colonies of other seabirds, but on small islands it forms its own colonies of many thousands. There are approximately 3.5 million birds in the world, less than 1 million in Russia. Large colonies are on the Commanders, the Kuriles, the Yamsky Islands near Magadan and in the south of Chukotka. At nesting sites, they appear in March - May, early June, fly away in August - October.

Unusual bird with bright appearance of the auk family, living in the waters of the Arctic Ocean - puffin or hatchet. Near Kamchatka and Sakhalin there are very small islands and rocks on which these birds have settled since ancient times. More than 100 thousand individuals flock here every year for the time of laying eggs.

The body is feathered black-brown in color, the cheeks are white, the head is decorated with bunches of yellow feathers sticking out behind the eyes, the beak is a powerful bright orange hue. He spends almost his entire life at sea, eating fish and crustaceans, only during the mating period he returns to the mainland to give new life offspring. Unlike most birds, puffins do not make nests, but with a large and powerful beak, wielding like a pick, they dig holes in soft peat, raking the ground with webbed paws. Due to the lack of territory, old burrows are not abandoned, but expand and deepen from generation to generation, creating complex underground labyrinths. When the mink is ready, dry leaves and grass are collected for bedding for a single egg.

Hatchet with a chick at the nest

In seven weeks, a very small and defenseless chick will hatch, which will have to be cared for for another two months until it gets stronger and begins an independent life. But until he gets stronger, the chick needs to be fed, and very well - parents have to fly to the sea about six times a day in search of food. Often, fishing spots are located tens of kilometers from land, and in order to reduce the frequency of flights, puffins try to bring as many fish as possible at a time. A well-known catch record is 29 fish. Tufted puffins are good divers and fast swimmers, so they easily get food.

hatchet flies over the surface of the water, looking for a school of fish

hatchet returns with a catch

But the chicks are not the only ones waiting for puffins with a catch. Grey-winged gulls nesting in the neighborhood, having seen a flying parent with a rich catch, start chasing easy prey. No matter how quick the hatchet is, a large and strong gull often beats off its prey and the oppressed parent has nothing left to do but fly back to the sea to get food.

This awkward-looking bird has an impressive imposing image of a medieval warrior. A massive, laterally compressed like an ax, a greenish-yellow beak with a red end, resembling a terrible axe. Dense paws-plates at its base in the form of a lowered visor complement the formidable appearance of the bird. Give him a spear and a shield in addition - and he would be a well-armed, fully equipped knight. No wonder the bird was nicknamed the hatchet, or hatchet (lat. Fratercula cirrhata; English Tufted puffin).

As if confirming this comparison, the militant inhabitant of the bird rookery bit painfully, and then with a strong blow, like an ax, cut the hand of the person holding him to blood. With a bassy, ​​in an undertone, grumbling, the ax made it clear that he was ready to repeat the blow. A black Jesuit mantle, white piercing eyes bordered with red eyelids, and long wavy feathers - braids, like a plume on his head, emphasized the caricature resemblance of this short man to both a knight and a person of a spiritual rank.

A peculiar device of the beak and tongue helps the bird to squeeze and press the caught fish to the palate, “in reserve”, and continue catching. The released lower jaw allows the hatchet to grab prey again. A hatchet flies from the sea, carrying caught fish. There are a lot of them in the beak, and even hang down on the sides like a beard! Do not fly back and forth for one fish!

And try to stick your hand into the hole when the owner or mistress is there: you will see that the massive beak is given to the bird not only for decoration. A plume is just a spring wedding dress.

The puffin nests in separate pairs on the rocky impregnable cliffs of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Tatar Strait, it is also found in the Bering Sea.
These amazing birds fly to us at the end of May, as soon as the sea is free from ice, and only in the second decade of June and even later they start nesting.

Ringing confirmed that the hatchet occupies the same hole every year. There is only one egg in the clutch; the hatchet, like the duck, incubates it for almost a month. Chicks are extremely gluttonous and grumpy. They always quarrel with neighbors over apartments and food.

Not even a month will pass, as small hatchets fall into the water - this is an important event in the life of the colony. The bustle and noise at this time in the bird market is incredible.
By winter, young people are already leading an independent wandering life. In September puffins fly away from nesting places to the south. All winter they stay away from the coast and do not appear on land.
Axes can fly not only in the air, but also in water, for which they use their wings. They row them in the water, reaching impressive depths of 100 meters.

Hatchet bird is a bird from the auk family. Numerous breeding species.

It winters in the Pacific waters of Kamchatka, the Commander and Kuril Islands, as well as off the southern coast of Sakhalin and in Peter the Great Bay.

The hatchet is a small bird, medium in size, the beak is rather massive, painted in bright orange, body length is about 40 cm; weight - 600-800 g. plumage color is monotonous, black-brown.

The cheeks are white, behind the eyes are tufts of long yellowish feathers, the paws are webbed.

Hatchets are flocking birds, they mostly stay together, they usually feed in the sea, where they constantly fly.

Likewise, birds stand firmly and walk almost vertically on the ground.

Birds nest in colonies of various sizes, one flock can contain 50 pairs, often individual pairs nest on islets and coastal rocks.

In general, the hatchet is a nomadic bird.

Appears at nesting sites in May-June, flies away in August-September.

Usually hatchet eggs are laid in a created hole, but you can often see an egg in a rock crack.

Hatches are excellent flyers, although it is difficult for them to take off from the water, but having gained altitude they can soar at high altitude for a long time.

Also hatchets dive well and swim under water because of webbed feet, dive in pursuit of fish.

It feeds on small fish and marine invertebrates.

Unfortunately hatchets serve as an object of fishing, because of their dietary meat, eggs are taken away from hatchets.

The character of hatchets is quite formidable, courageous, together they are ready to repulse anyone.

On one of the Bering Sea islands, 100,000 pairs were counted over an area of ​​approximately 12 km².

The chick, which is most often only one, is looked after by both parents, the hatched chick is covered with thick, long and thin fluff, the chick leaves the nest fully fledged.

Hatchet(lat. Lunda cirrhata), or long-crested puffins (lat. Fratercula cirrhata) is a bird of the auk family. It has a bright appearance - a powerful, laterally flattened red-orange beak, white cheeks, and tufts of long yellowish feathers behind the eyes. The color of the plumage is monotonous, black-brown. Paws are red.

Bird of medium size, body length about 35 cm; weight - 600-800 g.

They live on the Asian and American coasts of the North Pacific, in the south to California. They are most often seen flying along the coastline close to the surface of the water in search of food for their young.

They nest in colonies along ocean coasts. Excellent flyer; it takes off heavily from the water, accelerating for a long time, but it keeps easily in the air, sometimes climbing to great heights. It swims well and dives more than 60 meters deep. Unlike most auks, this species does not rely on tarsals when walking. It runs by pushing with its fingers, like all other birds.

It feeds on small fish and marine invertebrates. Noticing prey in the water, the hatchet dives and then swims underwater, using its wings and legs as oars, chasing a school of small fish.

The wings of puffins are more designed for swimming under water than for flying in the air, therefore, in order to develop their maximum speed (up to 64 km / h), they need to flap their wings very quickly - 300-400 times per minute.

Returning from the hunt, the hatchet carries several fish in its beak at the same time. The average catch is usually 10 - 12 small fish, but there is a known case (in Maine) when a caring father brought 62 fish in his beak. While the bird swims under water, opening its beak for new prey, its rough tongue presses the already caught fish against special outgrowths on the palate.

Hatchet colonies are very numerous in places, for example, on one of the islands of the Bering Sea, 100,000 pairs were counted over an area of ​​approximately 12 km². They serve as an object of fishing, meat and eggs are used for food.

The single egg is laid in a burrow, which it digs in soft soil or under stones. The hatched chick is covered with dense long and thin down; leaves the nest fully fledged

scientific classification
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Birds
Detachment: Charadriiformes
Family: Fine
Genus: Hatchets
View: Hatchet (Lunda cirrhata)