Which birds stay for the winter and which ones fly south? Wintering and migratory birds - pictures with names for children Which bird is not migratory.

This summer, for the first time, I heard a nightingale sing: I woke up in the morning in the country from flooding trills. How lovely! She was in a great mood all day long. Maybe, of course, I have heard the nightingale before, but did not pay attention. Although it is difficult to hear them in the city - they rarely settle there, and in winter you will not see them at all, nightingales are migratory birds.

What birds fly to warmer climes

Unfortunately, in winter we have much fewer birds, not all of them are able to endure a cold snap, and it is more difficult for many to feed themselves at this time of the year. In general, birds are divided into:

• settled;
• nomads;
• migratory.

Migratory birds do not all immediately leave their native lands. The first to fly away are birds, which are fed by insects. For example, nightingales, swifts, swallows, starlings, larks, carduelis. When it is already impossible to find plant food, the following go south: quail, wagtail, siskin, starling, oriole, chaffinch. And the last to fly away are waterfowl, frozen ponds force them to leave their inhabited places.

If the birds are in no hurry to fly away, then the autumn will be warm, but when they feel the approach of cold days, they quickly set off.

Where do migratory birds fly

Birds fly away to regions where weather conditions do not differ much from their native places, so it is easier for them to feed themselves. Some, such as the Arctic tern, travel distances of tens of thousands of kilometers.

Until now, scientists cannot unequivocally answer the question: how do birds navigate in the air. It turns out that this information is stored in them at the genetic level. But not only instincts help birds navigate in flight. In order not to go astray, they use the heavenly bodies, the Earth's magnetic field, and air currents.

I recently read that even birds that cannot fly migrate.

For example, emperor penguins. With a cold snap and the onset of the polar night, they sail into the Indian Ocean. It is believed that it is not only the harsh winter that makes them do this, but also the darkness: more dangers await them there.

Migratory birds are those that, with the onset of cold weather, fly south to wait for them. For each species of migratory birds, the need for a flight is determined in its own way: if one bird already feels something is wrong and flies away, then the other will think: “Wow, how much food, can it not fly anywhere at all?” We have prepared for you pictures of migratory birds with names and descriptions that are often needed for children. For example, to prepare a report, homework, or just for general development. You will learn where migratory birds live, what they like to eat, as well as the size of birds. We will also give you some general information about winged travelers.

Why do birds fly at all?

Birds do not fly away because they are cold. They have excellent feather insulation, but you need something to support the metabolism inside the body: eat. It is the presence of food that determines the time of flight of birds. If the winter promises to be warm, then some species of birds may have enough food for wintering, so some species sometimes remain.

Which migratory birds fly earlier and which later?

• Birds that feed on insects are the first to fly away. After all, at some point their food becomes insufficient: the insects hide, and the birds go south to feed themselves.
• Then, along with the freezing of the soil, birds fly away, feeding on seeds, grains of trees and plants.
• Large waterfowl representatives of birds hold on until the end, until their reservoirs begin to be covered with an ice crust.

All migratory birds: photos, names, descriptions

Redwing, a species of Thrush (Turdus iliacus)

The white-browed thrush is the smallest among the thrushes, and the most common species in Russia and the CIS countries. He is not very afraid of the cold: he flies away late for the winter, and returns one of the first. Prefers to nest in birch sparse forest.

• Dimensions: 22 cm long, weight almost never exceeds 60 g.
• Habitat: Eurasia, Himalayas. In winter, it flies closer to Africa.
• What does it eat: insects, butterflies, caterpillars. He does not disdain worms, which he brings to his chicks in whole bunches in the nest.

Shore, Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

These tiny representatives of the swallow family love to fly quickly over the very surface of the water, and settle near water bodies. Moreover, Beregovushki do not change their housing habits even when they are on a warm “vacation”. Favorite places for nests are steep banks of rivers with soft soil, near sand quarries, wherever you can dig a nest cave next to a reservoir.

• Dimensions: length - 12-13 cm, wingspan - 25-28 cm, weight 11-16 g.
• Habitat: the entire territory of Eurasia, as well as part of North America. Migrates to the south, depending on the zone of the original habitat closer to the reservoir.
• What does it eat: practically only insects. He likes to hunt right in flight, deftly grabbing insects with his beak. Small size and great mobility in the air make the Beregovushka a successful hunter.

Woodcock (Skolopax rusticola)

A medium-sized bird of the Bekasov family with a straight beak and a camouflage color in reddish-black tones. The singing of this bird can be heard infrequently, only during the mating season. Likes wet, swampy soils, dense deciduous and mixed forests. Always not averse to moving in search of places richer food. They are found alone, which may be in vain: they like to hunt Woodcocks.

• Dimensions: length - up to 38 centimeters, on average 33-35. The wingspan reaches 65 cm, and the weight is 460 gr. The beak is 7-9 centimeters long.
• Habitat: forests and forest-steppes of Eurasia. It is also found in the Canary, Azores, British Isles, in Japan.
• What does it eat: earthworms. Woodcock chooses the place of residence based on the size of their population. It can also feed on insects and their larvae.

Vertineck (Junx torquilla)

The bird of the woodpecker family got its name for its long neck, which is constantly in motion. She herself does not hollow out a hollow in a tree, she prefers to settle in a living space abandoned by other woodpeckers. It can drive smaller birds out of the hollow. When its hollow is attacked, Whirltail fluffs out its tail, flaps its wings, emits a hiss, and twirls its neck like a snake, misleading the attacker.

• Dimensions: length approximately 17-20 cm, wingspan 25-30 cm, weight 32-48 g.
• Where does it live: in the forests of the Mediterranean, Eurasia from France to Japan, and south to China. It also settles near a person, in squares and parks.
• What does it eat: ants, beetles, but most often - their larvae.

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

A small bird of the Thrush family of the Passerine order. Males have a bright color on the breast and under the beak. They like to sing, sitting on the bushes in the morning, sometimes taking off into the air to perform the so-called current flights. At night the singing stops. In the songs of this bird, sounds reminiscent of "Varak" are often found, hence the name.

• Dimensions: about 15 cm long. Males weigh from 15 to 23 g, females - from 13 to 21 g.
• Where does it live: banks of rivers, streams, ravines, lakes, etc., where it is wetter and thicker. They nest directly on the ground in thickets of grass and shrubs. Widely distributed in Eurasia.
• What does it eat: insects and their larvae. In autumn, it switches to a berry diet.

Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

A small bird of the flycatcher family, which can often be found in city parks in the European part of Russia. If you look at the photo of this migratory bird, you can easily understand where its name came from.

• Dimensions: about 10-15 cm long in an adult.
• Where does it live: Europe, the European part of Russia, they fly to Africa for the winter.
• What does it eat: Usually insects, but may switch to berries if the main food source is not available.

Necktie (Charadrius hiaticula)

The necktie is a small migratory bird, dark grey-brown above and white below. It got its name for the characteristic black circle encircling the neck. They nest in the sand, usually the house of these birds looks like a depression in the sand, sometimes covered with stones.

• Dimensions: usually about 20 cm long.
• Where does it live: the coastline is both sandy and pebble, silty. Habitat - Eurasia, North America. Winter flies to the southern parts of the mainland, but most often to Africa.
• What does it eat: mainly worms and other invertebrates that are found in the waters and off the coast of inhabited reservoirs.

Mistletoe (Turdus viscivorus)

Moderately large bird of the thrush family, males are completely black with an orange beak and a yellow halo around the eyes. Females and newly hatched individuals are brown in color with light patches on the throat, breast and abdomen. This is a singing migratory bird that loves to set intricate melodies with the first rays of the sun, and to spend the day with them. Singing is similar to the sounds of a flute.

• Size: up to 26 cm in length. The weight of an adult individual is from 80 to 125 gr.
• Where does it live: In Europe and western Russia in coniferous and mixed forests with moist soil and undergrowth in which worms can be found. Likes forest ravines. Do not mind settling in abandoned gardens and parks. It also lives in the Caucasian mountain forests. Flies south with undergrowth freezing.
• What does it eat: it is easier to list what the blackbird does not eat. This is an omnivorous bird that can profit from worms, beetles, insects, larvae, seeds, berries and fruits.

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

The songs of this singing migratory bird of the thrush family are rightfully recognized as especially beautiful, caressing the ear. The song thrush sings quite a variety of songs in a leisurely manner. They are able to sing all day long, they are most active in the morning and evening hours. Popularization of his work contributes to his gradual appearance in city parks. But still, the song thrush prefers the outskirts of dense forests and glades as a permanent place of residence.

• Size: in length, the average adult is from 21 to 25 cm, the wingspan is on average 35 cm, but reaches 39. Weight 55-100 g.
• Where does it live: any kind of forests in Europe, Asia Minor, Siberia.
• What does it eat: invertebrates (worms), in autumn it switches to a berry diet.

Field Lark (Alauda arvensis)

Larks are known for their sonorous morning song. He has a fairly wide chest for his size, which holds a lot of air for continuous singing. The field lark nests right on the ground, camouflaging it in the grass. It also hunts on the ground, never catches insects on the fly. In winter, it does not fly far from its habitats, and returns early.

• Size: 11-20 cm in length, body weight up to 45 g.
• Where does it live: meadows, steppes, fields, mountains of Eurasia, North Africa. Not found in forests.
• What does it eat: seeds of plants, especially likes wild types of millet. Eats bugs, spiders, butterflies and their larvae.

The common shrike (Lanius collurio)

The shrike is a small carnivorous bird of the shrike family of the passerine order. Males differ from females in a brighter color, as seen in the photo. Doesn't really like to sing. Flights of this bird occur at night. Hunts by perching on a branch. The fruits of a successful hunt likes to be impaled on tree thorns or barbed wire.

• Size: 16-18 cm body length, 28-31 cm wingspan, 28 g body weight.
• Where does it live: Almost all of Europe and Western Asia. It flies to the African tropics for the winter.
• What does it eat: large insects, birds smaller than themselves, lizards, voles.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Migratory bird from the flycatcher family. They are pale grey-green above, with a bright orange breast and part of the head. The long-legged bird is a migratory bird, the robin returns to its habitat after wintering among the first. Both females and males sing, but the latter do it better.

• Size: body length reaches 16 cm, on average about 15 cm, weight on average 17-18 grams.
• Where does it live: Northwest Africa, Western Eurasia. They like dense and moist deciduous/mixed forests. Settle in parks and gardens of man.
• What does it eat: worms, snails, insects. They eat berries when there is no main source of food. In winter, they eat soft food in the feeders.

Forest Accentor (Prunella modularis)

The hawk is a small migratory songbird. Belongs to a separate family - zavirushkovyh, in which it is the most common species. It differs from relatives in that it nests in addition to the mountains also on the plain. After all, she is very agile and elusive, moving very quickly through the bushes.

• Size: 13-14.5 centimeters, weight up to 20 g.
• Where does it live: Eurasia: continental Europe, Mediterranean, can be found in the Swiss Alps, the Caucasus Mountains, the Pyrenees. Prefers a temperate climate and undergrowth overgrown with shrubs, especially closer to the water.
• What does it eat: insects, worms, arachnids. In autumn, it changes its diet to plant foods: seeds, berries, fruits. Willingly feeds from feeders if there are bread crumbs or lard.

Chaffinch (Fringila coelebs)

The finch is a bright, pretty songbird of the finches family, about the size of a sparrow. In its natural habitat, it lives on average 2 years, but when tamed by a person, it lives up to 12 years. Males and females differ significantly in coloration, especially in spring. In the top right picture above, you can see a male and female Finch.

• Size: length just over 14 cm. Wingspan from 24.5 to 28.5 cm. The finch weighs from 15 to 40 grams.
• Where does it live: in all types of forests, both coniferous and deciduous, including artificial ones. Prefers not too dense forests with tall mature trees and cool climate. Often settles near a person in parks, squares, or even near residential buildings. Almost the most common bird in Russia.
• What does it eat: seeds, plant shoots, harmful insects, worms.

Oriole (Oreolus oreolus)

The Oriole is the only species of the Oriole family, as well as a common migratory bird in Europe and Asia. He loves the crowns of deciduous trees, is not inclined to gather in large flocks, you can often see a couple of these birds. Not afraid of long flights for the sake of warmth, migrates right up to tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Bright black and yellow appearance.

• Size: 24-25 cm in length, weight varies from 50 to 90 grams.
• Where does it live: Eurasia, covers almost the entire territory of Europe and western Asia. He likes to settle in high deciduous forests, which cannot be said about dense shady forests, Taiga. Often nests near humans, in parks and squares.
• What does it eat: tree insects, caterpillars, large and small insects. Not averse to profiting from smaller bird nests. It can also eat berries, which it does with pleasure during their ripening period.

Badger warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)

The badger warbler is a migratory bird of the passerine order. Males and females do not differ in color, have a black-gray pattern on top and a light abdomen with a yellowish tinge. The nest is built on a small elevation above the ground, the eggs are incubated alternately by the male and the female. In less than two weeks, the chicks are ready for independent living.

• Size: average length - 13 cm, wingspan up to 21 cm. Weight up to 15 gr.
• Where does it live: in thickets of reeds and bushes near rivers, lakes and other bodies of water almost throughout Europe. With the onset of cold weather, it travels an average of 6,000 km to reach places south of the Sahara in Africa.
• What does it eat: insects and berries, as well as shellfish.

Marsh warbler (Acrocephalus palustris)

Similar to the previous family, marsh warblers are similar in size and also do not differ in color depending on sex. Shows a good ability to move in thickets of bushes and reeds, as well as to imitate the singing of some other birds. Considerable life expectancy by the standards of a bird of this size is 9 years.

• Size: Length 13 cm, wingspan reaches 21 cm, weight from 11 to 14 grams.
• Where does it live: European resident in the summer, the Marsh Warbler prefers to winter in Africa south of the equator. Settles near water bodies in dense thickets.
• What does it eat: spiders, insects and their larvae, mollusks.

Coot (Fulica atra)

Coot, Lyska, Kashkaldak or Kachkaldak are all waterfowl migratory birds of the shepherd family. It got its name in Russia for a white leathery growth above the beak. It should be noted that it becomes white in adult birds, and in captives it is red. The shell of the eyes is bright red. The animal feels great in the water, where it spends a huge part of its life.

• Size: length 36-38 cm, wingspan 19.5-23.5 cm, weight 0.5 to 1 kg. Individuals can gain up to 1.5 kg
• Where does it live: on reservoirs with both fresh and slightly salty water. Likes quiet water places, without strong currents. Nests can be found in coastal vegetation. During winter migration, it does not change its habits; it is often found in sea bays, lakes, and reservoirs.
• What does it eat: mostly plant foods, aquatic plants and their fruits. Carnivorous food (insects) makes up no more than 10% of the diet. Can take food from swans and ducks. Sometimes dives in search of food to a depth of 1.5 m.

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

The buzzard is a predatory migratory bird of the hawk family, found in almost the entire Old World: both in Africa during migration and in Eurasia. They like to settle in forests, from which it is not far to meadows or glades, where they like to hunt. They attack prey either from a leisurely soaring above the ground, or from an elevation. During winter migration, they form large flocks, which are shunned by rabbits and ground squirrels.

• Size: length 51-57 cm, wingspan 110-130 cm. Females are usually larger than males.
• Where does it live: almost throughout Europe, in the forest belt of Asia, it usually migrates to winter in Africa, but may not fly anywhere.
• What does it eat: Small mammals such as rats, mice, ground squirrels, small birds even rabbits. With hunger, it can also profit from carrion.

Common tern (Sterna hirundo)

River Tern is a water-loving bird of the Tern family, belongs to migratory. It is also called Common Tern. Outwardly, it is very similar to the polar one, but a little smaller. Excellent divers, they find their food in the water. Easily recognizable by their bright orange bill with a black tip, black crown and brightly colored flippers.

• Size: the body of an adult is 31 to 35 cm long, wingspan is 70-80 cm, weight is from 97 to 175 g.
• Where does it live: on the coastline of the seas, oceans, as well as rivers and other inland water bodies in Europe, Africa, New Guinea, the Philippines, the western part of South America.
• What does it eat: a small fish that it catches by diving into the water. Also not averse to profit from insects and molluscs.

Klintukh (Columbia oenas)

Klintukh is a pigeon, very similar to the Gray Dove, well known to city dwellers. But unlike him, Klintukh prefers a forest lifestyle far from civilization. Males and females look almost the same, but the males are larger. It usually leads a settled way of life if it nests in a warm area, but the more north the nest, the more likely it is that Klintukh will fly away from his familiar place to spend the winter in warmer climes.

• Size: length 32-34 cm, male weight 303-365 g, female weight 286-290 g, wingspan 63-70 cm
• Where does it live: deciduous, mixed forests and forest-steppes of Eurasia. Usually does not nest above 500m above sea level.
• What does it eat: seeds of plants and trees, much less - insects, molluscs.

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

A familiar species of migratory birds of the cuckoo family by the recognizable singing of the male bird. Do you already have her voice in your head? So, you have ever been near the forest and heard this singing. Most of their life they are silent birds, and only in spring they begin to sing, leading their mating games. According to the observations of ornithologists, in one approach the cuckoo can cuckoo up to 360 times. I wish I could get on such a song after the question “Cuckoo, cuckoo, how long do I have left to live?”

• Size: the length of the cuckoo reaches 34 cm, the wingspan is from 55 to 65 cm, the weight is 80-190 g.
• Where does it live: almost everywhere, in all climatic zones and landscapes, this bird can be found. Winter prefers to spend in Africa and the tropics of Asia.
• What does it eat: mainly by insects and their larvae.

Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

The nightjar is a nocturnal carnivorous migratory bird of the true nightjar family, slightly larger than a thrush. A characteristic feature is the color that allows the bird to be well camouflaged against the background of tree bark or forest litter. Squinting her eyes, she merges even more with the outside world. They do not shine with long legs, they cannot grasp branches with them. Therefore, the Nightjar sits along the branches, and not across.

• Size: length 24.5-28 cm, wingspan 52-59 cm, weight of males 51-101 g, and females 67-95 g.
• Where does it live: Eurasia, North Africa, in open areas, as well as sparse forests. Avoids dense forest. Likes warm or temperate climates.
• What does it eat: mainly nocturnal insects, catches bees and wasps, mosquitoes.

Forest Pipit (Anthus trivialis)

This migratory bird of the wagtail family is also called "forest chevritsa". In size, it is smaller than a sparrow, has a gray-brown color of the top with black-brown blotches, the chest and bottom are lighter, but also with dark blotches. The younger the bird, the more clearly the black streaks on the top are visible.

• Size: body length reaches 16 cm.
• Where does it live: in Europe, North and Central Asia.
• What does it eat: insects and their larvae, spiders. In autumn, it begins to eat plant seeds.

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

Wren is a tiny migratory bird of the wren family, its only representative. A small ball of feathers with a trumpet-like tail, this bird is very mobile and loud. Males sing, flying up a tree or other elevation, denoting their territory. They nest unusually, the entrance to their nest is located on the side, which is why it resembles a cave. Therefore, this species was given the name troglodytes.

• Size: one of the smallest birds in Europe. Body length 9-10.5 cm, almost 2 times less than a sparrow! Wingspan 15-17 cm, weight 8-12 g.
• Where does it live: Eurasia, North Africa, North America. Mostly a sedentary bird, only the northern inhabitants migrate south in winter. They love dense and damp coniferous and dark mixed forests, densely overgrown undergrowth.
• What does it eat: invertebrates: worms, beetles, grasshoppers, larvae, wood lice, etc. Sometimes they can hunt small fish in the water. In autumn they turn to berries.

Garden warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)

The garden warbler differs slightly from other types of warblers - reed warblers or marsh warblers. Male and female look almost the same. The main difference is the singing of the bird, which you can listen to in the video below. Often imitates the voices of other bird species, but mostly at night.

• Size: length from 11 to 17 cm, wing length from 5.8 to 6.5 cm. Weight from 9 to 15 g.
• Where does it live: east of the south of Finland and the Baltic states, south of the extreme northern point of Ukraine. Winters in India.
• What does it eat: insects.

Corncrake (Crex crex)

Small bird of the shepherd family. It flies reluctantly, but during a winter flight to warmer climes, it easily covers distances of thousands of kilometers. It lives in tall grasses, from where it rarely appears. Secretive bird, sings only during the mating season, the rest of the time it is silent. Poultry meat is valued for its good taste.

• Size: slightly larger than a thrush. Body length 27-30 cm, wingspan 46-53 cm, weight 80-200 g
• Where does it live: in meadows and steppes with tall grasses, in damp thickets, fields. Winters in Africa.
• What does it eat: all in a row, but mostly invertebrates - worms, insects, beetles, snails. Less often - small mice and lizards, seeds of plants.

Field Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Medium-sized carnivorous migratory bird belonging to the hawk family. It has large wings and a tail, allowing it to hunt quietly and with long hoverings above the ground at low speed. Females are noticeably larger than males.

• Size: length 46-47 cm, wingspan 97-118 cm. Weight of females 390-600 g, males 290-390 g.
• Where does it live: in open landscapes: fields, lawns, steppes, etc., in the north - in the forest-tundra.
• What does it eat: mainly rodents - hamsters, mice, rats, ground squirrels, voles. Can catch rabbits.

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

A migratory bird of the swallow family with a long, forked tail. Social animals, huddle in large flocks. Surely many have seen such flocks on power wires.

• Size: body length from 14.6 to 19.9 cm, wingspan from 31.8 to 34.3 cm. Weight from 17 to 20 g.
• Where does it live: almost everywhere except Antarctica and Australia. Easily adapt to life in any place where there is food.
• What does it eat: insects that are caught on the fly.

City swallow (Delichon urbica)

Originally a rock dweller, this migratory bird of the swallow family has adapted well to life in the concrete jungle. It differs from the rustic in color, which is more black and white, but has a bluish tint in the upper body. In flight, it flaps its wings very quickly: it makes an average of 5.3 flaps per second.

• Size: body length from 12 to 17 cm, wingspan from 20 to 33 cm, weight from 18 to 19 g.
• Where does it live: can often be seen under the eaves of residential buildings, high-rise buildings, on balconies. In the wild, they settle on the rocks, but they are less and less common there, preferring the neighborhood with a person.
• What does it eat: insects caught in flight.

Gray Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

This inconspicuous bird of the flycatcher family is about the size of a sparrow, has a long tail, gray or gray-brown plumage, short legs and beak. Characteristic vertical landing on a branch. It knows how to distinguish its own eggs from the eggs of other birds, therefore it never becomes a victim of deception by the cuckoo and other birds that lay their own eggs in other people's clutches.

• Size: body length 15.5 cm, weight 15 gr.
• Where does it live: virtually everywhere in Europe and Western Asia. Flies in winter to Africa and southwest Asia.
• What does it eat: insects that it hunts with its typical shaking movements of the tail and wings, after which it soars into the air, trying to catch the insect.

Pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Song migratory bird of the flycatcher family. Males and females differ in color: females are inconspicuous, gray-brown, males are more contrasting, black top, white bottom. It likes to nest in hollows, crevices, under canopies. Does not build nests outdoors. Females and males pair up to breed and care for offspring. Both parents feed the chicks, making up to 500 flights and returns to the nest.

• Size: body length about 16 cm, weight 15-19 g.
• Where does it live: in the forests of Europe both on the continent and on the islands, in Western Siberia. Flies to winter in North Africa. He likes deciduous light forests or mixed, not dense.
• What does it eat: sawfly larvae, flies, caterpillars, spiders. Moreover, flies make up no more than 1/3 of the diet of the flycatcher. In autumn it also feeds on berries and fruits.

Lesser Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)

Another migratory representative of the flycatcher family, inferior to the rest in size. The coloration of the male is almost identical to the robin, also described in this article. A distinctive feature of males is an orange goiter, framed by a gray stripe. Young males after the first molt in their life look like females, and only by the second spring they become attractive to females.

• Size: 12 cm long, weighs 11 g.
• Where does it live: in almost all types of forests of Eurasia, from Eastern Europe to the western slopes of the Ural Mountains. It flies to the south of Asia for the winter.
• What does it eat: insects, spiders, small mollusks, in autumn it also feeds on berries.

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniculus)

This type of migratory bird is also called cane oatmeal, reed. Adult males are characterized by black plumage on the head. Jumps on the ground, but prefers to move through the air with jerky throws up and down. Easily grabs and holds with your feet even on very thin stems.

• Size: body length up to 16 cm, wingspan reaches 23 cm.
• Where does it live: in coastal thickets of reeds, reeds, bushes near lakes, rivers, swamps and other reservoirs. Europe and western Asia except for mountainous areas.
• What does it eat: Most of the time it feeds on seeds, but during the breeding season it switches to insects, snails, and worms.

Willow Warbler (Philloscopus trochilus)

Singing migratory bird of the chiffchaff family of the passerine order. Outwardly, it is difficult to distinguish from the chiffchaff (below), but as soon as she sings, the differences are immediately audible. Males of this species do not differ from females. According to ornithologists, willow warblers are the most numerous bird species migrating from Europe to Africa, with 300 million birds making the journey each year.

• Size: body length from 11 to 13 cm, wingspan from 17 to 22 cm. Weight - from 8 to 11 g.
• Where does it live: almost all of Europe, flies south of the Sahara for the winter. Prefers deciduous and mixed sparse forests, scrub, wet areas, gardens and parks.
• What does it eat: insects and their larvae, spiders, snails, as well as berries and fruits.

Green warbler (Philloscopus trochiloides)

A distinctive feature reflected in the name is the green color of the plumage on the back, head, wings and withers, a little on the chest. Females and males without significant differences from each other. Nests are built in natural landscape shelters - caves, burrows, space under stones, hollows of trees not high above the ground.

• Size: body length about 10 cm, wingspan from 15 to 21 cm, weight up to 8 g.
• Where does it live: the main habitat of the green warbler is the southern and middle taiga, mixed forests, ranging from the east of Central Europe to the Pacific Ocean.
• What does it eat: small insects, spiders, molluscs.

Chiffchaff (Philloscopus collibita)

Tiny bird of the warblers family. It received its name for its manner of singing, in which the repeated sounds “shadow-tien-tin” are guessed. It differs from the willow lizard in that it sings and has darker legs. Another difference between these two species is that the Chiffchaff sometimes lowers its tail.

• Size: length 10-12 cm, weight of males 7-8 g, weight of females 6-7 g.
• Where does it live: in sparse, tall forests with undergrowth, prefers deciduous and mixed. Breeds in Eurasia, winters in the south of the continent, as well as in Africa.
• What does it eat: similarly with other members of the family, insects, caterpillars, snails, larvae, as well as berries and fruits. He eats about 1/3 of his body weight per day.

Ratchet Warbler (Philloscopus sibilatrix)

The top of the rattlesnake with a green tint, the bottom is white. Males and females do not differ in color. It hides its nest on the ground in dense thickets of bushes. The migratory nature, direction and duration of the flight are laid down by nature.

• Size: body length from 11 to 13 cm, wingspan 19-24 cm. The weight of the ratchet warbler is approximately 8 to 13 grams.
• Where does it live: in deciduous and mixed forests of Central Europe, beech parks.
• What does it eat: similarly to other foams, it feeds on spiders, insects and their larvae, small mollusks, berries.

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

This carnivorous bird of the Falcon family is distinguished by its way of hunting - it soars in the air at a height of 10-20 meters above the ground in search of prey. It also has a brown plumage. They prefer to migrate alone. More and more often he chooses the neighborhood with a person.

• Size: males are up to 34.5 cm long, have an average wingspan of about 75 cm with an average weight of 200 g. Females are 36 cm long with a wingspan of up to 76 cm, and are heavier than males by an average of 20 grams, but the weight varies depending on the season. Most of all it is during the laying of eggs.
• Where does it live: easily adapts to a variety of conditions, which contributed to their spread in various regions of the Earth. In general, both dense forests and completely bare steppes are avoided.
• What does it eat: small mammals, lizards, large insects.

Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

The quail belongs to the subfamily of the partridge order of the galliformes, it is the only migratory bird of this order. In the past, quails were often caged as songbirds or fought between them. Now this practice is less common, but. So is poultry meat. In captivity, the quail feels great.

• Size: Body length 16-20 cm, weight 80-145 g.
• Where does it live: in Europe, Asia and West Africa, in Russia it is distributed to the East up to Baikal in the fields, plains, and mountains.
• What does it eat: plant seeds, young shoots, rarely insects.

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

Fieldfare is a species of thrush that is numerous in Europe. It differs from most thrush species in its way of life - more social. Fieldfare gather in flocks of 60-80 birds, although some still prefer hermitage. In winter, they like to eat mountain ash, for which they got their name. They defend themselves from enemies by bombarding them with their droppings. If a flock of fieldfare is attacked by a bird, then it risks its plumage, which will turn out to be glued and not able to keep the bird in the air.

• Size: 24-28 cm long, wingspan 39-42 cm.
• Where does it live: in almost all of Europe, as well as in Siberia.
• What does it eat: both animal and vegetable food, loves mountain ash, sea buckthorn and other wild berries.

Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia)

The common nightingale is a well-known singing migratory bird, a singer glorified by many Russian fairy tales. His song is a repetitive set of trills, clicks, whistles. Each set is called a knee. Belongs to the flycatcher family. The first nightingales, returning from warm countries, appear in early May, by the 8-10th.

Most likely, he is a direct northern descendant of the southern, or western, nightingale. The range of the common nightingale extends from the western borders of Russia to the Yenisei River. The northern border captures the entire strip of the southern taiga in the European part of Russia and the Urals, descends somewhat to the south to the subtaiga forests in Western Siberia and goes into the forest-steppe on the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The southern border captures the forest-steppe and steppe of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and passes through the territory of dry steppes and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan.

The common nightingale is a moisture-loving bird. It reaches its maximum abundance in floodplain forests. Its favorite habitats are floodplain and lowland moist oak forests of the subzone of coniferous-deciduous forests and oak forests of the European forest-steppe. The main scheme of the nesting microstation of the common nightingale is dense, shady thickets of viburnum, bird cherry, buckthorn and honeysuckle in the floodplain of the river, near a small spring or forest spring. The nightingale willingly nests in dense thickets of moisture-loving grasses. The only important thing is that under the canopy of grass, well hiding the bird and shading the ground, there should be a bare, grass-free space. The best conditions of this type occur in nettle thickets, some umbrella and floodplain shrubs. An excellent example of favorable nesting microstations are elderberry thickets, shady in moist lowland and ravine areas. In the forest zone, the nightingale widely spreads along the floodplains of forest streams and rivers, lowland alder forests.

• Size: length up to 20 cm, males weigh 22.4-27.5 g, females 23.8-25.2 g.
• Where does it live: where it is humid, loves littoral forests, lowland oak forests. Often nests in dense thickets of viburnum, bird cherry near rivers and streams, in thickets of grasses. The range is from western Russia to the Yenisei, and from the north - from the southern Taiga to the semi-deserts of Kazakhstan.
• What does it eat: various insects, worms.

Garden warbler (Sylvia borin)

Song migratory bird of the warbler family. It nests low above the ground, usually in bushes or low trees. It takes an average of 6-10 days to build a nest. Male and female alternately incubate offspring and get food. Life expectancy - up to 14 years.

• Size: body length 13-14.5 cm, weight 16-22 g
• Where does it live: forest edges, clearings, as well as shrubs near rivers in Europe, the central and southern regions of Western Siberia.
• What does it eat: insects and caterpillars, in autumn it switches to a berry diet of blueberries, elderberries, raspberries and other berries.

White Warbler (Sylvia communis)

Another small bird of the warbler family, it is distinguished by its gray color. Smaller than a sparrow. It often sings in flight without perching on branches. It differs from other species of the family in its nest building habits: in gray warblers, it turns out to be deeper, with a high content of field cereals.

• Size: 14-20 cm.
• Where does it live: in Europe, Asia Minor, Western Siberia, winters in North-West Africa, Israel.
• What does it eat: insects and berries.

Winter Warbler (Sylvia curruca)

This type of migratory bird is also called the miller warbler. They have a brownish color, which distinguishes them from other warbler species, along with their size. After arrival from warm countries, males immediately begin to sing and build several nest frames. After creating a pair, one of the nests is completed together.

• Size: Body length 11.5-13.5 cm, wings - about 6.5 cm, weight 12-16 g.
• Where does it live: almost everywhere where there are bushes, hedges, including in human gardens. They winter in Africa.
• What does it eat: insects and their larvae, spiders, mollusks, berries.

Warbler (Sylvia atricapilla)

A typical song-migratory warbler, but with black plumage on the head of males. In females, this place is red. Able to sing from dusk to dawn. The offspring are raised in carelessly assembled nests located in bushes or lower branches of trees. After the withdrawal of the first offspring for the season, they begin to build a new nest for the second brood.

• Size: body length 13.5-15 cm, wings 7-8 cm; weight 15-22 g.
• Where does it live: in almost all of Europe, except for the Far North, even Western Siberia. It also breeds in northwestern Africa. Inhabits forests with undergrowth, edges, clearings, thickets along river banks, penetrates mountains, as well as gardens and city parks.
• What does it eat: In summer it feeds on beetles, insects, caterpillars, butterflies, flies, etc. With the ripening of berries in late summer and autumn, the diet changes significantly in their direction.

Black Swift (Apus apus)

A relatively small bird of the swift family, the owner of one of the highest dive speeds: 111 km / h! Tail with a fork-shaped notch, similar to a swallowtail. Males do not differ in color from females. The black swift gradually loses its ideal black color, as the feathers burn out under the influence of the sun.

• Size: up to 18 cm long, wingspan reaches 40 cm.
• Where does it live: in Europe, North and Central Asia. It tends to spend the winter in southern Africa, flying over the entire continent. It nests both in forests and near humans.
• What does it eat: insects that it catches in flight.

Common cricket (Locustella naevia)

A small migratory bird of the order Passeriformes. They got their name for their characteristic singing, similar to the chirping of crickets. They sing even in August-September, when the rest of the birds have already stopped. Females do not differ from males in coloration. It tries to move on the ground, without flights, but easily overcomes distances during winter migration.

• Size: 12 to 14 cm and weighing 14 to 20 grams
• Where does it live: in Europe. Winters in Africa. Cricket can be found in wet meadows, swamps, near rivers, and also on the plains.
• What does it eat: insects and their larvae, spiders, mollusks.

River cricket (Locustella fluviatilis)

Monogamous representative of the order Passeriformes. Nests on the ground. Only the female participates in the construction of the nest, but both parents incubate the chicks. Sings while sitting on a tree. It is most often heard early in the morning or in the evening. Often, at the beginning of the nest building period, it also sings at night while the female is working.

• Size: length from 14.5 to 16 cm.
• Where does it live: from Western Siberia to the east of Central Europe. He likes undergrowth and swampy forests, meadows. He needs cover from above and room to move down.
• What does it eat: insects and their larvae.

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

A bird of the order Passeriformes of the Wagtail family. It has a long tail, which likes to shake, shake, for which it got its name. It nests in natural and artificial depressions.

• Size: 16-19 cm, weight 20-23 g.
• Where does it live: in Europe, Asia, North Africa.
• What does it eat: mostly insects, very rarely - berries and seeds.

Gray heron (Ardea cinerea)

Carnivorous bird of the heron family of the stork order. The long neck, long legs and beak make this bird well adapted for hunting in shallow water. Large bird, but females are not as large as males. There are no more external differences between the sexes. It nests in colonies, usually up to 20 nests, but sometimes more, up to 1000 individuals.

• Size: a large variation in the size of individuals. Body length up to 102 cm. Wingspan from 1.5 to 1.75 m, sometimes up to 1.95 m.
• Where does it live: widely distributed in Eurasia near suitable reservoirs, where at least 5 months the water is not covered with ice, there is shallow water and enough food.
• What does it eat: mainly fish, but also eats rodents, and in general all animals that it can swallow. What the heron has not been able to digest, she regurgitates in compressed lumps.

Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

Relatively small bird of the Falcon family, carnivorous. The main version about the origin of the name is from the Old Russian word "chegl", which means "genuine". This name ranked the Hobby among the noble falcons, which were used in hunting as opposed to unsuitable for it.

• Size: Length 28-36 cm, wingspan 69-84 cm, weight 130-340 g.
• Where does it live: in forest-steppes and light, sparse forests. Prefers areas where the forest alternates with open spaces.
• What does it eat: small birds not larger than a thrush and large insects.

Common lentil (Carpodacus erythrinus)

Bright bird of the finches family. Rather, only males are bright, while females have a less catchy color. Early fly away to winter - in mid-August. These birds have a route first to Siberia, and only then to the south.

• Size: 16.5 cm, weight around 20 g.
• Where does it live: in the forest zone of Eurasia, flies to the southern part of Asia for wintering.
• What does it eat: plant seeds, berries, sometimes insects.

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

The lapwing is a small migratory bird belonging to the plovers family. Males have a pronounced feathery crest on the head and a distinct metallic green sheen of feathers on the sides and top. For females, this is also characteristic, but much less pronounced. When migrating, they gather in large flocks of many hundreds of birds. Nests are built directly on the ground, marking them with a small plant stack. The eggs are incubated alternately by the male and the female.

• Size: about 30 cm long.
• Where does it live: from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean near water bodies.
• What does it eat: beetles, larvae, worms.

Chernysh (Tringa ochropus)

A bird of the snipe family, which bears the popular nickname for dogs as a name. These birds lead an active lifestyle at dusk, constantly shaking their tail. Likes to sit in trees. While searching for food, you can often hear his call, sounding like something like "tween". Does not nest on the ground, prefers ready-made housing left by other birds, such as thrushes.

• Size: 21-24 cm, weight is 50 to 80 g, and the wingspan is 41 to 46 cm
• Where does it live: in moist, sparse forests, in swamps.
• What does it eat: water-dwelling insects, crustaceans and small fish.

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Predatory bird of the gull family, one of the most common species of gulls on the planet. Social animals huddle in large flocks, in which they constantly and actively discuss something, without ceasing to give voice. Depending on the habitat, it can be either a settled bird or a migratory one.

• Size: Body length 35-39 cm, wingspan 86-99 cm, weight 200-350 g.
• Where does it live: on the reservoirs of a significant part of Eurasia, the coast of the Atlantic Ocean of Canada, can often be found in Russia near reservoirs.
• What does it eat: worms, insects, including large ones, and their larvae, as well as small rodents and fish. Regulars of landfills and fish processing places, where they feed on waste.

Meadow coin (Saxicola rubetra)

Meadow coin is a songbird of the flycatcher family. Live up to 8 years. Males are darker and more contrasting in appearance, while females are more brown. They are not in a hurry to build nests, they are waiting for more growth of meadow grasses closer to June. It sings and hunts, climbing high stems of bushes or grasses. One activity often leads to another.

• Size: length 13-14 cm, weight 15-20 g.
• Where does it live: throughout Europe from April to September, then flies to sub-Saharan Africa. Loves grassy meadows, pastures, swamps, wastelands.
• What does it eat: worms, insects and their larvae, spiders, berries.

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Migratory birds seem to live in two houses: they have different wintering and nesting places, they can be located at a considerable distance from each other. Often the migration takes place in several stages, between which the birds take a break to rest. The list of such birds is quite extensive. Birds begin to leave their permanent habitat at different periods: for example, orioles, nightingales, swifts begin to travel at the end of summer, although there are still warm days and food for them is a real abundance. And waterfowl (swans, ducks) leave their reservoirs very late, waiting for the first frosts.

Reasons for flying

Birds are most often thermophilic, their body is characterized by elevated temperature (often it exceeds 40 ° C). However, feathers protect them well from the cold, which is why, of course, they can live in the cold conditions of a harsh winter. But for this they need more food. And in the snowy season, getting food is not easy! That is why birds have to leave their nests and fly to distant countries rich in food. As a rule, the inhabitants of the tundra and taiga are more susceptible to flights, where natural conditions are the most severe, and food is extremely scarce in winter. A regularity was also revealed: most often insectivorous and carnivorous birds migrate, less often - granivorous. The reason for this is obvious: you can find grain in winter, but even the sharpest beak will not get insects from under the snow. A large number of migratory and among the inhabitants of the middle zone.

Why they return There is no clear answer to the question of what prompts birds to leave warm places rich in food and return, overcoming great distances to abandoned nests.

Scientists have put forward several hypotheses:

Appearance and behavior

Large heron, body length 90–98 cm, weight 1.1–2.3 kg, wingspan 175–195 cm. The color is generally gray, sometimes very light individuals are found. In adult birds during the mating season, a thin crest is on the head, elongated feathers are visible at the bottom of the neck. A sedentary bird, able to stand for hours in shallow water or at the edge of reed beds, practically without changing its posture. Sometimes it is found in dry places, where it behaves in the same way. Often sits on trees, especially likes individual protruding dry branches. In danger, it flies away, rises from the ground easily, without a run, even from dense thickets. The flight is light and unhurried; during the flight in a group, gray herons often line up in a line or wedge. Active around the clock.

Description

The main tone of the color is ash-gray, the flight and tail feathers are almost black, on the underside of the neck there are longitudinal dark streaks, the belly is white, the sides of the body are black, in a standing bird a black and white spot stands out on the wing fold. In adult birds, the head is almost white, only a black “bandage” stretches from the eye to the back of the head, turning into a thin hanging braid. Young birds are less contrasting, their head is grayish, with a black “cap”. The legs are greenish-gray, the beak of adult birds is yellow, in the mating season it is pinkish, the eyes are yellow. Young birds have a two-color beak - the mandible is black, the mandible is yellow. The down of the chicks is light gray. The flying gray herons are well distinguished from the red herons by the contrasting coloration of the wings (light gray and black) and longer legs.

Distribution, status

The breeding range covers a significant part of Eurasia and Africa. In European Russia, the most widespread heron, found from Karelia in the north to the Black Sea coast in the south. In the middle zone it is a migratory bird, in the south it sometimes hibernates, in recent years there have been winter sightings near Moscow. It is common, although not numerous, in the south in many places it is inferior in number to other types of herons - for example, little white or night heron. In spring it arrives very early, the first birds near the colonies can be seen even when there is snow all around and water bodies are covered with ice. Flies away late, some birds linger almost until freezing.

Lifestyle

Settles in various water bodies, usually nests in colonies - mainly on trees, as well as in flooded bushes or reed beds. Colonies can be located in the forest at a distance of up to several kilometers from the reservoir. Colonies vary in size, with several hundred pairs nesting together in the south of the region. Nests, like those of other herons, are shaped like an inverted cone with translucent walls through which eggs are clearly visible. When nesting on trees and shrubs, the main building material is thin dry twigs and branches. Nests are extremely light, so thin tree branches and reed stalks support them.

Pairs form for life. The clutch contains 3-5 greenish-blue eggs the size of a chicken or slightly larger. The clutch is incubated mainly by the female. Newborn chicks are completely helpless, but sighted. Adult birds feed them by regurgitating semi-digested food. Chicks rise to their feet about 2 weeks after hatching. In a strong wind, the grown chicks often fall out of the nests located on the trees. In this case, they are almost certainly doomed to death, since the parents do not feed the chicks outside the nest, and they are not able to return there on their own, not being able to fly.

Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Description

A medium-sized predator, about a third larger than a crow, with a dense build, with wide, rounded wings. The tail is relatively short and wide, with a straight cut, only the corners are slightly rounded. The color of adults is very variable, from almost completely dark brown or brown to red or reddish-buff. In birds of all variations, on the lower surface of the wing, the bases of the primary, and often the secondary primaries, are light and form a continuous pale field on the wing, more or less mottled.

The upperparts are darker, on the wing the light field usually occupies only the bases of the primaries, the dark stripe along the trailing edge of the wing often merges with the rest of the dark upperparts.

Many birds on the chest, as a rule, have a brightening in the form of a transverse stripe, often the underside of the body is covered with spots and streaks. There is a dark stripe along the rear edge of the wings below, at the end of the tail there is also a dark stripe, and several smaller and less distinct stripes are often visible (in some individuals, the striping of the tail is weakly expressed). The tail when soaring is usually wide open and often the extreme helmsmen go beyond the trailing edge of the wings. Weight 550-1300 g, length 46-53, male wing 34.3-37.2, female 35.8-38.6, span 100-130 cm.

Spreading

Breeds in the valley of the middle reaches of the Urals, in Northern Kazakhstan, in the Kokchetav highlands, in the forests of the mountain groups of the Kazakh uplands, in Kalba, in the South-Western Altai, Black Irtysh. Occasionally nests in the Naurzum forest. During the migration period, it is found everywhere.

Biology

A rare nesting bird, but during seasonal movements its numbers are very high. Inhabits floodplain forests, lowland and mountain coniferous forests with nearby open steppe areas. In spring in southern regions appears in mid-March - early April, most birds migrate in April, the last migrants are observed in mid-May. In the northern regions appears from mid-April. It flies both singly and in small groups and in flocks of up to 50 birds. The nest is located in the upper part of deciduous (birch, aspen, poplar) or coniferous (pine, spruce, fir) trees at a height of 4-15 m from the ground; a nest is built from dry branches, the tray is laid out with old grass and hair, often also with green branches, especially after the appearance of chicks.

Clutch of 3-4, less often 5 eggs is produced in late April - May. Probably both parents incubate the clutch for about a month. Chicks appear in late May - June, both parents feed the chicks, which fledge in July - early August. But for more than a month, the chicks depend on their parents for food. Autumn migration begins in mid-August - early September; buzzards disappear from the northern regions already in mid-late September. At the Chokpak Pass, the peak of migration occurs in mid-September, when several thousand buzzards can be counted per day. The last migrating birds are observed in mid-late October.

Harrier - Circus cyaneus

Description

The field harrier is a bird of the falconiformes order, listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region.

Medium sized bird of prey with rather long wings and tail. The male is ash gray (gray), with a slightly lighter belly. The white loin is clearly visible. The outer primaries are black. The female is reddish-brown with a wide white stripe on the lower back. The back is plain, the belly is mottled. Harriers have a prominent owl-like facial disc, which distinguishes them from other diurnal predators. During current flights, the male emits a quick call “check-ek-ek-ek…”. The female, when disturbed, makes a series of rattling calls “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki…”.

Habitat and lifestyle

The field harrier has a wide range, covering a significant territory of the northern hemisphere - the entire north of Eurasia, most of North America. Settles in meadows, clearings, overgrown fields, among shrubs, avoiding dense forests.

Birds actively hunt both during daylight hours and at dusk. They feed mainly on mouse-like rodents, but small birds play a significant role in the diet. Rarely prey on large insects, amphibians and reptiles. Occasionally it may feed on carrion. Flight view. They winter in Africa, southern and central Asia and southern Europe. Very rarely, in winters with little snow, rich in rodents, individual birds remain in our strip.

reproduction

They appear on nesting sites in April, when large thawed patches appear on the ground. They fly singly. The nest is built on the ground, among bushes or weeds, lined with grass. In laying from 2 to 8 eggs. Eggs are mostly white, but sometimes with a bluish tint, possibly with faint reddish spots. Only the female incubates for more than three weeks, the male feeds her on the nest. The chicks stay in the nest for about 6 weeks. After departure, the brood stays with their parents for some time, who feed the young. They migrate for wintering in September-October.

Hobby – Falco subbuteo

Description

The color of the head resembles a peregrine falcon in miniature. It is distinguished by a blue-black upper body and a creamy-white lower part with dark longitudinal spots; the underbelly and undertail are chestnut, with yellowish streaks in young individuals. Male and female are almost indistinguishable.

Spreading

Migratory species, migrates over long distances. There are 2 subspecies distributed in Eurasia and North Africa. Not found in northwestern Europe. Winters in South Africa. In Italy, the breeding population is 400-700 pairs, more common here during migrations.

Habitat

It lives in broad-leaved and coniferous forests with vast glades, which it hunts. In the Mediterranean, it is common in coastal pine forests, sometimes it can be found in poplar groves or in city parks.

Biology

The breeding season of the hobby begins late. From mid-May, he looks for an abandoned nest of a corvid, wood pigeon or some predator, where he then lays 3 yellowish-brown eggs with red-brown spots. Incubation is carried out almost exclusively by the female and lasts 28–31 days. Young begin to fly 28-34 days after birth. One clutch per year. Hobbies feed on large insects and birds, which they catch most often at twilight. Often swallows food in flight.

Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus

Appearance

The kestrel is a widespread and very useful bird. The total length of the kestrel is 31-38 cm, the wing length is 23-27.5 cm, and the weight is 180-240 g. The kestrel inhabits forests (except for dense closed massifs), forest-steppes, parks, gardens, cities, mountains and deserts. In our country, the common kestrel is a migratory bird. With regard to nesting conditions, the common kestrel is a very unpretentious bird: it nests on rocks, along cliffs, in trees (also in hollows), in human structures, in holes on the ground. The kestrel does not build its own nests, it often occupies the buildings of other birds, and if they are not available, it is limited to the internal lining of the nest.

reproduction

Eggs in a clutch are usually 4-5, sometimes more (up to 8) or less (3). Eggs are buffy with rusty-brown streaks. Incubation, in which both parents participate, lasts 28 days, and a month after hatching or a little later, the chicks fledge. The broods of the common kestrel do not disintegrate before departure. The kestrel eats a variety of foods.

Nutrition

Unlike Peregrine Falcons and Hobbies, the Common Kestrel takes its prey mainly from the ground. Looking out for prey, the kestrel at a low altitude often “shakes” in the air on the spot (whence one of the popular names for the bird is “shaking”). Small mammals (mainly rodents), small birds (flies), lizards and insects are the main food of this falcon.

Crake - Crex crex

Description and dimensions

The size of the corncrake is somewhat larger than the quail. The body length of the corncrake reaches 13-15 centimeters, weight is 130-150 grams. Older birds are more weighty due to the presence of fat. The corncrake has a short beak and reddish plumage with dark streaks. When flying, covering reddish feathers are visible on its wings. Despite the small length (from 1.9 to 2.3 centimeters), the bird's beak is very wide at the base, pale, brownish-brown in color. The center of the corncrake's feathers is dark, the ends are gray. The chest and goiter are also gray. Throat - light (in the lower part). Sides and belly - with red lines, ocher-light. The tail is short. The body is flattened on the sides, like a moorhen.

Corncrake habitats

In contrast to other representatives of the shepherd Corncrake chooses not too wet places as the main habitats– Moderately moist sedge marshes and slightly damp meadows with tall and lush vegetation. The corncrake also keeps in grain crops near wet lowlands, in shrubby swamps and floodplains. In general, the corncrake eschews open water bodies and excessively damp areas. By the end of the summer season, it can move to dry places - to stubble, forest cuts and meadows. For a normal life, this bird needs dense grasses that hide it from the eyes of strangers and from natural enemies.

Corncrake habitats:

• from the western borders of Russia to Altai;
• from the lower reaches to the upper reaches of the Lena in Siberia;
• in the regions of the circumpolar circle;
• in the Caucasus;
• in Central and Asia Minor;
• in Western Europe.

Crake eats both plant and animal food., therefore, he prefers grass seeds, tender shoots and roots in the same way as slugs, worms and various insects. In autumn, the corncrake grazes in the stubble, pecking at wheat grains.

Conclusion of the young at the corncrake

For arranging nests, the corncrake chooses calm places with very high vegetation - ordinary grassy meadows, sedge bogs that are not prone to moisture, places with lush grass, swamps with bushes, lowlands. The nest builds right on the ground, carefully masking it at the foot of a bush or among thorny thickets. The basis for the construction of nests chooses ordinary grass, skillfully intertwining single thin stems. Mostly females are involved in nesting affairs - males have nothing to do with this. Consequently, both the construction of the nest, and the hatching of young animals, and the feeding and upbringing of young birds lie mainly only on females.

Lapwing – Vanellus vanellus

Description

Lapwing the size of a jackdaw or slightly smaller. It is easily distinguished from other shorebirds by its black and white coloration and blunt wings. Upper side with a strong metallic green, bronze and purple sheen; black chest; sides of the body, abdomen and sides of the head are white; tail coverts are rufous; the main half of the tail feathers, as in all species related to the lapwing, are pure white; on the head is a crest of very narrow long feathers. In the summer plumage, both the throat and goiter are black; in the winter, a large admixture of white feathers is noticeable here. The beak is black; dark brown eyes; crimson four-toed feet. The wing measures 21.5–23.75 centimeters.

Spreading

The lapwing is distributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific, south of the Arctic Circle; in most of this range, the lapwing is a resident; in Western Europe, the settled area begins from the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Migratory individuals winter in the Mediterranean basin, Asia Minor, Persia, North India, China and South Japan. Lapwing arrives at nesting sites very early, depending on the latitude - from late February to early April, and settles in damp meadows and grassy swamps covered with sparse bushes.

Not afraid to settle next to a person. Lapwing is a wonderful flyer, and males entertain females with air games during the mating season. The first lapwings arrive at a time when the fields are still covered with snow and the first thawed patches are just appearing, so worsening weather often forces them to temporarily migrate to more southern regions. They always fly in the daytime in small transversely elongated flocks.

reproduction

The nest is built in a hole in the ground, which is lined with very little plant matter. The female lays 4 eggs, which she incubates with the male; Chicks are great at hiding when danger approaches. Before departure, lapwings gather in flocks, often reaching up to several hundred birds, and leave the northern nesting sites at the end of August, while remaining in the south until frost.

Lapwing nests in colonies, but not very closely, or in separate pairs. The appearance of an unwanted alien causes a commotion throughout the colony: birds with loud piercing cries and a variety of plaintive intonations begin to circle over the enemy, flying very close. If a crow or a hawk flies over a spring meadow, the lapwings take turns chasing the enemy as it flies over their nesting areas. However, the lapwing cannot drive away agricultural machinery, and many nests die during agricultural work. Despite this, the lapwing in many places remains the most common bird of fields and meadows.

Necktie - Charadrius hiaticula

area

The necktie has an extremely large range, nesting as far north as Spitsbergen and as far south as southeast China in the Old World and in America, in its northern parts.

Its range includes the entire tundra region of both hemispheres, Iceland, the sea coasts of Europe, but nesting in southern Spain and southern France remains unproven; there is a necktie on some islands in the Mediterranean and possibly in Tunisia. Another somewhat detached distribution area covers the eastern outskirts of Asia from Primorye to the southern provinces of China; in America, the ringed collar breeds in the north of Alaska and Canada not south of the Great Slave Lake and as far as Nova Scotia.

Open shores of the seas and less often inland waters. Sandy and pebbly shoals, dunes, marine sandbars; according to S. Uspensky on Novaya Zemlya, the ringed lizard nests in the gravel tundra, along the valleys of rivers and streams and on the rocky shallows of the sea coast.

reproduction

The necktie is a monogamous bird that forms permanent pairs, which, apparently, break up for the winter, but are restored upon arrival at the nesting site. The females arrive somewhat earlier than the males and initially stay away from the nesting sites in the "current place", where the formation of a pair occurs upon the arrival of the males. Only in exceptional cases, tiebirds arrive in pairs. Birds spend about two weeks in "current" places, and flying birds also stay there at this time. Occupation of nesting sites - two weeks after arrival. Almost without exception, birds tend to occupy their last year's sites or nest in the closest proximity to them. Birds left for some reason without a mate also occupy the old sites and defend them as vigorously as the birds that have a nest there. Mating "ceremonies" begin at the "current" sites and continue on the nesting site until the start of laying and incubation.

Nutrition

Crustaceans, worms, small mollusks, beetles and various larvae. S. Uspensky found in the stomachs of birds caught on Novaya Zemlya a mass of insect remains and quartz grains. In the Kandalaksha Bay, mollusks serve as the main food item, a significant amount of the ringed worm also eats insects and crustaceans, less often - nereis, sometimes sticklebacks (Blagosklonov) are found in the stomach of the ringed worm.

Chernysh – Tringa ochropus

Description

It is very similar to fifi, but unlike the last underwing, it has a dark and less black stripes along the tail. The back and wings are dark brown, the head and neck are gray with streaks; the lower part of the body, as well as the part of the loin with the rump, are white. There is no sexual dimorphism.

Spreading

A migratory species common in Central and Northern Eurasia. In Europe, it occupies the eastern regions, mainly north of 50 ° north latitude. It winters in the south of its range, in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In Italy it regularly occurs on migration, several dozen individuals winter here. It lives in swampy forests and along the banks of forest lakes and rivers, in swamps. During the period of migration and wintering, the chernysh can be seen along the banks of canals and ditches.

Biology

It usually nests in trees, often occupying old nests of thrushes, wood pigeons, squirrels, and so on. From April to June, as a rule, it lays 4 eggs, which are incubated mainly by the female for 20–23 days. Juveniles become flying at the age of about 28 days. One clutch per year. Chernysh has an unusual, even somewhat pretentious flight: its wings beat unevenly, before touching the ground, it makes unexpected slips and turns. Takes off with a sharp, flute-like three-syllable whistle. It feeds on worms, molluscs, crustaceans, insects and their larvae, as well as plants. Leads a solitary life, cautious.

Woodcock – Skolopax rusticola

Description

Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)- a rather large sandpiper, whose habitat, unlike other representatives of the snipe family, is not a swamp, but a forest. The plumage of the back and upper part of the bird's head has a rusty-brown color interspersed with black, red and damp mottles, the belly is whitish-gray or buffy. In general, the color of the woodcock allows it to merge with last year's foliage, and it is extremely difficult to detect it.

The body length of this sandpiper is 35-40 cm, and the weight is around 300 grams, the female does not differ from the male in size. The legs are rather short, the beak, on the contrary, is long (7-9 cm) and straight as a knitting needle. The eyes on the head are set far back, which allows woodcock have a 360 degree view.

Habitat and lifestyle

This species is distributed from the Pyrenees to the shores of the Pacific Ocean in areas with a temperate and subarctic climate. For wintering, birds fly to the countries of northern Africa, the Mediterranean, and southern Asia. Woodcock prefers to settle in deciduous or mixed forests, where there is a lot of deadwood and undergrowth of shrubs and ferns, where it is easy for him to hide. He also likes to have a shallow pond in the form of a swamp or a key nearby, where it is easier to get food in soft ground.

The woodcock leads a secretive life, therefore it is active only at night. At night, he leaves the dense thickets, going in search of food. The basis of its diet is earthworms, to a lesser extent insects and their larvae. The end of the bird's beak is riddled with many nerve endings and is therefore very sensitive. To search for food, the "probing" method is used - by plunging its beak into the ground, the woodcock picks up weak vibrations from the movement of worms and pulls them out. Much less often, the bird eats the seeds and roots of plants.

Klintukh – Columba oenas

Description

The stock dove, on average, somewhat smaller than the rock dove, is distinguished by a more uniform gray color without a white spot on the back, a gray underside of the wings, and less pronounced stripes on the wings. A pink-wine tint is developed on the gray chest, and a purple-green tint is on the neck. The iris is dark, the beak is yellow, with a red base and white cere, the legs are red. The voice is a loud three-syllable hoot "guhuu-ghuu".

Distribution area

Lives in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Western Siberia, foothills of Central Asia; it rises to the mountains up to 2300 m. In Europe, there are sedentary urban populations that live in gardens and parks. In most of its range, the stockhead is a migratory bird, wintering in the west and south of Europe, in the Middle East.

It arrives in central Russia in early - mid-April, the autumn departure is extended from August to October. It prefers forests of different types, mostly mature deciduous ones, with arrival it begins to actively lek, endlessly repeating calling cries and periodically taking lek flights with alternating gliding and loud wing flapping. Territorial, guarding areas. Nests in hollows, clutch up to 6 eggs, incubation lasts 16-18 days, feeding - 16-30 days.

In central Russia, there are usually 2 clutches, in Siberia and the Urals - 1, in Western Europe, the Caucasus, in Central Asia - 3-4 clutches. The last brood flies often as early as September. Known hybrids with sizar and vyakhir. In the second half of summer, the stockhead forms flocks, flies out to feed on the fields. In winter, it also keeps in flocks. It is common in most regions of Russia, but in some places it is a rare species, the number of which is declining as a result of felling of mature forests with hollow trees. In connection with the decrease in the chemicalization of agriculture, in some places it is becoming more common. Hunting look.

Black Swift - Apus apus

Description

It is slightly larger than a sparrow, but due to the large wings it looks much larger. The throat is off-white, the rest of the plumage is brown-black. Notched tail. It differs from swallows in its dark belly and long sickle-curved wings. Juveniles are similar to adults, but have pale feather edging, most visible on the wings, and especially on the forehead, so that the whitish forehead is visible even from a distance. The tarsus is feathered, all 4 fingers point forward. Weight 30-56 g, length 16-18, wing 16.4-18.0, wingspan 42-48 cm.

Spreading

In Kazakhstan it nests almost everywhere. For more information on distribution in Kazakhstan, please see the Subspecies section.

Biology

Common breeding migrant. It lives in clay or rock cliffs, crevices, caves, villages and cities, forest islands of the steppe zone. In spring, it arrives in small flocks from April to early June. Breeds in colonies. The nest is built from pieces of grass, hair and feathers glued together with saliva; the nest is located in hollows of trees, birdhouses, cracks in cliffs or under the roofs of buildings. Clutch of 2-4 eggs is laid in mid-May-June, chicks fledge in July.

Both parents incubate the clutch and nurse the offspring. Autumn migration begins from the end of July in flocks of several dozen to hundreds of birds. Disappears from most breeding areas until late August - early September, some birds linger until mid-October.

Vertineck - Junx torquilla

Habitat

It is a migratory bird. It lives in Eurasia, namely in Western Siberia, Portugal, Spain and France, Greece, Spain. It is found in China and Mongolia, Kazakhstan, on the Japanese islands. Prefers to winter in Africa and southern Asia. It nests in deciduous or mixed forests, where such tree species as aspen, birch, linden predominate. Can settle in city parks.

Appearance

A small bird that looks like a sparrow. It resembles a woodpecker in the structure of its legs, namely, it has four fingers, two of which are facing forward and two back. It has a long movable neck and a long sticky tongue.

The body length is approximately 20 centimeters. Wingspan 25 centimeters. The average weight of a bird is only 35 grams. The color of the bird is protective, which allows it to hide among the trees. The beak is shorter and sharper than that of a woodpecker. They do not hollow out the bark of a tree, but they easily get decay products from under it.

Lifestyle and nutrition

They don't build their nest. Easily occupies empty abandoned hollows of other woodpeckers. It can also settle in the niche of trees formed after decay, old stumps, and often even in holes on the wall of an old house or barn.

It can settle not only in forests and thickets, but also in parks and gardens, since it is not afraid of humans. Choose a hollow located at least 3 meters from the ground.

It feeds on ants and other small insects. And in a big way it prefers not adults, but their larvae and pupae. Also periodically eat caterpillars, beetles, aphids. Does not refuse plant foods, such as berries, fruits.

reproduction

Every year, the verticek forms a new pair. First, the male finds the nest. Then, making lingering sounds "ti-ti-ti", calls the female. She answers him with the same drawling and sounds, so the birds get closer and closer to each other, and soon meet.

If the female does not answer the call of the male within two or three days, then he changes the territory. Usually the female lays an average of 10 eggs, one per day. Why is she teasing them. This process takes 12-14 days. Periodically it is replaced by a male. Chicks are born naked and blind, they need protection and warmth. Parents also feed their offspring in turn, bringing food to the children in their beaks. After a month, the chicks take to the wings and have the opportunity to fully provide for themselves.

barn swallow - Hirundo rustica

Description

Less sparrow. The top is blue-black, on the forehead and throat there is a chestnut-red spot, outlined from below by a wide black rim. The bottom is white, with a pinkish-reddish bloom. In autumn, in a fresh feather, this bloom is brighter. The legs are not feathered. The male's elongated tail feathers are slightly longer and narrower than those of the female. Juveniles are colored like adults, but more faded, with shorter tails. Weight 11–24 g, length 17–23, wing 11.4–13.5, wingspan 32–36 cm.

Quiet chirping - “vit”, “vi-vit”, “chivit”, “chirivit”, etc. you can hear from swallows all the time. The song consists of soft, pleasant chirping sounds, among which a crackling phrase like "tserrrrr" is often inserted. The male and the female sing, sometimes in a duet, the female has a shorter song.

Spreading

Eurasia and N. America, except for their extreme north and extreme south. In the north they are rare, in other areas almost everywhere common birds, mainly in rural areas. Not found in a number of areas within the nesting range. Flights to the north to the Arctic coast are not uncommon.

Lifestyle

They arrive singly and in small flocks at the end of spring, around the time the leaves are blooming on the trees. Several weeks elapse between arrival and nesting. The original nesting habitat is a mountainous area; such nestings on rocks and in caves are known in the South Urals. Occasionally they make a nest in trees, sticking them to the trunk, thick branches or under the nests of birds of prey. At present, the killer whale should be considered a practically synanthropic species, inhabiting the countryside with wooden buildings, open grassy spaces and, preferably, livestock.

They feed on insects that they catch flying low above the ground in meadows, pastures, near the river. They like to accompany herds, especially cows, they fly right under their feet. During cold snaps, they sit in nests, sometimes they gather in groups, fall into a stupor, there is a mass death from exhaustion.

At the end of summer, killer whales gather in large, in the south of the region - many thousands, loose and amorphous flocks, roam, rest in villages, sitting on buildings, on wires, in reeds in swamps, sometimes they gather in attics, in hollows. They fly off in August - September, wintering in Africa and southern Asia. Killer whales have a very strong attachment to the nesting site, where they tend to return every spring. During periods of spring migration, swallows often fly over the nesting area and find themselves far to the north, in the tundra, where most of them, apparently, perish. Barn swallows can be attracted to nesting by the same means as city swallows.

Field lark - Alauda arvensis

Description

The field lark is a medium-sized bird, the size of a house sparrow: its body length is about 180 mm, its weight is about 40 g. The body of the field lark is dense, the head is large with a relatively small cone-shaped beak. The bird looks somewhat heavy, but it quickly and dexterously runs on the ground. The rear toe is armed with a long, spur-like claw. The plumage of the dorsal side of the body is earthy-brown with yellowish-grayish-white dashes and black-brown spots. Head, throat, upper chest and body sides rusty brownish with dark stripes; the rest of the breast and belly are yellowish-grayish-white. Wings have two light, weakly expressed transverse stripes. The tail is brownish-black with a shallow notch at the end, the extreme tail feathers are white.

Distribution area

Field larks are distributed throughout the Palearctic (except for the tundra, the Anadyr Territory and some desert regions of the extreme south, Central and Central Asia), as well as in northern Africa. Among some other European birds, the skylark was introduced by humans to North America and New Zealand. From the northern regions of their habitat, larks fly away for the winter, in the southern regions they lead a sedentary lifestyle. These birds winter in the countries of Western Europe, in the south of Asia and in the north of Africa.

Arrived at home, larks inhabit open grassy spaces (avoiding, however, areas with dense tall grass). They are common in meadows, vast forest clearings, forest edges, but are especially willing to settle in fields, for example, in bread, and are generally typical of the "agricultural landscape"; also settle in the steppes and on fixed sands in semi-desert regions. At first, the arriving birds stay in small flocks, but after a few days they break into pairs.

Lifestyle

Field larks begin to build a nest when the herbaceous plants grow up so much that among them it will be possible to reliably cover a simple nest. Their nests are located on the ground in a hole made either by the bird itself or by the hoof of some large animal (horse, cow), usually among sparse grass. The nest is placed under a bush of grass, masking and shading it. The building itself is a rather loose and rough cup lining a hole. It consists of stems and roots of various herbaceous plants. The inner layer is formed from a thinner and softer material (wool and down of animals, vegetable down), sometimes with an admixture of horsehair.

Field larks feed by picking up food from the ground and pecking it from plants at the level of bird growth. In spring and summer, larks feed their chicks and feed on insects themselves. In the second half of summer and autumn, seeds begin to predominate in their food. They eat larks and green parts of plants.

http://www.animals-wild.ru/pticy/1142-vertisheyka.html http://www.birds.kz/v2taxon.php?l=ru&s=326

From an early age, we know that in autumn a lot of species of birds begin to appear in the sky, striving to the south. But often both children and adults find it difficult to answer what kind of birds they are. But before answering this question, let's find out what groups birds are divided into.

Scientists have divided all existing species of birds into two groups. One included migratory, and the other wintering. All birds are warm-blooded, that is, their average body temperature is about 41 degrees.

Many also believe that they have to leave their homes because they can freeze in winter. But this is not the main reason, just in the winter it will be very difficult for them to find food for themselves. Thus, those species of birds that are able to get food for themselves in the cold period can be attributed to wintering.

These species include woodpecker, capercaillie, titmouse, nuthatch, jay, pika, hazel grouse, black grouse. In addition to them, some inhabitants of the cities also remain for the winter, who at any time will be able to get their own food.

What birds fly away in autumn?

First of all, insectivorous bird species, such as the wagtail, fly away in autumn. As long as it remains possible to find seeds or fruits, granivores are still in place. But as soon as the snow falls, or rather, when the grains are hidden under a layer of snow, siskins, buntings and finches fly away. And many people probably know which birds fly last in the fall. Waterfowl ducks and geese begin to leave their homes when rivers and ponds begin to be shackled by ice floes.

In addition, some species of birds, both wintering and migratory, leave their habitats depending on weather conditions. In cases where the year turned out to be fruitful, and at the same time there was little snow, bullfinch, tap dance, waxwing, and walnut may remain for the winter. But in cases where the feeding situation is unfavorable, they begin to adjoin the birds that are going to fly south.

Birds are also divided into migratory and wintering, depending on the area of ​​​​residence of these individuals. For example, in the northern regions, even crows and rooks begin to fly south, while their southern counterparts remain in place during this period. Blackbirds from Central Russia fly away for the winter, and in Western Europe they do not leave their habitats.

Complete list of migratory birds

1. Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea	30. Fieldfare - Turdus pilaris
2. Buzzard - Buteo buteo	31. Mistle - Turdus viscivorus
3. Harrier - Circus cyaneus	32. Whitebrow - Turdus iliacus
4. Cheglok - Falco subbuteo	33. Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos
5. Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus	34. Blackbird - Turdus merula
6. Quail - Coturnix coturnix	35. Meadow mint - Saxicola rubetra
7. Crake - Crex crex	36. Common Redstart - Phoenicurus phoenicurus
8. Coot - Fulica atra	37. Robin - Erithacus rubecula
9. Lapwing - Vanellus vanellus	38. Common nightingale - Luscinia luscinia
10. Tie - Charadrius hiaticula	39. Bluethroat - Luscinia svecica
11. Blackie - Tringa ochropus	40. Garden warbler - Sylvia borin
12. Woodcock -Skolopax rusticola	41. Gray Warbler - Sylvia communis
13. Black-headed gull - Larus ridibundus	42. Warbler-Sylvia curruca
14. Common tern - Sterna hirundo	43. Black-headed warbler - Sylvia atricapilla
15. Klintukh - Columbia oenas	44. Willow warbler -Philloscopus trochilus
16. Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus	45. Chiffchaff - Philloscopus collibita
17. Common Nightjar - Caprimulgus europaeus	46. ​​Ratchet Warbler -Philloscopus sibilatrix
18. Black swift - Apus apus	47. Green warbler - Philloscopus trochiloides
19. Vertineck - Junx torquilla	48. Marsh warbler - Acrocephalus palustris
20. Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica	49. Garden warbler - Acrocephalus dumetorum
21. City swallow - Delichon urbica	50. Badger warbler - Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
22. Shoreline -Riparia riparia	51. Common cricket - Locustella naevia
23. Field lark - Alauda arvensis	52. River cricket - Locustella fluviatilis
24. Forest Pipit - Anthus trivialis	53. Gray Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata
25. White Wagtail - Motacilla alba	54. Pied flycatcher - Ficedula hypoleuca
26. Common Shrike - Lanius collurio	55. Small flycatcher - Ficedula parva
27. Oriole — Oreolus oreolus	56. Finch - Fringila coelebs
28. Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes	57. Common lentil - Carpodacus erythrinus
29. Forest Accentor - Prunella modularis	58. Reed Bunting - Emberiza schoeniculus

I love to watch schools of flying cranes. There is something sad and beautiful at the same time. It is interesting to see how they first huddle together on the water, scream for a long time, then the leader takes off first, followed by others, and a wedge forms, flying farther and farther away. Farewell, birds! Come back again!

Why do birds travel

Birds are forced to fly, as they are looking for more favorable conditions for life, depending on the time of year. With the advent of cold weather, most of the insects that they feed on die, and the birds do not have enough food. Therefore, they fly to where the winter is warm and there is a lot of food. They change their place of residence so that as many of their species as possible survive during the winter. In the spring, the birds return to their usual places to bring out the chicks, get stronger and then fly away again in the fall. But not all birds travel. For example, crows and sparrows are sedentary. They have enough food even in winter, so they do not disdain to feed on landfills and garbage dumps within the boundaries of settlements.

What birds are migratory

In addition to cranes, there are still a lot of birds flying south in winter. These are swallows, thrushes, starlings, wild geese, herons, ducks, rooks and many others. Birds fly to places that are approximately similar to the place where they lived before. For example, if the birds lived in the forest, then in a new place they also settle in the forest zone, if they lived on the rivers near the thickets, then they find a similar place there. But how do they find their way? Scientists suggest that birds orient themselves:

• by day by the sun, and by night by the stars;
• by the Earth's magnetic field;
• by area;
• and also remember smells and move along them;

Have you ever wondered why some birds, flying away, line up in a wedge, while others fly in a disorderly flock? The fact is that birds create air whirlwinds around themselves with their wings, and the larger the individual, the stronger the air flow, and it is very difficult for birds flying behind.

Therefore, large birds, lining up in a wedge, no longer interfere with each other. In small birds, such air currents are weak, so they can be randomly placed in a flock.