Beautiful birds - waxwings - sit on the tops of tall trees. They are much larger than bullfinches. Their chest and sides are gray, there is a brown crest on the head, a velvety black spot on the throat, and black and yellow edges on the tips of the feathers and tail. With the onset of cold weather, waxwings migrate from north to south, stopping for a long time in places rich in mountain ash, hawthorn, mistletoe, rose hips and Siberian apple trees.

A cold wind blows through the copses. The evil cold penetrates to the bones. But a flock of beautiful crested birds in delicate brownish-pink tones swings on brittle branches of velvet and eats dark tart berries with enviable appetite. They are not afraid of frost! They don’t know how to sing, they just whistle incessantly: “Svir! Swir! Svir! No wonder people call them beautiful.

Having had their fill in the evening, waxwings fold their wings, ruffle their feathers and peacefully doze on tree branches.

Winter is bullfinch time! Near the house the garden, like a crystal palace, sparkles in the sun. Each tree is dressed in openwork fringe, the trunks are covered with frost. And thoughtful bullfinches sit on the branches with bright pink buds. They are fluffy, in soft pink colors, and have black hats on their heads. Illuminated by the rays of the sun, against the backdrop of dazzling snow they seem like fairy lights and present a delightful sight. You don’t take your eyes off - you admire. But what is it? Do they sing at all? A gentle flute whistle. It turns out that both males and females sing. Usually females lack this feature.

The favorite habitat of the bullfinch is coniferous and mixed forests. In winter, wandering, it is found everywhere.

Most Amur birds remaining for the winter are adapted to wide temperature fluctuations. Crows, jays, magpies, sparrows, tits, jackdaws, woodpeckers, crossbills, tap dancers and snow buntings lead an extremely active lifestyle, which helps them maintain a constant body temperature.

Some birds make good use of the insulating properties of snow. On frosty winter days, hazel grouse feeds in trees for 2-3 hours, and hides in snow holes the rest of the day. In severe frosts, black grouse are more in the air, but they still bury themselves in the snow several times a day to warm up. Wood grouse and partridges burrow into the snow at night.

Grouses - hazel grouse, spruce grouse, black grouse, wood grouse - feed on the ground in summer and autumn, and when snow falls, they move to trees, feeding all winter on their buds, shoots, birch and alder catkins, hazel grouse - birch catkins, willow buds , seeds and fruits of shrubs, grass seeds, capercaillie - pine needles.

However, the abundance of snow is not beneficial for all birds. Gray partridges and pheasants die in large numbers in the snow: in these conditions it is difficult for them to obtain food.

Some birds spend the winter near human habitation, especially the tree sparrow and great tit.

Beautiful snow buntings and white polar owls fly to us from the northern tundra for the winter. Buntings are attractive due to their large numbers and bright colors. They appear in large flocks (up to 200-300 birds). Communities of these birds are often found along country roads, in the floodplains of the Amur and Zeya. Snowy owls are typical of open spaces. They differ from other owls in their ability to see well during the day. This allows them to hunt not only at night, but also on a clear sunny day. With the onset of spring, snow buntings and snowy owls return to their homeland - the tundra.

Birds have adapted to winter frosts in this way:

• They have a constant body temperature (+40 degrees)
• They are in constant motion.
• They may hide in the snow to keep warm.
• By winter, they exchange their summer plumage for winter down.
• Many birds fly closer to human habitation, hoping to find something to eat.
• Many birds find food in the forest, on trees, grasses.

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