Tianfu Nature calendar ｜ Not the "mountain duck" of ducks (September 15, 2022)

Chuanguan News reporter Wen Lumin

In March of this year, the staff of the Daxiangling Nature Reserve Management Bureau of Yingjing County found the national secondary protection animal, a spoon chicken in a group of photos when compiled the data of infrared cameras in 2021. In the Sichuan population, it has a more grounded name: mountain duck.

The reason why the chicken is connected with the duck is because of its unique voice. In the early morning and evening, the spoonful chicken liked to "sing high songs", but the cry was hoarse, unlike the category, but it seemed like a male duck.

In addition to mountain ducks, a spoon chicken also has an alias -willow chicken. This is because their feathers are clearly rooted, like willow leaves, as if wearing a coat. Because their necks are thick, their tails are short, they look far away, and their bodies are round and very cute.

Spoon chicken is not good at flying, and rarely spreads wings. But thanks to strong double claws with good grip, it can run quickly on the rugged mountain road, such as flat ground. However, the spoon chicken's combat effectiveness is not high, and it is rarely actively attacked when it encounters danger. At night, they are also used to resting on the tree.

The timid spoonful chicken will become active in April to July -this is the season of breeding. They need to try their best to show themselves to find a beautiful woman. The male spoon chicken has a beautiful crown feathers. In order to attract the attention of the female, they will extend their necks and sing, and the crown feathers on the top of their heads will also stand upright.