Several species of pigeons are found in the national park. One of them is the Wood Pigeon (Latin Columba palumbus). As soon as spring approaches, many birds will begin to arrive. On the territory of Almaty since March 28, they begin to catch the eye. (T. M. Zhaparkulov).
Common wood pigeons are the largest of the pigeon species found among the fauna of the country. The wingspan is up to 77 cm. The body is oblong, the tail and neck are relatively long, and thin bracket-like spots are clearly visible on the sides of the head. When flying, white spots on the wings are clearly visible. Their voices sound like house pigeons. They build nests on the branches of trees. The space of the nest is not tightly fixed, but is pierced. Birds lay two eggs and produce two chicks. The chicks are under the supervision of adult birds in the nest for about 20 days. The mother additionally feeds the liquid from which the food comes, the so-called “pigeon milk”. The peculiarity is that the chicks often come to the nest at night, even when they get older. [Atlas of key species of forest territories of the Northern Tien Shan and Dzungarian Alatau: tall plants and cognitive animals. – Astana, 2019. 128 p.] After hatching, the chicks begin to group when the autumn month approaches.
On the territory of the national park, we meet this bird in places where oaks were planted manually at one time, in the flat and meadow zone from the belt of deciduous forest to the belt of coniferous forest. Especially in dense thickets where hawthorns, apricots, and grasshoppers grow, birds gather in groups in autumn. At the same time, we observe how they fly fast, often flapping their wings, forming a group in the south. This year, in the first half of October, the birds almost completely flew away. Ornithologist of Kazakhstan I. I. Berezovikov in the works of Dolgushin provides interesting facts about wintering in a number of regions of the country.
A monitoring point and an observation route (route) are designated for the calculation and control of dirkeps from the HIA. Inspectors Agibaev M., Kanapiyaev K. took part in the work. Also this year, a nest was discovered, a chick was monitored, photos and videos were taken, and scientific materials were collected. Although this bird is considered a hunting species, it has been selected as an indicator in the national park and a census is being conducted. Protecting a large pigeon species is our task.
T.M. Zhaparkulov