Our region is surprisingly rich in birds. Every year, many birds return home to the swamps and lakes of the forest-tundra and tundra. We, residents of the north, are accustomed to observing birds only during their mass migrations; we often hear the cackling of flying geese and ducks during autumn and spring migrations. One of the first to appear are seagulls and skuas, arriving long before the ice breaks up and announcing their arrival to everyone with a loud “Hleu-hleu”. Behind them are strings of large birds and very small birds. But there are birds that do not leave us even in the most severe cold.

We sometimes simply don’t notice them and don’t think about what allows them to survive harsh winters and why don’t these feathered creatures fly away with their other relatives? Who are they? How many of them are there in our city? What types of birds remain to spend the winter in Tarko-Sale? These and other questions interested me. Classmates, having learned about my topic, sometimes asked: “Do we really have birds in our city?” after all, we don’t pay attention to them at all and don’t notice them when we cross the road or are in a hurry somewhere. I decided to learn more and study what types of birds live in our city. Unfortunately, I was unable to find detailed literature about birds living in the cities of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. But I learned that such birds that live next to humans are called synanthropic species.

The house sparrow has the largest number. Sparrows settle in colonies, in attics and voids of buildings, which allows them to survive the winter safely. According to the testimony of old residents of the village, the house sparrow has recently become a widespread species in the city.

However, survival is not the only task for birds. It is necessary to leave offspring. Among synanthropic birds living near humans, all nest in one way or another high above ground level. Some of our feathered neighbors build nests in niches of various kinds (sparrows), while others make nests in trees (corvids). As a rule, nests are located at a height of several meters above the ground, in dry places protected from wind and bad weather. Sparrows build nests in niches under the roof, eaves, and awnings. They are not afraid of semi-closed and closed premises with an artificial climate (various hangars, workshops, warehouses), where, if there is a source of food, they can live for a long time and reproduce throughout the year.

Crows make nests in forks near the main trunk. The fork must have a certain structure in order to ensure reliable fastening of the socket. Crows rarely make nests on solitary trees, always preferring groups. If there is a choice, then spruce and larches will be preferred to deciduous trees. In the absence of suitable places, they can build nests on artificial substrates - power poles, floodlight towers, and even on buildings.

What attracts birds to the city so much that they are ready to sacrifice their habits? The answer is simple: a constant abundance of food. Two other factors are less obvious, but also significant. This is the microclimate and artificial light. The air temperature of the city during the winter cold period is slightly higher than in the surrounding landscape. So, in the city center it can be higher, by 2-3 degrees. The wind force here is always less. This attracts birds, especially when choosing roosting sites. Corvids, for example, can move tens of kilometers every day, gathering to roost in city center parks in flocks of thousands.

Artificial lighting increases the duration of daily feeding. It is known that in winter, birds in nature are often limited not by limited food, but by short daylight hours and, as a consequence, lack of time for feeding. In the city, it is not uncommon for birds to feed until late at night in artificially lit areas.

The main factor, however, is the feed resource factor. At the same time, what is more important is not so much the abundance of food for birds in the city, but its stability.

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