Various types (breeds) of swans. Which swan has the longest neck Why does a swan have a long neck

Normal finger position and movement come from the balanced action of many important structures and ligaments that support the finger joints. The muscles are held and moved by the fingers. Tendons help control fine movement of each finger joint. or injury may disrupt the balance of these structures, altering the normal position of the fingers and their functions. The result may be bent fingers, such as a “swan neck”.

Anatomy

What parts of the fingers are associated with this?

The fingers are actually made up of three bones called phalanges. The three phalanges in each finger are separated by two joints called interphalangeal joints. The connection closer to the end of the finger is called the distal connection. The proximal interphalangeal joint connection is the middle connection between the main fist and the distal connections of the joint. The interphalangeal joints of the fingers act as hinges when you bend and straighten your arms.

The tendons that allow each finger to jointly straighten are called extensor tendons. The digital extensor tendons begin as muscles that arise from back side bones of the forearm. These muscles move towards the side where they are ultimately connected to the extensor tendon before crossing the back of the wrist joint. The extensors line up to cover the top of the finger and have branches on each side that connect to the bone in the middle and end of the finger. When the extensor muscles contract, the extensor tendons pull and the fingers straighten.

Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones together. Several small ligaments connect the extensors to other tendons to bend the finger. These joints help balance the movement of the fingers so that all joints of the fingers work together, giving smooth and flexible action.

The connections of the proximal interphalangeal joints have strong ligaments with the volar plate. These ligaments connect the phalanges to the middle phalanx on the side of the palm joint; a gooseneck deformity can occur when the palmar plates and ligaments are weakened by disease or injury.

Reasons

How does this happen?

Conditions that weaken the proximal interphalangeal connections and cause hyperextension can lead to swan neck deformities in the fingers. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common disease affecting the proximal interphalangeal joint. Chronic inflammation of the joint proximal interphalangeal joints causes sprains on the volar plate, (as mentioned earlier, the volar plates support the ligaments in front of the joint joint, which usually preserves them from joint hyperextension). As soon as the palmar plates become weakened and stretched, the joint proximal interphalangeal ligaments become flabby and begin to bend back easily - hyperextension. The extensor tendon becomes unbalanced, allowing the joint distal interphalangeal ligament to pull it downward, causing flexion. Once this occurs, it results in a swan neck deformity.

Other conditions that weaken the connections of the volar plate can also produce a swan neck deformity. The small (intrinsic) hand muscles and fingers can become tight due to hand injury, rheumatoid arthritis, and various nerve disorders such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and spinal cord injury. Muscular imbalance weakens the palmar plates, and pulls on the proximal interphalangeal ligaments, causing joint extensions. Weakness in the volar plate may also result from finger injuries that cause the proximal interphalangeal joint to hyperextend, stretch, or tear the volar plate. As already mentioned, looseness (weakness) in the volar plate can lead to swan neck deformities.

It is clear that problems with the proximal interphalangeal joints can cause swan neck deformities, and problems that begin in the distal interphalangeal joints at the ends of the fingers. An injury or disease that destroys the ends of the extensor tendon can cause flaccidity and drooping of the fingers. Without treatment, the fingers will curl, a condition called hammertoes. The extensor tendons may become unbalanced and begin to stretch the proximal interphalangeal ligaments, causing joint hyperextension, forming a swan neck deformity.

Chronic inflammation can also destroy the very ends of the extensor tendon.

Inflammation and swelling at the distal interphalangeal joint stretches and weakens the extensor tendon, where it extends to the origin of the distal interphalangeal joint. Hammer deformation occurs in the distal ligaments of the interphalangeal joints, and then passes into hyperextension of the proximal interphalangeal ligaments of the joint. Again, as a result of the “swan neck” deformation.

“Why does a swan have such a long neck?” This question arises every time you meet these graceful birds. Perhaps the answer lies in the unique footage captured by Russian photographer Viktor Lyagushkin in the clear waters of Blue Lake in southern Russia.

A group of five swans was doing their usual thing - dipping their long necks under the water, they collected lush river grass from the bottom of the lake. This behavior clearly proves how well swans are adapted to life near bodies of water. Before lowering its head under the water, the bird carefully looks around, and then stretches its neck, pushes off the surface of the water with its strong webbed legs and reaches for grass.

“Swans can’t dive like ducks, so they use their long necks to get food from the bottom of the lake,” says the photographer. “They spend the whole winter here because the lake never freezes.” A lot of different algae grow here – a favorite delicacy of swans, and here they feel safe.”

Blue Lake is the third largest karst lake in the world. Its crystal clear water is not polluted by external tributaries, but is fed by underground springs through an extensive system of karst caves. This place is a paradise for swans.

http://www.zoopicture.ru

The swan is a majestic, graceful bird.

These are the largest waterfowl existing on the planet today.

In this article we will talk about existing types swans, about what makes each of them interesting, and also introduce you to the feeding behavior of these birds.

General information

The swan (lat. Cygnus) is a waterfowl from the order Anseriformes and the Anatidae family. A common feature of all varieties of these birds is a long and agile neck., allowing you to forage in shallow water without diving. Swans can fly, love to move on water, but are clumsy on land. Adult male and female representatives of the same species are colored the same and have almost identical dimensions, so it is very difficult to distinguish them. The warmer the nesting area, the darker the color of the bird's feathers. As for character, these anseriformes are distinguished by their developed intelligence.

Thanks to the graceful body structure and noble appearance The swan is considered a majestic and aesthetically attractive bird. It represents beauty, grace and grace. Almost all species of swans are included in International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Important! It is necessary to remember that swans have a timid disposition and do not approach people well. If you spot these birds in the park area, do not try to get too close to them. An adult bird, out of fear, can attack a person and even injure him, breaking his bones.

The bird is known for its rather long lifespan. Under natural conditions, these waterfowl can live 25–30 years.

Swans are very attached to territory. All types of swans are monogamous birds, create permanent, inseparable pairs for life. Moreover, if the female dies, her partner remains alone for the rest of her life, and vice versa. But often after the death of a swan from a pair, the second (or second) soon also dies. Thanks to this devotion to their family, swans have become a symbol of fidelity and romance. Year after year, these birds can use the same nesting site, flying to the chosen place and correcting their “home.” Swans establish a nesting area near the water, where the female then incubates 3–7 eggs for 30–40 days. The male does not move far from the nest, guarding the female.
Swans are known as wonderful parents, both partners take part in feeding and raising the brood. Anseriformes look after their young until the age of 1 or 2 years, helping them catch food and protecting them.

Types of swans

There are only 7 species, living mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, South America and the Australian mainland.

Black

It owes its name to the black color of its feathers. The bird lives in the South-West of Australia, New Zealand and North America (mainly in protected natural areas).
The handsome feathered creature lives in river mouths, in overgrown lakes, and swamps, but it can also be found in captivity in zoos around the world. Despite its magnificence and limited habitat, the black species is not included in the Red List of the International Society for Conservation of Nature.
Females are slightly smaller than males; both sexes have black feathers and a bright red beak with a white tip. The weight of adult birds reaches 9 kg, the length is up to 142 cm. The maximum lifespan of this species in the natural environment is only 10 years. By nature, this bird is very trusting and easy to tame.

Did you know? Black swans can sometimes form pairs of two males. And only to continue the race, males call a female. After the female lays eggs, she can be expelled from the nest, and both males take turns to survive.

Black-necked

This species also received its name due to the peculiarities of the color of its plumage. Their head and neck are black, the rest of the body is snow-white, and the beak is gray. There is a red growth on the beak of an adult bird, which the young do not have.
Adult representatives of the species can weigh up to 6.5 km, and their length can reach up to 140 cm. This sophisticated creature is found in South America. It builds nests on small islands or in reeds. Wild birds usually live no more than 10 years, while in protected areas they live up to 30.
Males diligently monitor the safety of the female during the period of incubation of eggs. Black-necked cubs are very energetic and love to travel, sitting on the back of one of the parents.

Did you know? In Great Britain, the capture of swans of any kind is prohibited by law, and all birds in this country are considered the property of the royal family.

mute swan

This is one of the largest varieties, along with the black swan. Adults, especially in wild conditions, are capable of gaining weight up to 15 kg, and the wingspan is about 2.5 m.
The plumage is white, while the head has a mustard color. The beak is red with a nail, the paws are black. The chicks are characterized by a brownish tint, but gradually, by the age of 3, it changes to white. The mute mute can live up to 28 years. This species is found in the northern and southern parts of Europe and Asia.
The mute mute is recognized by its dense neck in the shape of the Latin letter S - the mute mute bends its neck while swimming through the water, unlike other species that keep its neck straight. The bird expresses its irritation and dissatisfaction with a special hissing sound, which is where its name comes from.

The trumpeter swan is similar in appearance to the whooper swan (more about it below), but its beak is completely black. It got its nickname thanks to the screams it makes when communicating with other individuals.
Trumpeters gain weight up to 13 kg, and the length of the bird reaches 180 cm. The feather cover is colored white. In May, the birds begin their breeding season, with females sitting on the nests for exactly 1 month. In total, during incubation, the female lays no more than 9 eggs.
This species is found in Central America. In zoos, birds live up to 30 years, in natural conditions - up to 10.

This species is a large bird with a weight reaching up to 12 kg. Its wingspan is about 2.5 m, and its body length is at least 150–155 cm. The neck and body are approximately the same length.
A characteristic feature of the species is a lemon-colored beak with a black tip. The color of the feathers is white, but the young ones have gray plumage with a dark head. The neck is set straight. The whooper makes a rather loud cry during flight, which is where the bird's nickname comes from.
This species lives in northern Europe and in some parts of Eurasia, on the banks of lakes and rivers. Whoopers make their nests from moss, grass and feathers. In zoos, the lifespan of these anseriformes is approximately 30 years.

Did you know? The whooper swan is one of the national symbols of Finland.

American

The American species is the smallest: the bird does not exceed 146 cm in length, and its weight rarely reaches 10 kg.
In terms of appearance, the American is similar to the whooper, but its neck is somewhat shorter, its size is more modest, and its head is rounded. The beak is yellowish with an admixture of black. When a female incubates eggs, the male carefully guards her.
This majestic bird lives in the tundra forests of America. The nesting site is established on the outskirts of reservoirs and moss areas. In protected natural areas, these birds live up to 29 years.

Small

The small swan is similar in appearance to the whooper. Its characteristics also resemble the American variety. The length of the bird is 140 cm, the wingspan is 200–210 cm, the beak is short, yellow-black. Distinctive feature is an individual pattern on the beak of each individual. In captivity, the maximum lifespan of a small swan is 20 years.

What do swans eat?

Under natural conditions, they prefer to feed in shallow water. The main food of these birds is:

1. Aquatic vegetation (small algae, duckweed; stems, shoots and roots of aquatic plants). Plant foods contain many vitamins and minerals (especially iodine), which are beneficial for plumage, skin and a number of internal organs birds.
2. Coastal grass and foliage from willow thickets hanging over the water. The grass is rich in vitamin B9, folic acid and fiber, which promote the growth of poultry, increase the level of oxygen in the blood, and normalize the digestion process.
3. Small fish. Fish contains essential amino acids, as well as polyunsaturated fats required for proper functioning of the heart and brain.
4. Crustaceans. They have a beneficial effect on the condition of plumage. In addition, it is a very nutritious product.
5. Amphibians (frogs). Frog mucus has a bactericidal (anti-inflammatory) effect. Amphibian meat contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals (in particular, a lot of calcium), which improve the functioning of the body. Calcium improves the condition of plumage, gives it shine, and prevents feathers from falling out.
6. Molluscs and their external skeleton (shells). The benefits of this food are to improve metabolism and strengthen the body (immunity) as a whole. Shellfish are also beneficial due to the presence of large amounts of mineral salts and vitamins.
7. Insects and their larvae. The benefits of this delicacy for swans are due to the high content of calcium, phosphorus, vitamins and low fat content. Insects in the swan's diet help protect the body from the harmful effects of an environmentally unfavorable environment.

Important! It is important for city residents to remember that closer to winter it is not advisable to feed swans with bread. Brown bread is especially harmful for anseriformes, since it can cause severe fermentation processes in gastrointestinal tract. White bread is not dangerous, but food that is too high in calories can dull the bird’s migratory instinct. It is better to use grains as food - oats, but not hard ones, but lightly boiled ones. Swans also readily eat grated vegetables and hay soaked in water.

Birds filter bottom silt in search of food. Due to the special structure of the oral apparatus (the beak is equipped with plates inside and teeth along the edges), they circulate water. Water entering the beak brings with it food particles that remain in the mouth. Having caught a frog or fish, swans do not swallow the food immediately, but wait until the water flows out of their beak. The denticles also help these anseriformes easily bite off parts of plants.

This is how Karel Capek’s famous story “The Poet,” published in 1928, began. Let me briefly remind you of the essence. Inspector Meizlik begins to investigate this murder. But, unfortunately, none of the witnesses paid attention not only to the car number, but even to its color and, moreover, the model and body type. What loomed, as we now say, was a 100% capercaillie or capercaillie.

And, suddenly, it turns out that there is another witness who was not included in the protocol. It was a poet named Nerad - a very impressionable nature and, according to the conviction of his comrade, completely unsuitable for giving evidence. But Inspector Meizlik was a tough guy (forgive the foreign word) and decided to take the poet seriously. After a short conversation with Nerad, it became completely clear to the inspector that there was no longer any chance of solving the crime without delay. But suddenly, the poet remembered that he wrote poetry under the impression of the morning tragedy...

The houses in the ranks darkened through the openwork,

Dawn was already playing the mandolin.

The maiden blushed

To distant Singapore

You were speeding away in a race car.

A broken tulip has been thrown into dust.

Passion has fallen silent Lack of will... Oblivion

O swan neck!

O breast!

Oh drum and these sticks -

tragedy is a sign!

“That’s all,” said the poet.

- Excuse me, what does all this mean? - Meyzlik asked. - What are we talking about here, exactly?

- How about what? “About the accident with the car,” the poet was surprised. - Don’t you understand?

“Not really,” Meizlik said critically. “Somehow from all this I cannot establish that “on the fifteenth day of July, at four o’clock in the morning, on Zhitnaya Street, a car number such and such knocked down the sixty-year-old beggar Bozhena Makhachkova, who was drunk. The victim was sent to the city hospital and is in serious condition.” As far as I could notice, there is not a word about all these facts in your poems. Yes, sir.

“All these are external facts, raw reality,” said the poet, pulling his nose. - And poetry is an internal reality. Poetry is free surreal images born in the subconscious of the poet, do you understand? These are the visual and auditory associations with which the reader should be imbued. And then he will understand,” Nerad finished reproachfully.

- Tell me please! - Meizlik exclaimed - Well, okay, give me this opus of yours. Thank you. So what does it say? Hm... “The houses in the ranks were dark through the openwork...” Why in the ranks? Explain this.

“Zhitnaya Street,” the poet said serenely. - Two rows of houses. Do you understand?

- Why doesn’t it mean National Avenue? - Meizlik inquired skeptically.

“Because National Avenue is not so straight,” came the confident answer.

“Dawn,” the poet explained laconically.

- Oh, I beg your pardon. “Did you go to distant Singapore in a racing car?”

“That’s apparently how I perceived that car,” the poet explained.

- Was he racing?

- Don't know. It just means he was running wildly. As if he was hurrying to the end of the world.

- Yeah, that's right. To Singapore, for example? But why Singapore, my God?

The poet shrugged.

- I don’t know, maybe because Malays live there.

- What do the Malays have to do with this? A?

The poet hesitated.

- Probably the car was brown“,” he said thoughtfully. - There was definitely something brown there. Otherwise, where would Singapore come from?

“Yes,” said Meizlik. - Other witnesses said that the car was blue, dark red and black. Who to believe?

“To me,” said the poet. - My color is more pleasing to the eye.

“The broken tulip has been thrown into dust,” Meizlik read further. - “Broken Tulip” - this means a drunken beggar?

- I couldn’t write about her like that! - the poet said with annoyance. - It was a woman, that's all. It's clear?

- Yeah! And what is this: “Oh the neck of the swan, about the chest, about the drum!” - Free associations?

“Show me,” the poet said, bending down. - Hm... “Oh the swan’s neck, about the chest, about the drum and these sticks”... What would all this mean?

“So I’m asking the same thing,” the police official remarked, not without causticism.

“Wait,” Nerad thought. - Did anything suggest these images to me... Tell me, don’t you think that the deuce looks like a swan’s neck? Take a look.

And he wrote “2” in pencil.

- Yeah! - Meizlik exclaimed, not without interest. - Well, what about this: “about the chest”?

- But this is the number three, it consists of two roundnesses, isn’t it?

- That leaves the drum and sticks! - exclaimed excitedly

police official.

“Drum and sticks...” Nerad thought. - Drum and sticks... I guess that's an A, huh? Look,” he wrote the number 5. “The bottom circle is like a drum, and above it are sticks.”

“Yes,” said Meizlik, writing the number “235” on the piece of paper.

- Are you sure that the car number was two hundred and thirty-five?

- Number? “I didn’t notice any number,” Nerad resolutely objected. - But there was something there, otherwise I wouldn’t have written it like that.

I think this is the best place? How do you think?

Two days later, Meyzlik came to see Nerad. This time the poet did not sleep. Some girl was sitting with him, and he tried in vain to find a chair to seat the police official.

“I’ll be a minute,” Meizlik said. - I just came to tell you that it was indeed car number two hundred and thirty-five.

- What car? - the poet was scared.

- “Oh the swan’s neck, about the chest, about the drum and these sticks!” - Meizlik blurted out in one breath. - And you’re right about Singapore. The car was brown.

- Yeah! - the poet remembered. - You see what internal reality means. Would you like me to read you two or three of my poems? Now you will understand them.

- Another time! - the police official hastened to answer. “When will I have such an opportunity again, okay?”

Sorry, I couldn't resist long quote. But retelling the classics is an incredibly difficult and thankless task. The point is that Chapek, who wrote this joke story, understood that there was only a small part of the joke in it. The entire depth of what was written is concentrated in one paragraph: “Poetry is free surreal images born in the subconscious of the poet, do you understand? These are the visual and auditory associations that the reader should imbue with.”

The same can be said about any creator. Be it a composer, sculptor, director... or, say, a photographer.

Now we come to the point. Why did I remember Capek? The fact is that about a month and a half or two ago I came across a photo session of Anna Chasovskikh. It is very important that, as it turned out, Anna is not only a photographer, but also a person who is well versed in cars. After watching the material, to be honest, I didn’t quite understand it. I called Anna in St. Petersburg and asked a few simple questions. Why did you choose the Audi A7? Why are these girls in this guise? What did you mean by this? Why only girls? ... And so on. When Anna began to answer with completely vague phrases like - I don’t know, it seemed to me, maybe this is my vision..., I immediately remembered Chapek. I am sure that any artist, in all the diversity of the concepts of this word, is a conductor of ideas, associations, images coming from somewhere above - from another dimension. The question of ability, talent and genius is determined only by the depth and accuracy of perception of this flow and the adequacy of its transmission.

After talking with Anna, I took the A7 for a test drive and tried to apply my associations that arose from the photo session to the sensations of testing the car. And you know, oddly enough, something scratched me. Watch this video, but without my comments.

I was here as a witness to an accident investigation. A traffic police inspector was trying to find out from a glamorous blonde the license plate number of the car that allegedly cut off her pink Mercedes A-Class, which was the reason for her entering the stop (Glory to the Creator is empty) and inflicting a slight insult on a peacefully standing trolleybus. The girl was literally straining to remember (or invent) numbers, like “there was definitely the letter O or Ten there.” And I suddenly remembered Capek’s charming story, how the poet poetically described the license plate of a car, you probably remember...

And on this occasion I remembered a story that happened at the beginning of my young affairs...

It was in school years in high school. And in those days I had a “fiery love” with our literary lady, and it was mutual and the reason for this was my love for books, not only from the school curriculum, but even completely outside. And I read no less of these books, if not more than our teacher, and this, you understand, could not help but irritate. It's natural...

At that time I just became interested in Karel Capek and really liked his “Pocket” stories. And then we were given the opportunity to write an “Essay on a free topic,” and the free topic was called either a favorite book, or an interesting book, in short, we had to write about the book we read, so I took Capek’s work as a basis. I touched upon “The War with the Newts” and, naturally, “The Poet” and, in my youth, I did not understand that the phrase “O the swan’s neck, about the chest, about the drum” is completely indecent and even almost criminal. And on the eve of the essay there was an incident. Fedka and I were left to clean the classroom, me for my playfulness of character, and him for his chronic laziness in his studies. While I was sharing a half-liter jar of water among the numerous gulbarium in pots on the windowsills, Fedka was washing the board, and then he began rustling something and called me over. The literary woman left a then fashionable plastic bag on the chair, and some kind of magazine was sticking out of it. Fedka was glad that it was a cool magazine and began to urgently leaf through it, but it turned out that it was an artisanally bound bundle of paper with the inscription on the title “Lolita” Vladimir Nabokov. For my youthful mind, not spoiled by an alien civilization (Except for the fairy tales of Scheherazade - Nothing!), this name and title said nothing, flipping through the samizdat volume, I caught my eye on the name “Sportsman Humbert” and decided that books about foreign athletes were not interesting to me, so the book They returned it to the bag and safely forgot about it. True, at home, out of curiosity, I asked my parents who Lolita, Nabokov and Sportsman Humbert were, to which my parents for some reason began to laugh, and then thoroughly found out how I knew such words. And then came that same essay on a free theme...

In short, my parents and I were called to the head teacher, where my father accompanied me as parents. The literary woman started a scandal about what kind of abomination I dare to write in school essay, and that the words quoted by me border on the height of indecency and almost pornography. The head teacher nodded her head mournfully, but did not yet intervene in the conflict.

And then my father taught me a lesson about how to take a situation by the horns. He calmly explained that Karel Čapk was a progressive Czech writer, officially read and studied in the Soviet Union. And the fact that the literature teacher incriminates the bright youth present here is simply not realistic and even somewhere not pedagogical. Now, if the guy wrote about “Sportsman Humbert,” then there would be a subject for investigation, in the sense of why and where from in general. And my dad looked significantly at the literary girl, who immediately turned red and pretended to be her own double. Well, the head teacher remembered the last meeting with my Papa.

In short, the incident was scrambled and let go. But I did read Lolita, a little later.