General characteristics of birds

Birds are a class of vertebrate animals, the representatives of which are well characterized by the fact that their body is covered with feathers and the forelimbs are modified into flight organs - wings. With rare exceptions, birds are flying animals, and those species that do not fly have underdeveloped wings. To move on hard substrate, birds use their hind limbs - legs. Thus, birds, unlike all other terrestrial vertebrates, are bipedal animals.

Birds have a very energetic metabolism, body temperature is constant and high, the heart is four-chambered, arterial blood is separated from venous.

The large hemispheres of the brain and sense organs, especially vision and hearing, are well developed. The special characteristics of signals provide individual, family, group and population camouflage, species identification of adult individuals, their contacts with young birds, education and training of the latter as a vital guide to environmental situations. Birds are found throughout the globe, with the exception of the interior of Antarctica, in a wide range of locations and climates.

In Russia there are more than 750 species of birds, which is about 8.5% of the world's avifauna.

The strength of the bird skeleton, in addition to the fusion of its individual elements, is also determined by the composition (abundance of mineral salts) and structural bones. Lightness is explained by the airiness of the light bones associated with the systems of air sacs - pulmonary and nasopharyngeal. The relative mass of the skeleton in birds is therefore small.

Two species of sparrows live in the central zone of the European part of Russia: house sparrow (urban) and field sparrow (village).

It is not at all difficult to distinguish a house sparrow from a field sparrow. The house sparrow (male) has a dark gray cap on the crown, while the field sparrow has a brown cap; The brownie has one light stripe on its wings, and the field has two. In addition, the tree sparrow has black brackets on its cheeks on a light background, and a white collar around its neck. The house sparrow is larger and rougher in build than the field sparrow.

Both species have much in common in their lifestyle, diet, behavior, and the sounds they make - chirping.

Sparrows are sociable birds and tend to live in colonies. They form flocks, sparrows notice danger more easily and find food more quickly. They lead a sedentary lifestyle, as they are adapted to living near humans and can obtain food for themselves all year round.

In central Russia, sparrows can be seen and observed in all seasons.

Sparrows are usually small in size. The head is small. The shape of the beak is varied, the lower limbs are four-fingered. The fingers end in sharp claws. The plumage is rigid, the length of the wings is moderate. The color of the male is usually brighter than that of the females.

All sparrows make nests. Building them in different places. Sparrow chicks appear naked, blind, and helpless. In the first days, parents warm the chicks and take care of the cleanliness of the nest. Small sparrows usually feed on insects.

Sparrows' nests are of a closed type and represent a rather rough pile of various materials obtained from the environment during the process of nest construction. Sparrows carefully line the tray in the nest with horsehair or the hairs of other animals. In this cavity, females lay 4 to 10 small eggs, white or gray with small dark specks.

It should be borne in mind that sparrows have sworn enemies - stray cats. At night, owls hunt sparrows. During the day, hawks - sparrowhawks - attack. In winter, when there is ice and after heavy snowfalls, sparrows cannot get food for themselves and, if they are not fed, they freeze to death. In some cases, sparrows do more harm than good, in others the harm compared to the benefit is small. Despite the damage sparrows cause to the economy, in some rural areas and large cities of Russia they are subject to protection as our assistants in protecting green spaces. In winter, it is advisable to feed sparrows by arranging feeding tables.

Bullfinches

The homeland of bullfinches is the coniferous forests of the northern taiga. Here they make nests and hatch chicks. In September, bullfinches form flocks, and in October they migrate to the forests of the central zone of our country for the winter. At this time, they appear in villages and cities, standing out sharply against the background of the fallen snow. Hence, probably, the name of these birds - bullfinches.

The bullfinch is larger than the sparrow. It has bright plumage: red on the chest and gray - bluish on the back. Females are similar in appearance to males, but differ in more modest gray plumage. Bullfinches of both sexes have a black cap on the crown and a thick, short black beak. Unlike many other birds, bullfinches sing not only males, but also females. The birds constantly call to each other with melodious whistles, and when they have eaten, they sit on branches and sing simple, creaky songs. The flight of bullfinches is beautiful, undulating, although, in general, these birds are not agile and slow. Their sluggish behavior makes it easier to organize children's observations of these birds.

In winter, bullfinches stay in mixed and deciduous forests, where they feed on seeds of alder, ash, maple, linden and other trees, as well as shrubs (lilac, etc.). In gardens and parks they eat tree buds, and on the outskirts of fields they look for seeds of quinoa, horse chestnut and other weeds in ravines and wastelands. Bullfinches are especially attracted to wild game, viburnum, which they readily eat.

There are 6 species of bullfinches in total, of which only the common bullfinch lives in Russia and, among other things, flies in the winter as a nomadic bird to the village of Ochur.

Magpies

The magpie is slightly larger in size than the jackdaw, with elegant plumage. The head, wings and tail of a magpie are black with a greenish tint, and the belly, shoulders and individual places on the wings (sides) are white. The tail is long, stepped, and serves as a rudder during sudden movements on the ground and in flight.

At the end of February, before breeding, they behave noisily, chase each other, spreading their tails like a fan, and dance. However, magpies do not fly very well, preferring to jump from place to place.

Their nest is usually located in dense thickets at a height of 2 - 3 meters from the ground. It is well hidden from prying eyes, made up of large twigs on the outside and thinner twigs on the inside, intertwined with blades of grass and held together with clay. The tray is also cemented with clay and is a hard, deep bowl - a bed for eggs, covered with moss, soft grass, and wool.

The top and sides of the tray are covered with a layer of thorny twigs, which form a roof, giving the nest a spherical shape. The entrance to the nest is located on the side. This arrangement of the nest protects the female sitting on the eggs.

Magpies are omnivores. During the period of feeding the chicks, they exterminate many forest and field pests.

However, in the spring, magpies destroy many bird nests, drinking eggs and eating chicks. This causes harm to arboreal insectivorous birds.

In autumn, especially in winter, magpies stay near housing. They can often be found on the outskirts of cities and towns. They gracefully move along the ground in small steps, lifting their tail up and wagging their heads with each step. Sometimes magpies begin to jump with long strides. The magpie also produces a loud chirping sound, which expresses the bird's anxiety when a person or animal approaches.

People have a lot of sayings about magpies, reflecting one or another of its features. Of these, “magpie is white-sided,” “magpie is a thief,” etc.

Despite the harm caused by magpies, we must not forget about the benefits, which are sometimes significant. So, for example, in addition to exterminating many harmful insects and rodents, magpies eat juicy fruits, throwing out seeds that have not lost their germination from the intestines with feces. By doing this, they contribute to the spread of many plants to new places.

Finally, in our monotonous northern nature, magpies serve as a real decoration, so they should not be destroyed.

Tits

In our forests you can find tits of several species. Tits of various species have much in common; they generally lead a sedentary lifestyle, only partially migrating over short distances. However, tits living in the northern regions of the taiga migrate to more southern places in winter. Flocks of tits attract attention not only in the forest, but also in the vicinity of human habitation, when the onset of winter forces them to look for food everywhere. Some Sins are not afraid to look into the windows of houses and peck food stored there between the window frames. Wherever there are feeding tables and feeders, tits visit them. Tits roam in the forest all winter together with nuthatches.

Possessing strong, thick legs with strong toes and curved claws, tits deftly cling to any branch of spruce, pine or other tree. Carefully examining all the crevices of the bark, removing insects numb from the cold from it. This activity of tits is especially useful because they will destroy pests not only in summer, but also in winter. In addition, tits get insects from such shelters that are inaccessible to other, larger ones.

Tit nests are usually made in the hollows of small woodpeckers, recesses and crevices of rotten trunks. The nest of a tit is built by joint efforts (male and female) from thin twigs, dry stems, grasses, moss and lichens; the tray is lined with bast fibers, horsehair, and wool.

In autumn and winter, tits of some species store food in reserve, hiding insects and seeds in cracks in the bark and crevices between conifers. Tits are perhaps the most useful of the birds living in Russia. The extermination of harmful insects in all seasons is the main benefit that tits bring to humans.

In summer, tits are little noticeable: they stay in forests and parks, and their presence is revealed only by a ringing song, similar to the ringing of a bell, characteristic of all tits: “qi-qi”, or “si-si”. Tits become noticeable in the fall, when they gather in flocks and constantly wander in search of food.

Crow

Everyone knows the gray crow. She lives in cities and villages and is closely connected with man everywhere. Around the end of the 50s. 20th century spring crows, breaking into pairs. They left the cities.

The nest is built from thick branches and is lined with wool inside.

Such nests absorb sunlight better and, when heated, help incubate eggs.

Crows, like most crows, are omnivores. By destroying harmful insects and mice, the crow benefits humans. Crows prefer not to peck stolen eggs in a hurry on the spot, but carry them in their beak to a secluded place.

The damage caused by crows to nature reserves is especially great. To get the egg of a large bird, crows sometimes work in pairs: one crow teases the female who is sitting on the eggs, and the other crow drags the egg away.

Crows are very smart birds: they can, for example, count to five. In captivity, a crow can learn to talk like a parrot, and in freedom it often imitates the calls of birds. So you shouldn’t be surprised to hear from a crow, for example, the drumming characteristic of a woodpecker.