What does the bullfinch eat in winter and summer? Bullfinch bird: description, lifestyle and habitat What do bullfinches eat in winter
In winter, beautiful little birds with red plumage on the chest can often be found on the branches of trees. They are known as bullfinches, which, unlike many other birds, lead an active lifestyle during the cold season. How do they look? What do they eat and where do they live? Do they fly away for the summer? Details will be given below.
Description of bullfinches
You can often observe how a sonorous flock of bullfinches flies from branch to branch. So, bullfinch refers specifically to songbirds sort of bullfinches, family of finches.
Bullfinches are very noticeable and attractive, it is not for nothing that their photos are actively used to create New Year's cards, calendars and other winter-themed products.
The size of these birds is very small, they are only slightly larger than ordinary sparrows. The constitution of this winter feathered is dense, strong, but, despite this, its weight is small - about 35 grams. The body is approximately 18 cm long and has a wingspan of 30 cm.
For all bullfinches dimorphism, that is, differences by gender. Distinguishing a female from a male is very simple here:
- the plumage on the breast of the female is paler than that of the male, it is gray with a slight pink tint;
- in males, the breast is always bright red (the so-called shade of carmine).
The color of the rest of the plumage is identical in both males and females. On the head of the bird there is a so-called black cap that goes down and forms the same black chin clearly under the beak.
The back of the bullfinches is painted gray with a slight bluish tint. The wings of these birds have only two colors - black and white, but at the same time they are very bright, since these colors alternate with stripes.
The tail of the bird is short, rounded at the end, always painted black. The tail feathers, on the other hand, are white.
The cheeks, sides and neck of the bird have a gray tint, its intensity varies depending on which subspecies the bullfinch belongs to. As a rule, the plumage of chicks is always paler than that of adults.
The bullfinch's beak is small, wide and very strong, black. The paws of the bird are painted black, they are tenacious, strong, have three fingers on each, which, in turn, have sharp claws.
According to such a description, it will be easy to recognize bullfinches among other birds, and also to discern who is female and who is male.
Singing bullfinches
Bullfinch easy to recognize by special singing, because they make sounds that are difficult to confuse with the sounds of other birds. The bullfinch's song resembles a sonorous almost metallic whistle (sometimes it resembles a creak).
These birds sing especially loudly during the mating season, and what is most interesting here, not only males, but also females sing.
As already mentioned, a bullfinch is winter bird, which means that she settles in the appropriate area - these are mixed and coniferous forests. The habitat of these birds is very wide; they can be found in the taiga massif of Europe and Asia from the Atlantic to the Pacific shores. By the way, on the territory of Russia they can also be found in the forest-steppe.
Sometimes birds can be seen in city parks, but this is more the exception than the norm. Often these birds fly to residential areas to find food. For the same reason, they often enjoy themselves from the feeders on the windows of houses.
Bullfinch is sedentary representative of the feathered family, but, as you know, it only shows up in winter. You won't see them in summer, so many believe that bullfinches fly away to winter in other regions. This opinion is erroneous, since these birds simply fly into the depths of the forests and equip their nests there.
Since these are winter birds, it is no wonder that their favorite delicacy is red rowan... By the way, it is on mountain ash branches that bullfinches are most often depicted in various photographs and paintings. When a whole flock of these birds sits on a rowan branch, you can observe how the males behave nobly: they let the females pass ahead and allow them to choose the largest and juicy berries.
By the way, if you take a closer look, you can see that they do not eat the pulp of mountain ash berries, but only choose seeds from them.
In addition to rowan, these birds also eat alder, elderberry, maple, hornbeam, ash, and again they choose the seeds of these trees.
In summer, these birds fly to the fields and find seeds of horse sorrel, burdock, quinoa and other field grasses there.
Sometimes they do not disdain insectsand. By the way, nimble and nimble by nature, bullfinches become completely clumsy during feeding, which can be dangerous if they fly into the village to eat from the feeder: often these birds fall into the clutches of domestic cats, which can take advantage of the awkwardness of their prey.
About breeding bullfinches
During the mating season, bullfinches sing melodiously, and it is the males who do this to subdue the females, and they, in turn, respond to them with quieter whistling. Couples are already forming by March. It is interesting that in the family of bullfinches, it is the female who plays the main role.
These birds arrange their nests mainly on coniferous trees, at a height of at least 1.5-2 m and away from the trunk. The nests themselves are woven thoroughly: the birds, with the help of their paws and beak, skillfully weave thin twigs and dry grass together. Lichen, dry leaves of trees and even animal hair are covered at the bottom of such a nest.
In May, the female lays blue eggs in brown specks (about 4-6 pieces), then incubates them for about 2 weeks. The newly born chicks are incredibly gluttonous and constantly demand food, so their feathered parents fly for berries and insects without interruption.
Chicks grow very quickly:
- at two weeks of age, the chicks make their first attempts to get out of the nest and even learn to fly, but at the same time they continue to eat what their parents bring them;
- already at the age of one month, young animals become completely independent.
Bullfinches in the wild live about 15 yearsbut they often die earlier. This happens due to unbearable temperatures, as well as due to lack of food.
Surprisingly, such a bird, which is accustomed to living in the wild, may well feel great next to a person, provided that all the necessary conditions of detention are met. These calm and balanced birds are not particularly active in the presence of people, especially females. But if you treat them with a delicious delicacy, then they will be very grateful and will gladly start the meal.
If you have an idea to have such a bird as a pet, then it is worth remembering that it does not tolerate high temperatures, therefore it is necessary to provide her with a comfortable place to live, where cool air will be maintained.
It is interesting that these birds are quite friendly and with careful handling, they quickly lend themselves to taming, and can also delight a person with simple onomatopoeia and whistling of memorized melodies.
When winter comes, small red-breasted birds fly to the cities. These are bullfinches flying in a ringing flock. Today we will tell you what kind of bird is a bullfinch - whether it flies where in summer, why in winter in the city and why its breast is red.
Who are called "living lanterns"
In winter, the forest cannot boast of a special variety of colors. All around are blue-white snows and the dark green of conifers. And suddenly, among this variety, lights flash - these are red-breasted bullfinches flying from branch to branch.
Are all bullfinches the same?
All types of bullfinches are similar in size. The birds are small, slightly larger than a sparrow. All have a slightly elongated black tail, a short thick beak and a black cap on their heads.
But the color of the thick fluffy plumage in the rest of the body may vary. In males, the entire chest is bright red, almost scarlet in color. Females are colored more modestly - their breasts are brownish.
There is a kind of bullfinches, whose back is white at the bottom, and the entire front part, shoulders and neck are gray, which is why they are called so - gray bullfinches. Others have a yellow color on their back, and their name is yellow-backed. The red-headed bullfinch has a red cap on its head. Here are how different bullfinches can be.
The red-headed bullfinch (Pyrrhula erythrocephala) is the most abundant species of this genus in the Himalayas In total, 9 species have been identified, and the shades of plumage are different for everyone, so the opinion that all bullfinches have a red chest is wrong.
Where do bullfinches live
Bullfinches inhabit the entire forest zone of Europe and most of Asia. In Russia, they can be found in all forests where conifers grow, and even in the forest-steppe zone.
The bird is sedentary, but you can watch it only in winter. Often they fly to city parks and gardens to feed themselves, then they can be seen well. Bullfinches hang on branches like living lanterns.
Bullfinches are calm and friendly birds, fights between them very rarely occur, and the whole flock flies to the squeak of a bird in trouble But in the summer it is difficult to notice them, so some people think that bullfinches fly away to other lands. They really fly, but only deep into the deep spruce thickets, where they will build their nests.
Listen to the voice of a bullfinch
The flock flies very beautifully, its flight resembles iridescent river waves.
Breeding bullfinches
As soon as the frosts recede, and the sun warms up more, so immediately in February-March bullfinches begin to attract each other with their songs. Their quiet melodic whistling is heard far away. And what is interesting, unlike all birds, females also sing among bullfinches. True, their song is ugly, like a creak.
These birds form a pair in April and begin to build a nest in a hidden, secluded place. Impenetrable thickets of spruce are just suitable for this. A nest is built from small twigs and roots on the thin ends of spruce branches, less often pine. Therefore, the number of bullfinches in spruce forests is much higher than in some others.
Closer to summer, when the chicks are already hatching, the parents begin to molt, so down and small feathers are also added to the nest.
The female incubates eggs, and the male brings her food for the entire nesting period.
Chicks differ in color from their parents, the color of their feathers is rich brown and there is no black cap on the head.
Towards the end of autumn, the family begins to roam in search of food. And when the snow falls, you can see them well. That is why they say among the people: "Bullfinches have arrived - they brought winter on their wings."
Do bullfinches eat only rowan berries?
Most often, in photos or paintings, these birdies are depicted sitting on rowan branches. Her berries are their favorite food. Moreover, they do not eat the pulp, but only peck out the seeds. Because of this, gutted red crumbs of berries are always scattered under the tree in the snow.
In general, their nutrition, despite the fact that only of plant origin, is quite diverse. In winter, these are seeds of alder, maple, ash, hornbeam, elderberries. In summer, in the fields, they feast on seeds of quinoa, burdock, horse sorrel and other herbs.
In winter, most of us notice the appearance of beautiful red-breasted birds - bullfinches in the city. Mostly they are clearly visible on leafless tree branches and snow-covered ground. The appearance of a large number of bullfinches is due to the lack of sufficient food to survive in forest zones, which leads them to urban areas, where people, hearing their sonorous singing, feed them seeds.
Bullfinch in may By their nature, bullfinches are gullible and not whimsical, therefore they feel comfortable among people. If you wish, you can get such a bird to keep it on the balcony or garden plot, having tamed or caught it on the street. Keeping seemingly freedom-loving birds will not at all affect their condition in general. But you should not go against nature and specially catch bullfinches for yourself, it is better to feed them sometimes in a hungry winter.
Appearance
The size of a bullfinch is slightly larger than a sparrow. The feather color of birds is quite bright and memorable:
- the head, except for the cheeks, is black;
- tail and wings are also covered with black feathers;
- the undertail with the loin is white;
- the cheeks, lower neck, abdomen and sides are colored bright red. Males have a distinctive gray color on the back, neck and neck.
Depending on the species and region of habitation, bullfinches have slight differences in color. The shoulders on the back of the neck, in the female, may have gray plumage, while the back is colored brownish brown. Sometimes females have a change from red to gray-brown plumage.
Bullfinch on a branch 
Chicks, irrespective of sex, are ocher-brownish, without highlighting individual body parts as in adult birds.
Habitat
Bullfinches are common throughout Europe, except for southern and upper Asia. According to the high-altitude level of settlement, they are not picky and calmly build nests in low-lying regions and mountainous areas, allocating places for themselves with a sufficient number of trees and forests. These birds do not settle in areas with few or no trees. The northern part of the forest is rarely populated with bullfinches due to cold winters.
Bullfinches are chosen to settle in places with a clean ecology, so in winter they can be admired by residents of cities with a minimal amount or no industry. Birds feel quite comfortable next to people, so they calmly settle within the city, next to residential buildings.
The summer forest does not allow seeing the birds, even despite their distinctive color. In winter, trees deserted from foliage and a white background of snow reveals the beauty of their plumage.
Birds live in nests that build on trees (firs) at a height of no more than 5 meters. They build the nests themselves from improvised natural material: twigs, leaves, dry grass and live in them, leaving only for feeding.
To create nests and lay eggs, bullfinches choose spruce trees located near water bodies. The general behavior of birds is calm and poorly oriented in the new area, which allows both humans and domestic cats to catch even an adult.
It is worth noting that bullfinches can be overlooked in a region with severe winters. Although they are frost-hardy, the difficulty of wintering in open nests and a reduction in food lead to migration to warmer regions. Unlike migratory birds, bullfinches do not fly south and are good at changing seasons, subject to mild winters.
What does a bullfinch eat in summer
In the summer, bullfinches spend most of their time in fields and meadows. A sufficient amount of meadow grass seeds - ensures a well-fed summer. In winter, the fallen seeds are hidden under a layer of snow and it is difficult for the birds to feed themselves, forcing them to fly to places populated by people for the winter period.
In addition to a sufficient number of seeds donated by nature, bullfinches love orchards and bushes with berries. Juicy berries in summer or drying up in autumn, birds peck up regardless of their place of growth.
The fields sown with sunflowers attract, perhaps, all birds with juicy and nourishing seeds. Unlike other birds, bullfinches very rarely catch midges and other seasonal insects as food, but they do not completely refuse.
What does a bullfinch eat in winter
In winter, most often bullfinches can be seen on the branches of mountain ash and viburnum. Bright red berries not only successfully emphasize the red breast of birds, mountain ash is also their favorite delicacy.
Seed residue on maple, ash, alder trees supports birds until suitable seeds appear on meadow grasses or buds on trees. In parks, bullfinches do not refuse to visit feeders built by people, they only linger in them in the presence of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, oats and millet.
All these delicacies keep bullfinches until the onset of spring, which gives many leafy buds. But often the winter is hungry and due to a small amount of food, which has a strong effect on the decline in the bird population.
Bullfinch with tree seed. What the bullfinch feeds its chicks
In the first half of May, female bullfinches lay eggs, from which chicks appear in a few weeks. For the first few weeks, the chicks are next to the female, fully fed by her. For the next 10-15 days, the chicks learn to fly and get their own food. For young individuals, midges, small spiders and bugs must be present in the diet; in addition, females begin to accustom them to collecting seeds from herbs.
In the old days, they noticed that if a bullfinch flew in, then soon winter will come. But, oddly enough, bullfinches appear in our city when winter has already arrived, and in February you can open the window and hear the quiet bullfinch whistling.
And it happens like this: you leave the house in the morning - there are unsmiling people around, everyone is in a hurry, and suddenly the gaze falls on the mountain ash, all the branches of which are covered not only with clusters of berries, but also with beautiful birds in dark caps and with bright breasts, as if they had flown into our world is from a fabulous country. These are bullfinches. Most often, they sit motionless, as if specially letting people admire their beauty.
Most likely, it is in February that birds begin to wander towards the north, and the middle strip lies in their path in the middle of winter.
Common bullfinch , or swindler - Pyrrhula pyrrhula Is a small bird from the finch family.
The bullfinch is not much larger than the sparrow, the body length is up to 16-18 cm.The bird weighs 32-34 g.
In winter, bullfinches grow thick plumage, which makes them seem thicker than they really are.
A nest in the form of a flat bowl is usually built by a female from thin spruce and other dry twigs, blades of grass, roots, moss and lichen. It turns out to be rather loose. Inside, the nest is lined with wool, feathers, hair, and dry thin blades of grass.
The diameter of the nest can reach 2 meters, the height of the nest is 1 meter, the diameter of the tray is also up to 1 meter, and the depth of the tray is 40-60 mm.
In May, the female lays 4-6 eggs of light blue color with dark or reddish-brown specks, dots and lines.
Only female incubates for about two weeks. The male guards the nest all this time and feeds the female.
Then the hatched chicks spend another two to three weeks in the nest.
Both parents feed them, but most of the care for the growing offspring goes to the male.
The main food of small bullfinches is vegetable, these are unripe small seeds, soft buds and, but their parents feed them with insect larvae.
Parents continue to feed the chicks that have flown out of the nest for some time from the goiter.
A pair of bullfinches usually have two clutches over the summer.
In late July - early August, bullfinches begin to molt, which lasts until mid-September. In its process, young males acquire a bright outfit of adult birds.
After the end of the molt, bullfinches gather in small flocks, often birds from the same family. In October, they begin to wander south and stay together until the end of winter.
The bullfinch is believed to bring wealth and happiness.
There is also a bullfinch museum. Unfortunately, it is still the only one in the world and was opened in the suburbs of Moscow in the summer cottage village of Snegiri in August 2007.
The museum is very popular, next to it is the Snegiri rest house, as well as summer cottages and cottages.
They say that the place there is very beautiful - dense coniferous forests, in which bullfinches live, who fly to the village to winter and color the snowy white landscape with bright red shades of dawn.
And everyone who admires this bird even for a day will be happy and successful in love and deeds all year round.
If you can't go to this wonderful place, and you can't see bullfinches on the streets of the city, then you can hang an embroidery, a drawing in the house or put a bullfinch figurine in the living room, and will certainly look into your house.
The bullfinch is a red-breasted handsome man, an adornment of the endless Russian snow-white expanses. However, handsome men are only males. The top of the head, wings and tail are black. The back of the neck and back are light gray. Uppertail and undertail are pure white. The lower part of the body is cinnabar red. In the female, the red color is replaced by brownish gray.
Bullfinch is distributed almost throughout Europe, except for the northernmost and most southern regions, and in Asia, north from the Himalayas to Japan. In areas of temperate climate, bullfinches live in one place or fly near nesting sites. Northern bullfinches move far to the south for the winter. Bullfinches prefer to settle among mixed species with rich thickets of bushes, in the mountains and in coniferous forests. Often, a bullfinch has enough dense vegetation and shrubs along the streams.
This bird is always with us. Bullfinches usually keep in small flocks of 7-10 birds each. The stronger the frost, the calmer the flock sits, occasionally moving around to pick a berry, break off a kidney, and then sit still for a while. And so the whole day. As darkness approaches, the whole flock flies into the bushes or trees, where they spend the night, hidden in the branches.
The bullfinch is a gullible and sociable bird. If someone from the pack falls into a trap, the rest rush to help.
In April, bullfinches start building a nest, which is placed on tree branches not high above the ground. The female twigs it from branches of deciduous and coniferous trees, then lays it with a layer of thin roots, lichens and wool. The first chicks will hatch in the new nest soon. Thrifty parents feed them alternately with seeds and insects.
With a thick beak, he gnaws seeds of berries or small nuts. The bullfinch feeds on the buds and seeds of trees and shrubs, berries, from which he selects seeds, and throws out the pulp. Having tasted the mountain ash, the bullfinch cleans its beak: the rowan seeds stick to it. During the cleaning of the beak, they fall to the ground, and in the spring they germinate.
This ugly little bird, incessantly singing "ju-ju-ju", can be recognized by its characteristic singing.
Bullfinches: male and female
But the bullfinch is not only the beauty and pride of our forests - it is also a gallant cavalier from whom many birds can learn.
The best clusters of mountain ash bullfinches, whether he is three times hungry, will still yield to the female. These birds will stick around a tree, then fly to another, then migrate to the south. And only with the first snow will they appear in the city again, not without reason “snow” and “bullfinch” are the same root words.
Bullfinch's voice:
Your browser does not support the audio element.Text used:
A. Gorkanova. "Migratory and wintering birds of Russia. Thematic dictionary in pictures"
Artist: Ekaterina Reznichenko
These cute birds with bright plumage have always interested bird watchers and all bird lovers. True, you can admire their bright color only in winter, and in summer it is difficult to distinguish them from other small songbirds, because they become less bright and are immersed in caring for their offspring.
Bullfinch: description, size, color
Although these birds are considered forest birds, many townspeople have seen them in the metropolis. The bullfinch is a bird belonging to a special genus of songbirds from the finch family. The bird is small, slightly larger than a sparrow. Its weight does not exceed thirty grams. The constitution of the bullfinch is strong and rather dense. Body length is on average eighteen centimeters.
The bullfinch is a widespread and very attractive bird. Photos of these elegant birds often decorate calendars, various New Year's cards, magazines, as well as pages of publications for bird watchers. The genus of bullfinches is characterized by sexual dimorphism in the color of birds. The brightest part of them is the breast: in females it is painted in a pink-gray color, and in males it is carmine-red. This is a characteristic feature of small birds.
The rest of the plumage is identical in color. The bullfinch's head is adorned with a black cap, smoothly turning into a small black speck on the chin. The bird's back is colored bluish-gray. The wings are quite bright: a classic combination of black and white, alternating with stripes all over the wing. Uppertail and undertail are white. The bullfinch's beak is thick and wide, painted black.
The legs of the bird are strong and strong, three-toed with small, but very tenacious and sharp black claws. Feathers on the neck, sides, belly and cheeks are tinted gray-brown. The color of the plumage of young bullfinches and chicks is different: it is much more modest, much closer to the color of the female than the male.
Spread
Bullfinches are believed to be forest birds. The predominantly habitat of the bullfinch is the mixed and coniferous forests of Asia and Europe from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, bullfinches are often found in city parks and in the courtyards of residential buildings, they are guests in small feeders outside the windows of multi-storey buildings, at playgrounds. But this does not mean at all that bullfinches can be attributed to city dwellers. It's just that these red-breasted birds fly to the city to eat and refresh themselves.
Song
In addition to its bright color, the bullfinch has another distinctive characteristic - its voice, or rather its song. It is difficult to confuse it with the singing of another bird. It is rather difficult to describe the sounds made by this bird in words. The most appropriate comparison is a whistle or a metallic squeak. It is even difficult to immediately understand that these sounds are emitted by a bird, the voice of a bullfinch is so unique and its song is unusual.
Usually such trills are heard during the mating season. It is surprising that both males and females perform them.
Lifestyle
In winter, bullfinches quite often fly to cities when there is not enough food in the forest. In summer, it is difficult to see bullfinches, but on frosty winter days they fluff up their feathers, turning into bright balls fluttering from branch to branch. Against the background of white snow on the branches of trees, bullfinches look especially elegant and spectacular. This bird is a symbol of frost, snow, good mood and winter holidays.
Ornithologists note the special attitude of birds to mountain ash. They fly up to her in a small flock. Bullfinches on mountain ash sit on twigs, and the males, like true gentlemen, provide their ladies with the opportunity to choose the most delicious and juicy bunches. Bullfinches on mountain ash are only a few minutes until they are saturated with the seeds in the berries, since they do not use the juicy pulp. After that, the flock takes off, lightly shaking off the snow from the tree.
Behavior
Ornithologists observe the behavior of these beautiful birds during their migrations, when they fly to the south - to Transbaikalia, the Amur basin, Crimea, Central Asia and North Africa. Descriptions of bullfinches in various publications characterize them as calm, unhurried and balanced birds. But at the same time they are quite circumspect and neat. In the presence of a person, bullfinches are not very active and most often behave very wary, especially for females.
In a flock of bullfinches, there are almost never open confrontations and disagreements. Red-breasted birds live quite amicably and peacefully. Females occasionally show aggression. At the same time, they make characteristic sounds with their beak and quickly rotate their heads. But this happens extremely rarely and only when there is an objective reason.
If a person decides to feed the birds and leave them a treat, then they will not give up the treat and will eat with pleasure.
Bullfinch at home
The description of a bullfinch living at home is not very common. If you decide to have such a pet, you need to know that this bird should be kept in a cool place so that it feels comfortable, since the bullfinch does not tolerate high temperatures.
In response to the care and good living conditions, the bullfinch quickly gets used to the owner and becomes almost tame. He can even learn simple melodies and copy some sounds.
Reproduction
An interesting description of the bullfinch during the mating season. The voice of male bullfinches becomes more melodic, it sounds much more pleasant than usual. They devote their trills to their lovely chosen ones, and they answer with a quiet, muffled whistle.
Pairs in flocks form in March. Matriarchy reigns in any family of these bright birds, the main role here lies with the females.
Building a nest
For the construction of nests, bullfinches choose spruce forests. In the specialized literature, you can often find their description. The bullfinch builds the nest quite high - at least two meters from the ground and as far as possible from the trunk. This is a special ritual in the life of birds. Great attention is paid to weaving the nest, bullfinches collect dry grass and thin twigs with their beak and paws, skillfully weaving them together. The bottom of the nest is lined with dry leaves, animal hair, and lichen.
Offspring
In early May, the female lays four to six blue eggs. Their entire surface is covered with brown specks. The offspring is incubated by the female for fifteen days. After two weeks, small and very hungry chicks appear in the nest. To dampen their constant appetite, parents work constantly. They bring seeds, berries and other food to the nest. After another half month, the chicks learn to fly and soon get out of the nest. However, parents do not stop feeding their babies. Only after reaching one month of age, young bullfinches are ready for an independent life.
Nutrition
Probably, it is easy to guess what the bullfinch eats. The basis of its diet throughout the year is plant food, although sometimes the bird eats small insects. Much more often bullfinches eat the seeds of deciduous and coniferous trees. To do this, they use their small but very strong beak, which has a special shape.
What does a bullfinch eat in the spring and summer? Kidneys, young shoots of plants and the first greens are added to the diet. In summer, bullfinches enjoy flowers with pleasure. Do not mind pampering yourself with berries, especially mountain ash and bird cherry.
Life span
Under natural conditions, bullfinches can live up to fifteen years, although quite often birds do not live up to this age. They are too vulnerable to temperature, so they die in snowy and frosty winters with a lack of food. At home, with proper care, such a period is quite real.
Bullfinches are not weights ?!
Of course not! How can you call these red-breasted beauties, who are a real decoration of the true Russian winter, famous for its snowiness, frost and severity. Although, due to significant climatic changes and natural anomalies, not all Russian regions can boast of an abundance of snow cover and severe frosts.
But such natural deviations are not a hindrance to bullfinches, and every winter these wonderful birds can be contemplated not only in snow-covered (or not snow-covered) forests, but also in settlements. Parks, squares, forest belts, gardens - these are the places that bullfinches simply adore. But why and where the bullfinches come from in winter - the dear reader will find out about this a little later. In the meantime, for those who have never seen a bullfinch (and there are such people), here are some interesting facts.
Features of the color of bullfinches
Do not look for red-breasted female bullfinches, for they simply do not exist in nature. The brownish-grayish breast is the only thing that a lady can boast of, this is the only detail in her color that can at least somehow attract attention, and is a distinctive sex characteristic. And so ... The female bullfinch is an unremarkable, gray bird. She became such "not after worries with children", just Mother Nature ordered so, so as not to attract too much attention to her.
In summer, the male also cannot boast of such a noticeable coloration. And there is nothing to it at this time of year. But on the other hand, in winter, bullfinches-males appear in all their glory: in addition to red breasts, they can boast of a silvery-bluish back, a snow-white upper tail (and a tail tail too), and the head, tail and wings are painted impeccably black. And in those places where bullfinches fly away for the summer, such a bright color is not the best disguise. Therefore, males look much more modest in the warm season.
Bullfinch habitats
The area of \u200b\u200bdistribution of the population is so vast that bullfinches can be found both in Japan and in the Arctic. Only with the onset of cold weather, these birds tend to migrate. It is clear that fish are looking for where it is deeper, and birds - where it is warmer (if these are not penguins and loons). So bullfinches fly in small flocks to where the climate is milder. People living in central Russia! If you saw bullfinches, then you should know that it was guests from the freezing North who came.
But the inhabitants of the southern regions may not wait for the arrival of these birds, because they live with them all year round. Why should they migrate somewhere if the winter is mild and their home is near? “But where do bullfinches live in summer?”, A person who is far from ornithology will ask quite a logical question. In the spring, nomadic birds go where they came from. After all, you need to hurry, because in April the laying of eggs begins. But first you need to make a nest.
Bullfinch nests
It is clear that if a bird does not lead a nomadic lifestyle, then there is no need for it to fly somewhere, but no one relieved it of the obligation to build a nest. Therefore, in April, bullfinches begin construction in order to lay eggs in a new "dwelling" in May, and to observe the first flights of their children in June. Therefore, the question is: "Where do bullfinches fly in the summer?" can be omitted if the bird is resident.
As for the nests. As a rule, bullfinches make them from improvised materials: twigs, stems, twigs, and as "insulation" is used: wool, down, feathers, moss - in general, wherever they find anything. These birds prefer to build nests in dense thickets, at a low altitude: 5 meters is the upper limit. Only female incubates eggs. On the shoulders and wings of the male, care is taken to provide the family with food.
How to feed bullfinches in winter?
They are kind of gourmets. They are very fond of berries. This largely explains the excessive "red breasts" of males (although, one might think, females do not eat this food!). After all, any berries contain a large amount of carotene, which is reflected in the color. In addition, bullfinches are not averse to treat themselves to buds and seeds. Bunches of mountain ash and viburnum, sunflower seeds, millet and oats are exactly what to feed bullfinches. And they will not give up pumpkin seeds and hawthorn berries either.
And as a result. Winter without a bullfinch is like May without a cuckoo, and June without a nightingale. Unfortunately, these birds cannot be seen as often as we would like. Of course, everything can be attributed to ecology and natural population decline, but what influences this decline? Yes, a lot of things. One of these unfavorable factors is lack of food. Therefore, the eternal appeal "feed the birds in winter!" will always be relevant.
Natalia Hovhannisyan specially for
The bullfinch is a beautiful bird with a bright red breast, which stands out especially clearly against the background of snow-white snow. These birds can often be seen in a nearby tree just by looking out the window. In winter, they have a hard time, which is why most often they can be seen in places close to people.
We feed the birds
In winter, bullfinches can survive on their own, but with the help of a person they do it much better. By hanging the feeder outside your window, you can help the birds a lot.
In nature, bullfinches usually feed on buds, young shoots, seeds and berries. During the feeding of the offspring, insects are added to the diet. In this case, bullfinches are granivorous.
Bird watchers insist that cereal mixes are the best winter food option. Of these, canary mixes are preferred. They contain a wide variety of seeds, including canola, millet, and hemp. Also useful will be:
hawthorn
Rowan
rose hip
sunflower seeds (unsalted, not toasted)
unsalted lard or meat
maple, lilac and ash seeds
Fresh fruits, vegetables, berries and herbs will not be superfluous in the feeder. However, it is not necessary to purchase them specifically for birds. Even apple stubs or pieces of vegetables left over from the preparation of the salad are suitable here.
The main thing is not to harm
In especially harsh weather conditions, bullfinches can be saved by any food, but the result of such a rescue sometimes may not last long. There are a number of foods that should never be given to birds:
citrus
dairy
spicy
roast
sour
spicy
bread
peanut
banana peel
spoiled food
Bread is especially dangerous. It damages internal organs, in particular the liver and kidneys, as well as upsets the digestive system. The consequences of eating bread are in most cases fatal to birds.
It is also important not to feed the bullfinches, namely, to feed them, leaving part of the worries of obtaining food for the birds themselves. This will allow them to diversify their diet, finding missing elements in nature, and will also help them not to lose their knack. You cannot constantly maintain the presence of food in the trough. It is best to set a regimen and refill it a couple of times a day, such as morning and evening. Bullfinches will quickly get used to the schedule and will know exactly at what time they can find food in the trough, and at what hours they will have to rely only on themselves.
Bird description
Small songbirds from the finch family - bullfinches - in Latin are called Pyrrhula, which translates as "fiery", and indicates the bright special color of their plumage.
The genus includes 9 species and is divided into two subgroups: masked and black-capped bullfinches. In masks, black feathers around the beak create a kind of "mask" in black-capped ones - on the back of the head.
The size of these birds is small - up to 15 cm in length, with a wingspan of up to 25 cm and a weight of about 35 g.
What eats
The bullfinch is unpretentious in nutrition. Its main food is seeds and berries, from which birds eat them, leaving the pulp, as well as insects. If you ask yourself what bullfinches love or what they enjoy, then the answer is: the color of oaks, willow catkins, dandelions, nettles, blackberries, sorrel. In addition, in winter, the bullfinch eats rowan berries, which is an unforgettable sight.
Young bullfinches are also fed with plant food, to which insects and spiders are added.
Where dwells
Bullfinches live in coniferous forests, forest-steppe and forest-tundra throughout Eurasia. They inhabit both flat and mountainous areas, but they like to settle in forests. Bullfinches are not afraid of people, so they can often be found in gardens and parks. In addition, deforestation and destruction of their natural habitat contributes to the resettlement of bullfinches closer to humans.
Migratory or wintering
Bullfinch - refers to predominantly sedentary birds, wanders for the winter only from the northern regions of its habitat. Perhaps the bullfinch got its name because it is with the first snow that the bird arrives from the taiga North.
Kinds
This bird is about the size of a sparrow. The plumage on the crown, around the eyes and beak is black. The wings are also black with a blue sheen. The back is gray with a whitish loin. And the tummy, sides, cheeks and breast in males are of an intense red color, in females they are grayish-brown. The chicks are colored in various shades of brown, and they do not have a black feather cap on their heads.
The habitat is very wide - Europe, Central and East Asia, including Japan, Kamchatka and Siberia.
It lives only on the island of São Miguel (Azores) and is an endangered species. The plumage of the Azores bullfinch is chocolate brown, with redheads on the sides. In summer, the color becomes lighter. On the head of the bird, black feathers form a "cap", the chin and beak are also black. The chest and belly are brown. In size, the species is larger than an ordinary bullfinch (up to 17 cm in length). There is no sexual dimorphism.
Barnacle bullfinch
Inhabitant of the alpine coniferous forests of the Philippine archipelago and the southernmost tropical species of black-capped bullfinches. The plumage is mostly brownish brown with clean white cheeks and white spots on the sides. Females and males are no different.
Brown bullfinch
Belongs to the group of masked bullfinches and lives in the mountain coniferous forests of Indochina, South Asia, Taiwan.
The plumage is very similar to an ordinary bullfinch with only one difference - the tummy, breast and cheeks of a brown brown bullfinch. That is why females and males of this species practically do not differ from each other.
Found in the forests of the Western Himalayas (India and Pakistan) in a very limited area, which is why it belongs to the endangered species.
The yellow-backed bullfinch is a small masked bullfinch with a predominantly orange-ocher tinge in the plumage. Males are brighter than females, especially in the back and crown. Females are gray-brown in color.
This species is a small bright masked inhabitant of the Himalayas. Its size is slightly smaller than a sparrow. The wings are black with a red spot, the back is gray. The head, breast and abdomen of the male are orange-red; in the females they are yellow.
Refers to the group of masked bullfinches. The plumage is dominated by gray with a bright orange belly, decorated with red spots in males. Females are modest - with a gray-brown breast and abdomen.
The gray-headed bullfinch is widespread from the Western Himalayas to the north and east of China.
Inhabitant of Siberia and the Far East, in the plumage of which there is no red color. Dimensions - slightly less than an ordinary bullfinch. The plumage of the top of the head, around the beak and eyes, is black. The wings are black with a blue metallic sheen. The loin and undertail are white.
One of the smallest bullfinches, lives in the Far East, Sakhalin, the Japanese and Kuril Islands. The species belongs to the black-capped bullfinches. The cheeks and throat of the male are intensely colored red-orange. The abdomen is gray with a pink tint. The female is lighter than the male, with a predominance of brown shades in the plumage.
Male and female: the main differences
The sexual dimorphism of bullfinches varies from species to species. Usually, the brighter the color of the male, the more the female differs from him. As, for example, in the common bullfinch, yellow-backed and red-headed bullfinch. If the males are colored in brown-gray tones, then the females practically do not differ from them (Azores, brown, barnacle bullfinch).
Home content
At first, the bird may fight and be afraid of people. But the bullfinch quickly assimilates and gets used to humans.
Requirements for the cage (aviary)
What to feed
The bullfinch is unpretentious in nutrition. It can be fed with grass seeds, small grains, birch, pine buds, rowan berries, bird cherry, juniper. They also give the bird fruits and herbs, twigs of cherry, pine, birch, willow, apple, viburnum and their fresh bark. In spring and summer, the diet is enriched with eggshells, chalk, clay and animal food (grasshoppers, mealworms).
Bullfinches live in captivity for 10-12 years.
- Bullfinches are very beautiful, and still very calm birds, they never rush or fuss.
- Bullfinches eat the buds and shoots of fruit trees, for which gardeners do not like them;
- Bullfinches' favorite delicacy is ash seeds. Since ash trees bear fruit only once every two years, it can be assumed when bullfinches will raid gardens.
Singing
The bullfinch males sing. Their melody combines chirping and gentle whistling with the tunes of other birds, which bullfinches can perfectly copy. Females sing along with them only occasionally.