What does the bullfinch eat. We prepare food for wintering birds. Winter life of a bullfinch

Bullfinches used to live in our house. As a child, parents bought a bird in the fall at a pet store on the Arbat, and released it into the wild in the spring. Bullfinches quickly got used to life in a cage. They calmly endured the cleaning in their temporary home and were not at all afraid of an outstretched hand. A month later, the birds were already flying around the room, willingly returning to the cage, in which fresh food was poured.

Bullfinch, photo from the Internet

It is believed that the bullfinch got its name because with the first snow it arrives in the Central regions from the taiga North. In winter, bullfinches can often be seen in forests near Moscow, gardens, parks, and even on feeders that are hung from the windows of multi-storey buildings. In March-April, bullfinches fly north.

Description of the bullfinch

common bullfinch (Pyrrhula Pyrrhula) is solid and strong bird Finch family. Its length is 15-19 cm, body weight is 32-34 grams. The bullfinch has a thick and short beak, surrounded by bristles at the base. Many are sure that this bird must have a red breast. However, only adult males have such spectacular plumage. They really have a cinnabar-red belly. Black crown, chin, beak, wings and tail; and the back and back of the neck are light grey. The outfit includes a white rump and a wide white transverse stripe. Females and young birds do not look so bright. Their color is duller: the abdomen is pinkish-brown, and the back is grayish-brown. Females are mobile, they have a grumpy character, often quarrel and hiss at each other menacingly. Males are more solid. They are calm and seem lazy phlegmatic.

A.E. Bram ("Animal Life, Volume II, Birds") notes interesting feature bullfinch character:

An outstanding feature in him is love for his fellows: if one of the bullfinches is killed, then the rest emit plaintive cries for a long time and hardly decide to leave the place where their comrade died.

Bullfinches live and nest in the taiga zone of Eurasia in summer, unite in flocks by winter and fly long distances. It was during this period that they are seen in the forests and gardens near Moscow.

All these winter birds appear in the forests of the Moscow region when small hawks and falcons fly south, for which red bullfinches and waxwings, fond of eating berries on bare bushes and trees, would be easy prey.
Even before the arrival of predators, northern birds begin a gradual migration to dense northern coniferous forests (bullfinches, crossbills) and to the tundra (tape dances, snow buntings).
It is strange to see all these birds in the winter cold: red bullfinches feeding on grass seeds, waxwings pecking at wild rose and mountain ash berries, crossbills pulling seeds out of cones.
Each species is adapted to the conditions of life in its own way. (P.A. Manteifel "Notes of a Naturalist").

The food of bullfinches is mainly vegetable. These are seeds of grasses, trees (deciduous and coniferous), berries, buds and even flowers. And how bullfinches love rowan fruits! Insects are eaten "only by chance".

The singing of bullfinches is not loud. The call (it carries information) is loud - “wee - wee”, “fuu” - “fuu”. The song of "married" males is not loud, but pleasant. Females sometimes sing along with them. Often the sounds of bullfinches resemble whistling, creaking and ... hissing.

Long-tailed bullfinch (Uragus sibiricus). In wetlands and along the rivers of Siberia and Far East lives long-tailed bullfinch, or Siberian bullfinch (long-tailed lentil, wormwood, uragus). It has an elongated stepped tail. The plumage of males is grayish-silvery-pinkish. The females are painted in light gray tones. These birds with a "murmuring" song are often kept in captivity.

There are other snowmen. It's small enough Ussuri bullfinch, which is found in Primorye, on Sakhalin, Kamchatka, in the Amur region. It has red cheeks, throat, and upper crop. In Siberia you can see gray bullfinch, lives in the Caucasus and Central Asia baby bullfinch, in Central Asia - quite large bullfinch-zhulan. The fearful lives in the deserts desert bullfinch with satin plumage. In the south-east of Altai and in Tuva, not far from water sources, it keeps in flocks. Mongolian bullfinch. There is also a wild relative of our canary - yellow bullfinch(yellow-throated).

Bullfinch in captivity

Konrad Z. Lorenz, an animal behaviorist, describes a bullfinch in captivity in King Solomon's Ring. This bird becomes attached to its owner. Especially when brought up from an early age:

You can't even imagine how much home comfort will bring to the apartment a large cage with a couple of engaged bullfinches. The quiet, hoarse and, nevertheless, harmonious song of the male has a surprisingly calming effect. His dignified, measured and even refined courtship, truly gentlemanly foresight in relations with his little wife - all these charming pictures can give you an indoor bird cage. Seeds for fodder cost only a few pence, and a few greens, needed occasionally as a supplement to the main diet, are always easy to get.

The bullfinch, which has just been caught and put in a cage, fights and is afraid of people. Previously, birders in the early days tied up the wings of the birds so that they would not be injured. A week later, the bullfinch masters in captivity and begins to get used to the person. He becomes attached to those people who feed him, calmly flies around the room and returns to the cage himself.

I remember well how bullfinches flew around the room. Before releasing the birds, they closed all the windows and doors. Newspapers lay on top of the cupboard and bookshelves all winter so that the furniture would not have to be cleaned every time. Paper from time to time changed to clean.

Most likely, males lived with us in the winter, as everyone admired the bright color of their plumage. Previously, they often kept birds at home in a cage, teaching children to care for them. In the spring, the birds were solemnly released. The neighbors in one spacious cage lived several bullfinches at once. Judging by the fact that no one discussed the fights between the birds in the yard, they got along well with each other.

Here is how the behavior of bullfinches in captivity is described in the book "Advice to an amateur naturalist" (1966), edited by prof. P.A. Manteuffel:

The bullfinch easily learns to fly out of the cage and return to it back. Gets along quite well with other birds. When kept in enclosures and, less often in cages, it sometimes breeds. Can interbreed with canaries. It is recommended to put thick Christmas trees in an aviary with bullfinches. A bullfinch taken from the nest and fed up remembers and faithfully transmits knees from the songs of other birds and individual melodies.

Feeding a bullfinch is easy. These are ready-made purchased mixtures, seeds of maple, lilac, linden buds, berries of mountain ash, bird cherry and viburnum. Bullfinches are even given cherries, and from time to time they are treated to mealy worms.

(function(w, d, n, s, t) ( w[n] = w[n] || ; w[n].push(function() ( Ya.Context.AdvManager.render(( blockId: "R-A -143469-1", renderTo: "yandex_rtb_R-A-143469-1", async: true )); )); t = d.getElementsByTagName("script"); s = d.createElement("script"); s .type = "text/javascript"; s.src = "//an.yandex.ru/system/context.js"; s.async = true; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); ))(this , this.document, "yandexContextAsyncCallbacks");

Where bullfinches fly after winter, you will learn from this article.

Where do bullfinches live in summer?

The bullfinch is a winter bird, so you will not see it in the summer. During this period, he is busy with family concerns. In order not to attract too much attention to themselves and their chicks, finches change their color from bright colors to dull ones.

It is difficult to answer the question in what month the bullfinches arrive. And that's why. These birds are classified as sedentary species of birds. They, as a rule, live all their lives in a small area and do not fly anywhere even in winter. You can see them near houses only in winter in snowy and frosty weather - because then the finches do not have enough food. That's why they fly to our homes for a short time. In Ukraine, they can occasionally be seen in cities only in the forest-steppe zone.

But still, where do bullfinches fly from cities in summer? They are coming back in coniferous forests feeding on seeds, tree buds, fruits and berries. Interestingly, they are difficult to detect in their natural habitat. And not only because of the dull color. Bullfinches try to behave imperceptibly and quietly, hiding in the branches and crowns of trees.

It is worth noting: finches do not always fly to our homes in winter. Very often they fly to warmer climes for the winter, making long flights. Bullfinches choose the Mediterranean countries, northern Africa and even Alaska as wintering grounds. In what month do bullfinches arrive home? Birds return to their native forests in late March - early April.

Where do bullfinches fly in spring? October 5th, 2014

Bullfinch, common bullfinch (lat. Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is a well-known representative of the genus Pyrrhula. Due to its characteristic coloration, this bird is easily recognizable. Most often, bullfinches can be seen in the city in winter - they love to feast on rowan berries. But a natural question arises - where is the bullfinches spend the summer? Where are they flying to? What are these warm climes?

Let's find out more about this...

The range of this small bird is very extensive. The bullfinch lives in Europe, front and east Asia, Siberia, Japan. It can live both in alpine and lowland forests, avoiding only treeless areas. In Russia, the bird lives in forest and forest-steppe zones, where coniferous trees can be found in large quantities. Most of all bullfinches like spruce forests in river valleys. Bullfinch is a small bird, the size of a sparrow, although visually it seems larger. Males have a characteristic coloration, which makes them easy to distinguish from other birds. Cheeks, neck, belly and sides are bright red. The color intensity may vary depending on the bullfinch species and its individual characteristics.

The back and shoulders of the bird are gray, and there is a black “cap” on the head. The female bullfinch looks much more modest. Her neck, cheeks, belly and sides are gray-brown in color. The shoulders and neck are gray, and the back is brownish-brown. The head is on top, around the eyes and beak, just like in males, black. Surely you have seen bullfinches in the city in winter, but they are nowhere to be seen in summer.

However, from central Russia bullfinches usually don't fly. Bullfinches refer to settled birds. That is, they stick to their small territory and do not fly anywhere. And we see them in winter near our homes sometimes because if there are snowy and frosty winters, then like other birds, bullfinches have nothing to eat, because they fly to us in search of food, and then not for long. I myself have only seen it a couple of times, living in the forest-steppe zone of Ukraine.

In summer, they live in coniferous forests, feeding on tree buds, berries, fruits, and seeds. The birds behave quietly and imperceptibly, hiding in the crowns of trees, so it is very difficult to detect them. In winter, finding food becomes much more difficult, therefore bullfinches and go to the city. Birds living in the northern latitudes fly away to warmer climes for the winter, sometimes flying over long distances.

You can meet wintering bullfinches in the Mediterranean countries, as well as in northern Africa and even Alaska. Birds return to their usual nesting places around the end of March - beginning of April, and the female almost immediately begins to make a nest.

By the way, in the summer bullfinches can be found in the Caucasus, where the smaller Caucasian subspecies nests. The Ussuri bullfinch is found in the south of the Far East and Sakhalin, the gray bullfinch is found on the southern outskirts of Eastern and Central Siberia. But all these subspecies differ from ordinary bullfinches in a less bright color. Distant relatives of the common bullfinch are the Mongolian bullfinch nesting in Altai and the long-tailed bullfinch (uragus), living in southern Siberia.

Photo 6.

The bullfinch or the common bullfinch is a songbird of the bullfinch genus, the finches family.

The genus includes 9 species.

The bullfinch is considered a well-known and widespread bird, it is a very noticeable and attractive bird.

The habitat of the common bullfinch

The bullfinch lives in Europe, front and east Asia, Siberia, Japan. It can live both in alpine and lowland forests, avoiding only treeless areas. In Russia, the bird lives in forest and forest-steppe zones, where coniferous trees can be found in large quantities. Most of all bullfinches like spruce forests in river valleys.

The appearance of an ordinary bullfinch

A bird of small size, slightly larger than a sparrow. The head above, around the beak and eyes is black. Flight and tail feathers are also black, with a blue metallic sheen. The loin and undertail are white. The back, shoulders and neck of the male are gray. Cheeks, neck below, belly and sides are red. The tone and color intensity of the underside of the body depends on the subspecies and individual characteristics. The neck and shoulders of the female are grey. The back is brownish brown. Cheeks, neck below, belly and sides - gray-brown. The plumage of the chicks is predominantly buffy-brown. The “black cap”, as in adults, is not on the head of the chicks.

In addition to the bright special coloring, this bird has another distinctive feature - it is the song of the bullfinch. Its voice cannot be confused with the voice of another bird, although it is rather difficult to describe the sounds it makes in verbal form. A more appropriate comparison is a metallic creak or whistle.

It doesn’t even immediately become clear that bullfinches make this sound, but they really have such a unique voice and are able to surprise the listener with their special song. Most often, such a trill can be heard during the mating season. It is also surprising that both males and females perform it.

Lifestyle, nutrition of an ordinary bullfinch

Bullfinches usually do not fly away from central Russia. Bullfinches are sedentary birds. That is, they stick to their small territory and do not fly anywhere.

In the warm season, bullfinches lead a secretive lifestyle - they settle in dense forests, where there are always a lot of seeds and tree buds that these birds love so much.

With the onset of cold weather, many bullfinches are forced to move closer to human habitation, where food can be found. Therefore, in winter, bullfinches can often be seen in parks and gardens, pecking rowan clusters.

Birds living in northern latitudes fly away to warmer climes for the winter, sometimes flying over long distances.

Bullfinches eat tree buds, nuts, seeds and small berries. Sometimes they eat insects, but do not even know about it: this happens by chance and very rarely. The shape of their beak allows them to easily extract seeds from cones. They treat berries in a special way: they take out the pulp from them and throw it away. Only seeds are eaten.

Reproduction of an ordinary bullfinch

From April to May, bullfinches begin to pair up. Males whistle in a special way, luring individuals of the opposite sex. Bullfinches create a couple once in a lifetime.

During mating season the male yields to the female the largest and juiciest clusters of berries. When the pair is collected, the search for a convenient nesting site begins. They choose spruce trees for their nests, and on rare occasions juniper bushes. The male does not participate in the construction of the dwelling. It is woven by a female from flexible branches and grass. At the end, she warms it with moss.

After building a secure nest, the female lays 4 to 6 blue-colored eggs with reddish spots. Only the female incubates them, but all this time the male provides food for his girlfriend, and also guards the family. Chicks are born helpless. They are covered with long gray down. For 2 weeks they constantly squeak and ask for food from their parents. After this time, the first flight from the nest and the first steps towards independent life are made. Another month passes before the chicks are able to fly long distances. As soon as this happens, young bullfinches leave the nest.

Bullfinches are not weights?!

Of course not! Is it possible to call these red-breasted beauties that way, who are a real decoration of the true Russian winter, famous for its snowiness, frostiness and severity. Although, due to significant climatic changes and natural anomalies, not all Russian regions can boast of an abundance of snow cover and severe frosts.

But such natural deviations are not a hindrance to bullfinches, and every winter these wonderful birds can be contemplated not only in snow-covered (or not snow-covered) forests, but also in settlements. Parks, squares, forest belts, gardens - these are the places that bullfinches simply adore. But why and where the bullfinches come from in winter - the dear reader will learn about this a little later. In the meantime, for those who have never seen a bullfinch (and there are such people), here are some interesting facts.

Features of the color of bullfinches

Do not look for red-breasted bullfinch females, because they simply do not exist in nature. A brownish-grayish breast is the only thing a lady can boast of, this is the only detail in her color that can at least somehow attract attention, and is a distinctive sexual sign. And so ... The female bullfinch is an unremarkable, gray bird. She became such “not after worries with children”, it’s just that mother nature ordered it so as not to attract too much attention to her.

In the summer, the male also cannot boast of such a conspicuous coloration. And there's nothing to it at this time of year. But on the other hand, in winter, male bullfinches appear in all their glory: in addition to the red breast, they can boast of a silver-bluish back, snow-white uppertail (and undertail too), and the head, tail and wings are painted in perfect black. And in those places where bullfinches fly away for the summer, such a bright color is not the best disguise. Therefore, males in the warm season look much more modest.

Habitats of bullfinches

The distribution area of the population is so extensive that the bullfinch can be found both in Japan and in the Arctic. Only with the onset of cold weather, these birds tend to migrate. It is clear that the fish are looking for where it is deeper, and the birds are looking for where it is warmer (if they are not penguins or loons). So bullfinches fly in small flocks to where the climate is milder. People living in central Russia! If you saw bullfinches, then know that it was guests from the icy North.

But residents of the southern regions may not wait for the arrival of these birds, because they live with them all year round. Why would they migrate somewhere if the winter is mild and their home is nearby? “But where do bullfinches live in summer?”, a person who is far from ornithology will ask a completely logical question. In the spring, nomadic birds go back to where they came from. After all, you need to hurry, because egg laying begins in April. But first you need to make a nest.

bullfinch nests

It is clear that if a bird does not lead a nomadic lifestyle, then it does not need to fly somewhere, but no one freed it from the obligation to build a nest. Therefore, in April, bullfinches begin construction, so that already in May, in a new “dwelling”, they lay their eggs, and in June, observe the first flights of their children. Therefore, the question: “where do bullfinches fly away in summer?” you can not ask if the bird is sedentary.

As for nests. As a rule, bullfinches make them from improvised materials: twigs, stems, twigs, and as a “insulation” they use: wool, fluff, feathers, moss - in general, where they can find anything. These birds prefer to build nests in dense thickets, at a low height: 5 meters is the upper limit. The eggs are incubated only by the female. On the shoulders and wings of the male, care is taken to provide food for the family.

What to feed bullfinches in winter?

It's kind of gourmet. They are very fond of berries. This largely explains the excessive "red-breastedness" of males (although, one might think, females do not eat this food!). After all, any berries contain a large amount of carotene, which is reflected in the color. In addition, bullfinches are not averse to treating themselves to buds and seeds. Clusters of mountain ash and viburnum, sunflower seeds, millet and oats - this is exactly what to feed bullfinches. And they will not refuse pumpkin seeds and hawthorn berries either.

And as a result. Winter without a bullfinch is like May without a cuckoo and June without a nightingale. Unfortunately, these birds can not be seen as often as we would like. Of course, everything can be attributed to the environment and natural loss populations, but what influences this decline? Yes, a lot. One of these unfavorable factors is lack of food. Therefore, the eternal call “feed the birds in winter!” will always be relevant.

Natalya Oganesyan especially for

It might be useful to read: