Animals and birds of Tatarstan in winter. The Red Books of the Park (RT and RF) - Animals - Birds - National Park "Nizhnyaya Kama". Video: birds fly south

Wonderful pictures with migratory and wintering birds. Which birds stay in their homeland for the winter, and which ones fly away?

Walking in a park or forest, we listen to birds singing and often just don’t think about which bird is so gloriously displaying trills. There are birds that live in our area all year round, but there are also those that fly to the "warm lands" in the fall.

The fact is that in winter it is very difficult for birds to find food for themselves, because there are few insects, berries and grains, and when it snows, it is almost impossible to find them. And different types of birds solve this problem in different ways: migratory birds fly hundreds and even thousands of kilometers to warmer countries, and sedentary ones adapt to our harsh winters.

A tit in the snow that seems to want to feast on sunflower seeds

Sedentary, wintering birds: list, photo with names

To help the birds that stayed overwintering to find food, they hang feeders. And it is quite possible that they will be of interest to such visitors:

Sparrow... Noisy sparrows that fly in flocks may well become the first visitors to the feeder.

Tit. Tits are in many ways not inferior to sparrows, they quickly rush to feed in the feeders. But compared to sparrows, tits are endowed with a more meek disposition. Interestingly, in summer, the titmouse eats almost as much food as it weighs itself. Mixed flocks of both sparrows and titmice can often be observed in the feeders.

Gaichka... A close relative of the tit. However, the breasts of the chickweed are not yellow, but light brown. Also, the titmouse differs from other tits in that it makes a hollow in a tree in order to build a nest in it.

Gaichka is a special type of tit

Crow. The raven is often confused with rooks. It is known that crows are very rare in the western part of Russia. Therefore, if you live in the European part of Russia and see a black bird emitting a piercing caw, then most likely in front of you is a rook.

Pigeon. The distribution and lifestyle of pigeons was largely influenced by people who simply brought them with them to different parts of the Earth. Now pigeons are found on all continents with the exception of Antarctica. Pigeons easily change rocks, which are their natural habitat, for man-made structures.

The nodding gait of pigeons is due to the fact that it is easier for them to see the object of interest to them.

Woodpecker. In the warm season, woodpeckers feed mainly on insects, which they get from under the bark of trees, and in the winter cold, they can also eat plant foods: seeds and nuts.

Magpie. The magpie is considered a bird with high intelligence, it is able to express a lot of emotions, including sadness, and knows how to recognize its reflection in the mirror. It is interesting that not only its brethren, but also other birds, as well as wild animals, in particular bears and wolves, react to the alarming cry of a magpie.

Magpie - wintering bird

Owl... Owls are different, large and small, in total there are more than 200 species. These birds are endowed with keen eyesight and excellent hearing, which allows them to be nocturnal. It is interesting that the tassels on the owl's head are not ears, the real ears of owls are hidden in the feathers, and one of them is directed upward, and the other downward, in order to better hear what is happening above the head and on the ground.

Owl is a nocturnal bird

This bird is also considered an owl and is a close relative of other owls.

A rare owl that lives mainly in the highlands in the northern latitudes. The name of the bird, according to various versions, means "inedible" or "insatiable".

Jackdaw. Outwardly, jackdaws look like rooks and crows, moreover, there are mixed flocks in which you can see all three species of birds. However, the jackdaw is smaller than a crow. And if you are lucky enough to observe the jackdaw up close, then you can easily recognize it by the gray color of part of the feathers.

Nuthatch. This small bird very dexterously climbs the trunks of trees. In summer, nuthatches hide seeds and nuts in the bark, and in winter they feed on these supplies.

Crossbill. Like the nuthatch, this bird climbs trees well and can hang upside down on branches. The favorite food of the crossbill is seeds from spruce and pine cones. This bird is remarkable in that it can hatch chicks even in winter, but only if there is enough food.

Bullfinch. Only males have bright red plumage on the chest, females look much more modest. Bullfinches are more often seen in winter, as due to lack of food, they are drawn to people. In summer, bullfinches prefer wooded areas and behave inconspicuously, so it is not easy to see them.

Waxwing... A bird with beautiful plumage and a singing voice. In summer, it feeds mainly on insects and likes to settle in coniferous forests. In winter, the waxwing moves to the more southern regions of the country, it is often found in cities. In the cold season, mountain ash and other fruits become the main food for poultry.

Jay. A large bird, which, however, can fly to feast on a feeder hung by people. In summer, it is rarely seen in the city, but closer to winter, the bird begins to reach for human habitation.

Kinglet. One of the smallest birds, the weight of an adult male is only 5-7 grams. Kings are relatives of sparrows.

Kinglet - an inhabitant of the forests

... A large bird that is a favorite trophy for many hunters. Pheasants can fly, but more often they move on foot.

Grouse... It is also an object of hunting, despite the fact that this bird is quite small. The weight of an adult hazel grouse rarely reaches 500 g. It is interesting that the largest population of these birds lives in Russia.

Grouse - a bird that has a relationship with the black grouse

Another bird that is related to the hunting industry. Black grouse are found at the edge of the forest and in the forest-steppe.

Falcon... It is considered one of the smartest birds on the planet and one of the best hunters. The falcon is able to work in tandem with a human, but it is very difficult to tame it.

... Like a falcon, it is a bird of prey. The vision of a hawk is 8 times sharper than a human. And rushing after prey, the hawk can reach speeds of up to 240 km / h.

Migratory, nomadic birds: list, photo with names

Rooks differ from crows with a gray-yellow beak. In the Kuban and Ukraine, you can see how in the fall rooks gather in huge flocks, so large that the sky looks black from the birds soaring in it - these are rooks that fly to the south. However, rooks refer to migratory birds only conditionally, some of them remain to winter in central Russia, some winter in Ukraine, and only some birds fly to the warm shores of Turkey for the winter.

they love to fly to the newly dug ground, sometimes they fly right behind the plowing tractor in order to have time to get as many worms and larvae as possible from the dug ground.

This inconspicuous bird with a singing voice loves warmth, and therefore flies south in the fall. And for wintering, our native nightingales have chosen hot Africa. These birds fly to winter in the eastern part of the continent - Kenya and Ethiopia. However, the locals cannot enjoy their singing, because nightingales sing only in mating season, which is held in their homeland.

Martin. Swallows love rocky terrain, and they often settle on the steep walls of quarries that people have dug. However, our winters are too harsh for swallows, and therefore in autumn they fly to the southern, far from us, part of Africa or to Tropical Asia.

Chizh... Like the rook, it is a migratory bird that arrives early and hibernates nearby: in the Caucasus, Kazakhstan and southern Europe. Outwardly, the siskins are inconspicuous, their gray-green feathers are absolutely not striking against the background of the branches. The bird's temper matches the appearance: quiet and meek.

Goldfinch. In Europe, it is a wintering bird, however, in Russia, goldfinches can only be seen in summer. By winter, goldfinches gather in flocks and go to lands with warmer climates. Goldfinches are close relatives of siskins.

Goldfinch is one of the most variegated birds

A slender bird that quickly runs on the ground and shakes its tail with every step. Wagtails spend winter in east africa, southern Asia, and sometimes southern Europe.

Quail. The only bird from the order of chickens, which is migratory. The weight of an adult quail is not so great and is 80-150 g. In summer, quails can be found in fields sown with wheat and rye. Quails hibernate far beyond the borders of our homeland: in the southern part of Africa and in southern Asia, on the Indian subcontinent.

Thrush... The songbird with its sweet trills creates a worthy competitor to the nightingale. And its appearance, like that of a nightingale, is inconspicuous. In winter, blackbirds become Europeans: Italy, France and Spain are their second homeland.

Lark... Larks return from warm countries very early, sometimes already in March you can hear their sonorous song, which becomes a harbinger of spring warmth. Larks overwinter in Southern Europe.

Gull... With the onset of cold weather, gulls living on the coasts of the northern seas migrate to the Black and Caspian Seas. But over the years, seagulls are more and more drawn to people, and more and more often remain to winter in cities.

... Swifts winter in Africa, and they fly to its equatorial part or even go to the southern part of the mainland.

Starlings are in great need of nesting houses, since most often they breed their offspring in them. And our starlings go to winter in Southern Europe and East Africa.

This freaky black cloud is a flock of starlings returning home

Finch... Finches from the western part of the country winter mainly in Central Europe and the Mediterranean, while finches that live near the Urals in summer go to winter in southern Kazakhstan and southern regions of Asia.

Chaffinch - a noisy inhabitant of the forest

Heron... It is rather difficult to determine where the herons winter, some of them travel great distances to South Africa, some winter in the Crimea or in the Kuban, and in the Stavropol Territory, herons sometimes even stay for the winter.

Crane... These birds are monogamous, and once having chosen a partner, they remain faithful to him all their lives. Cranes settle in swampy areas. And their wintering places are as diverse as those of herons: Southern Europe, Africa and even China - in all these parts of the world you can find cranes that have flown in from Russia to winter.

Stork... In Russia, there are black and white storks. White storks build huge nests, which are up to one and a half meters wide, and make very long flights to the south. Sometimes they overcome half of the planet and fly to South Africa - a country that is located in the very south of Africa.

Swan... The swan is a bird of devotion and romance. Swans are waterfowl, so for wintering they choose places near the water, often the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea.

Duck... In winter, wild ducks, as a rule, do not fly far away and remain in the vastness of the post-Soviet states. It is noteworthy that their domestic relatives in the fall also begin to worry and sometimes try to fly away, sometimes they even fly over fences and fly insignificant distances.

... Cuckoos settle in forests, forest-steppe, and steppe. The overwhelming majority of cuckoos fly away to winter in tropical and South Africa, less often cuckoos winter in South Asia: in India and China.

... A small bird with a singing voice and bright plumage, which flies off to winter in the tropics.

... They wake up at dawn and are among the first to start the morning song. This little songbird used to be called the robin. In winter, European robins fly to Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and they are among the first to return home.

How migratory birds differ from wintering ones: presentation for preschoolers

Slide 2

Slide 3: presentation of migratory birds

Why do migratory birds fly to warmer regions, where they winter, why do they come back?

Winter is an ordeal for birds. And only those who, in harsh conditions, can get food for themselves, remain to winter.

What could be the ways for birds to survive in cold weather?

Some birds store food in the summer for the winter. They hide plant seeds, nuts, acorns, caterpillars and larvae in the grass and cracks in the bark of trees. These birds include the nuthatch.
Some birds are not afraid of people and live near residential buildings. In winter, they find food in troughs and garbage heaps.
Some birds are predators and feed on rodents. There are birds of prey that can feed on hares, hunt fish, small birds and bats.

If a bird can find food for itself in winter, it means that it does not need to go on an exhausting and difficult flight to warmer regions in the fall.

It would seem that everything is simple, and the only reason for the seasonal migration of birds is the lack of food. But in reality, there are more questions than answers. For example, imagine that a mallard, which is a migratory bird, is provided with an artificially heated pond and ample food. Will she stay for the winter? Of course not. She will be called on a long journey, a strong feeling that is difficult to explain, called a natural instinct.

It turns out that birds fly away to warm lands, as if out of habit, because their ancestors did this for hundreds and thousands of years.

Another question to be answered is: why do birds return from warm countries every spring? Scientists-ornithologists have concluded that the beginning of the return flight is associated with the activation of sex hormones and the beginning of the breeding period. But why should birds fly thousands of kilometers and hatch chicks exactly where they themselves were born? Poets and romantic natures say that birds, like people, are simply drawn to their homeland.

How do migratory birds know where to fly? The question, to which to this day, there is no intelligible answer. It has been experimentally proven that birds can navigate in completely unfamiliar terrain and in conditions of limited visibility, when neither the sun nor the stars are visible. They have an organ that allows you to orient yourself according to the earth's magnetic field.

But the mystery is how young individuals, who have never flown to warmer regions before, find their wintering place themselves, and how do they know the route to fly? It turns out that in birds, at the genetic level, information is recorded about the point on the map where you need to fly and, moreover, a route to it is drawn.

Do migratory birds nest in the south?

Birds wintering in warm regions do not lay eggs or hatch chicks, which means they do not need a nest. The nest is needed only for chicks, which migratory birds will incubate in their homeland.

What birds are the first and last to arrive in the spring?

The first to arrive in the spring rooks... These birds return to their homeland in early spring, when the first thawed patches appear in the snow. With their strong beak, rooks dig out larvae on such thawed patches, which form the basis of their diet.

The last to arrive are birds that feed on flying insects. These are swallows, swifts, orioles. The diet of these birds consists of:

Komarov
Moshek
Blind man
Zhukov
Cicad
Butterflies

Since the appearance of a large number of adult flying insects from the larvae requires warm weather and about two weeks of time, the birds that feed on them fly home after the massive appearance of these insects.

Which birds are the first and last to fly away in the fall?

With the onset of autumn cold weather, insects complete their active life cycle and hibernate. Therefore, birds that feed on insects are the first to fly to the warm regions. Then birds fly away, feeding on plants. The last to fly away are waterfowl. For them, even in autumn, there is enough food in the water. And they fly away before the water in the reservoirs begins to freeze.

VIDEO: Birds fly south

What migratory flock of birds promises snow?

According to folklore, if a flock of wild geese- you should expect the first snow to fall. This omen may not coincide with real weather events. So in the north of Russia geese fly away to warm regions in mid-September, and snow can fall much earlier. Let's say the first snow in Norilsk this year fell on 25 August. In the south, geese fly to warm regions at the end of October, and sometimes even at the beginning of November. The first snow in these areas may occur at this time. But it all depends on the weather conditions in the fall. Indian summer here can drag on for the whole of October.

VIDEO: Geese gather in flocks for flights to the south

Which bird from the order of chickens is migratory?

A migratory bird from the order of chickens is quail... The quail's habitat extends beyond Russia to the west and south. In the east, these birds live up to the western coast of Lake Baikal. They are widespread in Europe, Western Asia and Africa.

They fly south for the winter. And they winter in Hindustan, North Africa and South-West Asia.

VIDEO: How do migratory birds fly?

Objectives of the game:

systematize the knowledge of students about the life of birds, their relationship with environment;
to deepen the ecological knowledge of students;
to educate in them a humane attitude towards birds, a sense of responsibility for all living things and teach them to realize the need for a careful attitude towards nature;
contribute to the development of a sense of collectivism and cohesion.

Equipment:

Tape recorder and recordings with birdsong and dance tunes.
A chest (beautifully designed box) with tokens - questions.
For the competition of captains, cards with the image of birds, sheets of paper, pens.
Two cards for the "Eight Birds" competition, sheets of paper, pens, felt-tip pens.
Various feed for birds (sunflower seeds, cones, millet, a piece of bacon, rowan berries, birch seeds ...)
For the competition "Building feeders" unnecessary items, such as: milk bags, mayonnaise buckets, various boxes, wire.
Cards with encrypted letters.

DURING THE CLASSES

(Birds are singing).

Leading: Hello guys! Today we have gathered together to talk about wintering birds.

Many birds fly south
Many spend the winter with us.
Jackdaw, crow, bullfinch, sparrow.
Come on, guys, remember them soon!

Children name the wintering birds, then they are divided into 2 teams. The host introduces the members of the jury.

It's hard for birds to live in winter
Find food for yourself.
Who can besides us
Save from hunger?
Covered with snowdrifts
Hillocks, courtyards, paths,
Can't find the birds
Not a grain, not a crumb.
And now they fly weaker and weaker
Crow, jackdaw, sparrow.
Hurry to the help of children!
Here is the most difficult hour
The birds are waiting for salvation from us!
Feed them! Warm them up!
Lead the house to a bitch
Sprinkle crumbs in the snow
Or even semolina ...
And the poor things will come to life.
Gliding cheerfully across the sky
Feathered friends will take off
And they will sing, chirping:
"Thank you greats"

Competition "Chest of questions"

Magpie brings a chest to each team in turn and one of the participants takes out a token with numbers from it. The facilitator reads out the question under this number, and the team gives an answer to it. Each question is worth 1 point.

1. What birds spend the night buried in the snow? (Black grouse, partridge, hazel grouse).
2. What are the benefits of tits in winter? (Destroys the eggs and larvae of insects).
3. What kind of bird likes jewelry and other shiny objects? (Magpie).
4. Which bird breeds chicks in winter? (Crossbill).
5. What birds hunt at night? (Owls).
6. Which bird is drumming? (Woodpecker).
7. Which bird changes color for winter? (White partridge).
8. Which birds can climb up a tree trunk with their heads down? (Nuthatch).
9. When is the sparrow's body temperature higher: in winter or summer? (Same)
10. What bird hangs upside down in the trees in winter, with its back down? Why? (Tits. The branches are covered with snow from above, so they catch insects on the underside of the branches).
11. How many different tits live in our area? (Large, long-tailed, crested, Muscovy, Blue Tit).
12. What kind of corvids live in our area? (Raven, hooded crow, rook, magpie, jackdaw, jay).
13. What bird gouges a hollow in a tree with its beak for its nest? (Woodpecker).
14. We watched from the window the behavior of the sparrows arriving at the feeder, you can determine what the weather is like outside. How? (In cold weather, the sparrows are disheveled - it is easier to retain body heat.)

Eight Birds Competition

Leading: There are eight birds lurking in the text you are about to read. Find their names and write. For each bird found, 3 points are awarded.

“The girl arranged canteens for birds. D Crow entered, cleaned in the corner litter. Oka it was convenient here, really shche goal th place. A flask fed the large birds here soy, ka necks. Another dining room is you soko, l better for small birds check, and n hell her tree branches. You just have to resort to flatter nice, ina what a rosary I won't be able to feed, I can't get a feeder. "

(Crow, magpie, goldfinch, falcon, mint, jay, bunch, tap dance).

"Competition of captains"

Team captains are invited. The magpie gives them blank slates paper.

Leading: Here are the cards with the image of birds: jackdaw, jay, nuthatch, pigeon, mute swan, green woodpecker. Each card has its own number. I will ask the captains questions about these birds. Answering the question, you write only the number of the picture, which depicts the bird you need. (2 points are awarded for each correct answer).

This forest bird feeds on acorns and nuts. The most beautiful of the ravens. By making stocks of acorns for the winter, it promotes reforestation. (Jay - 2).
This bird is a symbol of peace. Air postman. (Dove - 4).
This bird is from the Red Book. Helps little birds, presenting housing in the winter cold. (Green woodpecker - 6).
This bird easily climbs up a tree trunk upside down. (Nuthatch).
Birds and young birds are brownish-gray, and turn white after a few years. (Mute swan - 5).
A city bird living next to a person. (Jackdaw - 1).

Physical education "Birds have arrived"

Leading: I will now list the birds, but if you hear anything else, you need to clap your hands and stamp your feet.

Birds have arrived: pigeons, tits, storks, crows, jackdaws, flies and swifts.
Birds have arrived: pigeons, tits, storks, crows, jackdaws, pasta.
Birds have arrived: pigeons, tits, storks, crows, jackdaws, swifts, mosquitoes, cuckoos.
Birds have arrived: pigeons, martens, oatmeal, nuthatches, woodpeckers.
Birds arrived: pigeons, tits, jackdaws, swifts, storks, siskins, cuckoos, even scops owls, swans, starlings ...
All of you are great!

Mysterious Letter competition (Application )

- Decrypt the letter

Teams are given envelopes with letters. Each letter correctly decoded - 5 points.

1. Greetings to young-nat-ami school-flax-ik-m from-winter-uyusch-them. Birds can-eat, feed-it. Very cold but cold but.

2. Greetings to yun-nat-ami school-flax-ik-m from d-ale-ko south-from p-ern-at-s! So-ro pr-il-tim.

A. Yashchin

"Feed the birds in winter"(the presenter reads).

Feed the birds in winter!
Let from all ends
They will fly to you like home
A flock on the porch.

How many perish - they can not be counted,
It's hard to see.
But in our heart there is
And it's warm for the birds

Train the birds in the cold
To your window
So that without songs you don't have to
We welcome spring.

Competition "Bird's Dining Room"

Leading: I will show you the food, and the teams will take turns to name the bird that loves this food. For each correct answer, teams receive 2 points.

Sunflower seeds ––> tits;
Spruce seeds, cones -> bunch, woodpecker;
Oak seeds ––> jay;
A piece of bacon ––> tit;
Millet ––> sparrows, pigeons;
Rowan berries ––> bullfinch, waxwing;
Food waste ––> jackdaws, crows;
Burdock seeds ––> goldfinch.

Contest "Build Feeders"

The children are invited to make bird feeders from the proposed materials. The maximum number of points for a feeder is 10 points.

Circle of Knowledge competition

Each team is asked 10 questions in the form of a quick survey to identify the circle of knowledge about birds. For this competition, teams will receive as many points as they give correct answers.

Questions to the 1st team:

1. The forelimbs of birds are ... (wings)
2. Part of the lower limb, characteristic only for birds. (Tarsus)
3. This sense organ is the least developed in birds. (Smell)
4. From them came the birds. (Reptiles).
5. How do pigeons drink water? (They lower their beak into the water above the nostrils, which at the same time are closed by scales, and they drink in large gulps, without lifting the beak up.)
6. How does the dipper get food at the bottom of the river in winter, why doesn't it freeze in the icy water? (The dipper dives into the hole and, having sunk to the bottom, it runs quickly, clinging to its sharp claws, looking for worms, finding it quickly returns to the top. The dipper's feathers are covered with a layer of fat.)
7.In these birds, chicks are born most often in the middle of winter. (Crossbill)
8. What sedentary birds from the black family can you call the orderlies of the village? (Crow, crow, rook.)
9. What forest bird-like bird, besides the black grouse, arranges currents? (Capercaillie)
10. What do waxwings eat in winter? (Rowan berries, viburnum.)

Questions to the 2nd team:

1. The skin of the birds is covered ... (feathers).
2. The sternum of a bird has a high ridge below, which is called ... (keel).
3. This sense organ in birds is more developed than others. (Vision).
4. " Ancient bird" - this is … (archeopteryx).
5. Birds can turn their heads to ... (180 degrees).
6. Why is the wood grouse called - "wood grouse"? (During the final part of the current song - "grinding" - his ear protrusions fill with blood, closing the ears so tightly that the capercaillie does not even hear a gun shot.)
7. Name 3 types of sedentary birds. (Sparrow, magpie, tit.)
8. What birds prepare food for the winter? (Jay, nutcracker, nuthatch, titmouse.)
9. Why do not birds fall from a branch during sleep. (The legs of birds have special muscles that help them to sit on a branch without losing their balance.)
10. How does a woodpecker sleep in a nest? (A woodpecker in a hollow sleeps in an upright position, clinging to the wall of the hollow with sharp claws of short legs and resting against it with rigid tail feathers, that is, it sleeps "sitting" on its tail.)

Leading: Guys, our contests have come to an end. We think everyone has discovered something new for themselves today. And the main thing is that birds are our friends, younger brothers, and we, as elders, must protect and protect them.

The jury sums up the results of the game.

The script was compiled on the basis of materials:

Methodical recommendations for the preparation and holding of the holiday "Meeting of wintering birds", Kazan, 1997
Pedagogical creativity, No. 3 2001, A. F. Fazullina, R.R. Khafizova "Wintering Birds".

The class of birds includes animals whose body is covered with feathers. They reproduce by laying eggs. The entire evolution of birds from the ancient reptiles that lived at the very beginning of the Mesozoic, more than 100 million years ago, up to our time, followed the path of better mastering the air environment, improving the flight of the most complete use of food available in nature. The forelimbs of birds are transformed into wings with very well-developed flight feathers, which significantly increase the working surface of the wing and provide soaring in the air, which is also facilitated by the tail feathers, which determine the birds' high maneuverability in flight. The tubular bones of our birds are devoid of bone marrow, the bones of the skull have grown together into a single, lightest structure. If the skeleton of mammals weighs about 20% of the total body weight, then in birds it is from 8 to 15%. least cost material.

Air sacs located between the internal organs of the bird perform very important functions. When you exhale, when the used air is pushed out, clean air with a high oxygen content enters the lungs from the air sacs. This provides a "second wind", which is typical only for birds. In addition, the air bags serve as pneumatic cushions for internal organs when landing and jumping, it contributes to egg-laying to the passage of the act of defecation, some birds, with a rapid filling of the abdominal air sacs, are able to throw excrement at a distance of several meters; birds do not have a bladder. The stomach of most birds is divided into two sections - the glandular, which is an excellent chemical laboratory with a number of pepsinogenic fields, and the muscular (with a well-defined cuticle and stones, sand or hard seeds usually present in it. The gizzard is capable of developing efforts several times exceeding body weight Such an energetic work of the digestive organs is associated with the high body temperature of birds, reaching 45 °, their great mobility and significant expenditure of energy, which require quick replenishment. inside there is a special comb, which provides heating of the big eye and intraocular pressure.The small kestrel-falcon sees a vole at a distance of several hundred meters, hearing is relatively well developed in birds, especially in owls, but very poorly - sense of smell and touch.

The variety in the device of the beaks and great mobility allowed the birds to get a wide variety of food. Thus, the chisel-shaped beak of a woodpecker is adapted for pulling out insects living in bark and wood; crossbill beak - for picking seeds from pine, spruce and larch cones; long beak of a woodcock - for extracting earthworms and other inhabitants of the soil layer from the soil; eagle's beak - for holding and tearing food. All this testifies to the high specialization of birds in foraging.

Indeed, there is a large group of insectivores among birds; finches, chicken, pigeons and others have mastered various plant foods; a number of species lead a predatory lifestyle, feeding mainly on warm-blooded animals; others have adapted to catching fish, etc. There is a wide variety of life forms among birds. Some species live only in forests; others - in fields and steppes; still others inhabit the shores of rivers and lakes and are closely related to the aquatic environment; the fourth have adapted to life around a person, etc.

The importance of birds in the life of biogeocenoses and in the national economy is great. Ducks, diving, geese, black grouse, hazel grouses, pigeons, coots, many sandpipers give tasty meat rich in vitamins. The role of birds in the destruction of harmful insects is great. Suffice it to say that a pair of starlings destroys about 6 kg of insects during the period of raising chicks, among which such pests as May beetles, caterpillars of cabbage butterflies, moths, scoops and others occupy a significant place. Many birds of prey eat harmful rodents in large numbers, providing significant assistance to our agriculture and forestry.

However, speaking about the positive role of birds in the human economy, a number of negative features should be noted. Some bird species are involved in the maintenance and spread of dangerous vector-borne diseases and, during flights, are apparently able to carry them over long distances. Finally, sparrows, gathering in large autumn flocks, sometimes harm field crops.

All this testifies to the fact that the study of birds and clarification of their role in the life of biogeocenoses and in the human economy is a big and very important matter. The bird fauna of Tatarstan is rich and diverse, studies show that 274 species can be found on the territory of Tatarstan. Most of the birds belong to migratory birds that appear here in the spring and fly away in the fall;

some come to us only for the winter. The table below characterizes the structure of the bird fauna of our republic and other regions of the middle zone of the European part of the Union. It should also be noted that not every year and often single specimens appear in our country in Tatarstan such rare birds as ptarmigan, bustard, skua, shelling, eider, cormorant, pelican, glossy ibis flamingo, etc. Let us dwell on the characteristics of the most interesting in economic or the biological relation of bird species.

Chicken squad

This order includes 6 species. Four of them - black grouse, capercaillie, hazel grouse and gray partridge - inhabit us throughout the year, the quail flies to tropical Africa for the winter, and the white partridge only occasionally appears in Tartary during its winter migrations. So, according to prof. , in the winter of 1944, near the town of Chistopol, several white partridges were killed. All chicken, having good meat, are objects of hunting.

It is found everywhere in Tatarstan, adhering to trees and shrubs, but often feeds in the fields. This is one of the most beautiful birds. The black with a bluish tint, the male has bright red eyebrows and a lyre tail. The female wears a more modest outfit, where black-brown specks are scattered over a reddish background. This color perfectly mimics the litter, makes the bird hardly noticeable and saves it from numerous enemies during incubation and brood period. From February, as soon as the sun begins to warm up, flocks of grouse break up. Kosachi separated from females sit for a long time on the tops of trees, as if absorbing the first heat of the sun. With the appearance of thawed patches on hillocks and glades, almost simultaneously with the arrival of rooks, black grouse begin their current song. Their muttering, reminiscent of the murmur of a spring brook, is heard on quiet clear mornings for 2-3 km. Having chosen a meadow, a felling, or a forest edge for the current, the kosachi, if they are not disturbed by a person, walk in the same place for dozens of years.

The east will turn pale a little, as the most reckless kosachi begin to flock to the current. Having spread their wings, raising their lyre-shaped tail with a bright white undertail and dropping a few heads with coral eyebrows swollen at this time, chuffing and muttering, males enter into fights with each other. Somewhat later, grouses arrive, and their clucking excites the males even more.

Mating sometimes occurs on a current, but more often the grouse with the chosen one fly off into the forest or shrub thickets. Large currents are now rare, usually 2-5 mowers, very rarely 10 or more.

The grouse, like all our chickens, arranges a nest on the ground, covering it with moss, grass and its own down. Clutches of 6-9 eggs usually end by mid-May. On the 21st day of incubation, grouse hatch, partially already feathered, and after 10 days they fly well. Juveniles have a mimicry color.

The grouse jealously guards the brood and at the risk of taking the enemy away, pretending to be wounded, hobble and hobble, and when it takes a person, dog, fox or wolf 100-200 meters away, climbs on the edge, makes a wide circle and returns to the hidden brood. Young ones grow quickly, and in August black feathers already begin to appear in males.

Kosachi do not take any part in incubating and raising young animals. After the end of the current, usually at the beginning of June, they climb into the blind supports, where they spend the entire molting period. Often in the fall, the kosachi, as if preparing for the spring current, try to mow. In September, black grouse gather in flocks and at this time they often fly to feed in the fields.

Four periods can be distinguished in the diet of black grouse. The first is the period of upbringing the young, when the main food is caterpillar insects, beetles, orthoptera. The second period of nutrition - summer - is characterized by the predominance of berries. In autumn, grass seeds, winter crops and grain are of great importance. In winter, they feed on birch and alder catkins, rose hips, euonymus and juniper fruits. The presence of birch and alder forests - necessary condition for the winter habitat of black grouse. In severe frosts, one can observe how a black grouse from a tree rushes into loose snow, breaks a trench and in such snowy shelters, where it is warm and calm, they spend cold and long winter nights. In black grouse, hazel grouse and wood grouse, horny bristles grow on the fingers by winter, significantly increasing the surface of the paws. This makes it easier for birds to move on snow and especially on icy slippery branches of trees, where they get their main winter food.

In winter, they hunt grouse with stuffed animals, which are displayed on single trees so that they can be seen from afar. Nearby they make a hut where the hunter hides and shoots the birds flying up to the stuffed animals. In the fall, they beat black grouses with a gun dog or just from the approach.

Seagull squad

12 species belong to this order in the fauna of Tatarstan, of which 8 nest, and 4 species are found only on migration and during summer migrations of immature birds.

Representatives of the order of seagulls are rather clearly divided into four groups:

1) seagulls proper with their characteristic silvery-white color and a rounded cough-tail, gulls: herring, gray-gray, common and small;

2) river terns, which differ from the previous group by a strongly carved tail, sharper wings and a black cap on their head - river tern and small tern; 3) marsh terns, the smallest representatives of the order, usually weighing less than 70 g, in the color of the body of which black predominates - black, white-winged and barnacle terns; 4) skuas that rarely fly to us - middle and short-tailed skuas, easily distinguished by dark plumage and elongated middle tail feathers that extend beyond the tail in the form of a spire. In July 1948 observed a pair of skuas near Yelabuga for five days; later we saw skuas several times in the mouth of the Kama in 1, 1969.

All gulls belong to brood birds and lay three rather large brownish-green eggs with scattered dark spots. They are monogamous and both parents are involved. in incubating eggs and feeding chicks.

In connection with the formation of the reservoir, the number of large gulls, herring and dove, has noticeably increased, which are now regularly encountered throughout the growing season. These are mainly young immature birds at the age of one to two years, but there are also nesting specimens.

Common seagull, lake

In early April, when the edges of the lakes appear and small steppe rivers open up, steamer gulls, or, as they are also called by the Volgars, "Martins", fly to us. These seagulls often accompany steamers and perfectly catch pieces of bread thrown to them on the fly. Undoubtedly, the Volga would have lost some of its beauty without seagulls.

The first seagulls can be found on the distant Kaban, where the warm waters of KazGRES flow down and where the ice first of all melts. By the end of May or the beginning of June, gulls gather in large societies and start nesting.

With the formation of a reservoir and the flooding of most of the lakes and bogs, where river gulls used to nest, their number declined. Apparently, this is also due to the fact that now the nesting sites of gulls are located on the reservoirs of the continental terrace, they are more often visited and are often ruined by man. During autumn census work, we quite often counted in flocks only 5-6% of young, easily distinguished from adults by their variegated outfit and the absence of a black helmet on their heads, although based on theoretical estimates of young in the autumn herd should be more than 50%.

In spring, fish, frogs and mouse-like rodents that have died in winter, which gulls catch from flooded manes and during their spring migrations, are of great importance in the diet of gulls. Often in the spring, gulls feed "behind the plow" and destroy a large number of "wireworms" and other insects. In summer, gulls feed mainly on aquatic and terrestrial insects, as well as fish. During the haymaking period, they eat a huge number of Orthoptera. At the end of summer and autumn, the importance of fish in the diet of gulls increases. There is no doubt that in our conditions the common gull is a useful bird and needs protection. Seagulls fly away in October. Many of them winter in the Caspian and Black Seas, but some fly to the Mediterranean. The little gull, which is smaller in size and has a black head plumage, is much less common in Tartary.

River Tern

River tern is a typical inhabitant of large rivers, where it nests in noisy colonies on sandy islands, spits and shoals. It arrives to us late, in mid-May, and begins to nest in June, when the sands appear. In the years when the spring hollow waters did not recede for a long time, terns nested on high manes, arranging their nests on sediments, apparently reminiscent of sandbanks. Currently, small colonies of 10-15 nests are common.

Terns feed on a variety of aquatic small animals, including small fish. During haymaking, they switch to feeding on terrestrial insects. In early September, they already migrate south for wintering in the Mediterranean Sea.

Very similar to the small river tern, in weight. only about 50 g - two times lighter than river tern. Appears with us in late May - early June, and already flies away in August.

Order of birds anseriformes

The vast order of Anseriformes includes birds ranging in size from a teal to a swan, with a stocky body, short legs, the three front toes of which are connected by swimming membranes, with a relatively long neck and a wide, relatively soft (except for mergansers) beak. Its edges are covered with denticles or thin plates, for which the anseriformes are also called lamellar-billed. All Anseriformes are closely related to water and belong to the group of waterfowl.

Most of them belong to polygamous species, do not form a permanent family, and males mate with different females. In these species, males are much brighter than females; for example, mallard, shirokosnoska, pintail, etc. In species that mate in pairs and belong to monogamous species, the color is the same for both males and females - for example, swans and geese. All Anseriformes are brood birds. Most of the species feed on plant food, have a powerful gizzard, in which pebbles, sand or hard pond seeds are always found, contributing to the grinding of food, very aptly named by prof. "Millstones". Molting in all species is stormy, and for some time birds cannot fly.

All Anseriformes have very tasty meat and are important hunting objects. In Tatarstan, the anseriformes fauna is represented very richly: 30 species are noted here, which is more than half of all species found in the vast territory of the CIS. 12 species constantly nest here, two species - whooper swan and white-eyed duck - do not nest every year, 9 are found on migration, and 7 belong to rare species.

Our anseriformes are divided into 5 groups: swans, geese, true ducks, diving and mergansers.

Whooper swan

About 30-35 years ago, whooper nested in separate pairs in the Kama floodplain. Then, as man developed the floodplain, he stopped staying with us for nesting, and in 1965 a pair of nesting swans was again discovered in the Rybnaya Sloboda area. The mute swan flies to us very rarely during spring flights.

Goose gray

The Volga is still bound by an ice cover, there are still patches of brown snow in the fields, and in the forest you can hardly feel the breath of spring and snow everywhere, as the first shoals of noisy geese are already appearing in our country. According to long-term data, the arrival of geese usually begins around April 14, when the first temporary reservoirs - "puddles" appear in the fields. Many folk signs are associated with the arrival of geese: "if the geese fly high, the spring ones will be high, they fly low, and the spring is low", "the geese shout a lot - for the harvest," etc.

The bulk of geese only flies through our republic: numerous bean beaks with a black beak with a yellow or orange belt, a white-fronted goose, a white-fronted pussy and different kinds geese, characterized by a completely black small beak and black legs. Only a very insignificant part of the gray geese flying through Tataria remains to nest on the reservoir and in the floodplains of our large rivers on inaccessible lakes and swamps. Geese start nesting in May. The female, together with the male, makes a cozy nest somewhere on the shore, which is lined with feathers and down, and lays 5-8 eggs. Mainly a goose incubates for 28 days; the male sits on the nest only when the female is feeding. Geese feed on various aquatic vegetation, they love to pinch winter crops, and in the fall they regularly fly to the fields to feed on grains of cereals and peas. In connection with the mass autumn plowing, geese now land on the fields less and less often, the autumn migration takes place in a shorter time.

We have few geese catch: hunting with decoy geese and profiles, successfully carried out, has not yet found widespread use. Geese fly away for wintering mainly to the South Caspian.

Squad of birds of prey

As the name itself shows, this order unites birds with a predatory lifestyle. All of them have a powerful beak, bent at the end, the base of which is covered with bare skin - "wax"; strong paws, equipped with sharp and curved claws, and rather dense plumage.

Due to the fact that birds of prey eat animal food, they have a poorly developed gizzard and have developed the ability to regurgitate undigested food debris through the mouth - the bones and hair of mammals, bird feathers, fish scales and chitinous parts of insects, which are called pellets. Collecting and analyzing pellets makes it possible to find out the food objects of birds of prey and establish their role and importance in our economy. Most of the predator species have a goiter, which allows them to simultaneously eat a significant amount of food, and then, slowly digesting it, “go without food for some time. Birds of prey live in monogamy, forming pairs that often persist for a number of years. Large species of predators lay 1–2 eggs and incubate them for about 50 days; medium and small ones lay up to 9 eggs and incubate for less than a month. Incubation begins immediately after the first egg is laid, therefore the chicks do not hatch at the same time. This is of great biological importance, as it makes it easier for parents to feed their chicks, which in small species lasts about 25 days, and in large ones - up to three months. In a number of species of birds of prey, females are much larger than males.

Birds of prey have amazing visual acuity. Prof. writes that the peregrine falcon sees a sitting turtledove on. distance of 1000 meters, The importance of birds of prey in the human economy is essential. Many of them, destroying a lot of harmful rodents and insects, are of great benefit to agriculture and forestry - these are almost all harriers, small falcons and buzzards. Large predators - the golden eagle, the white-tailed eagle, the great spotted eagle and the burial eagle, as well as the goshawk and the marsh harrier - although they eat a certain number of hunting and industrial animals - hares, chickens and waterfowl, but their harm is negligible, since first of all, they catch sick and weakened animals.

The fauna of birds of prey in Tatarstan is very rich. We have recorded 28 species, of which 21 species nest on the territory of Tatarstan, one species of the Upland Buzzard, or Rough-legged Buzzard, occurs annually and in rather large numbers on migration, and 6 species belong to rare-fly species - tyvik, red kite, griffon vulture, vulture black, steppe eagle and dwarf eagle. Most of the diurnal birds of prey are migratory, and only four species are sedentary: both species of hawks, peregrine falcon and golden eagle. According to the data, a pair of white-tailed eagles has been wintering for four years in the Saralovsky section of the Volzhsko-Kamsky nature reserve. This, apparently, is associated with the widespread development of ice fishing, when fishermen throw infected liguli and other fish on the ice and thus provide the eagles with food.

For a number of years, employees of the Volga-Kama branch of VNIO have been conducting counts of birds of prey during summer field work. In a systematic respect, the birds of prey of Tartary are united into two families; falcon and hawk. The first includes six species, which have a tooth on the upper beak and a corresponding notch in the lower beak; all other predators belong to the second family - they are characterized by the absence of a tooth on the beak.

Sokol-Sapsan

This is one of the largest falcons found in our country, and the only one that sometimes stays for the winter. The falcon "takes" birds exclusively on the fly: having risen above the pursued victim, the peregrine falcon with tremendous speed, reaching 75 meters per second, beats the bird with the claws of its hind paws, folded and tightly pressed to the body. The impact is made on the tangent m is very strong. Prof. writes that if a blow falls on a duck's neck, then "its head often flies off." Sometimes the peregrine falcon does not have time to grab a shot down bird, and it falls to the ground, where the predator also descends after it. The usual prey of the peregrine falcon are ducks, but in cities it feeds on pigeons and jackdaws, often causing devastation in flocks of pigeons and greatly annoying pigeon breeders.

In the center of Kazan, on the bell tower of the Epiphany Church, a couple of peregrine falcons lived for a number of years and successfully bred chicks; but already about 10 years ago the birds left this area, apparently. due to the fact that in some years it was occupied by a pair of ravens More or less constantly peregrine falcons nest in the Raif forest, where a number of interesting observations the way of life of this relatively rare falcon in our country. Another large falcon, the Saker Falcon, has been living in the Saralovsky area of the Volzhsko-Kamsky Nature Reserve for several years and successfully breeding chicks.

Goshawk nests in high-trunk forests. Both nests we found were located on tall spruce trees 10-12 m from the ground on thick lateral branches. The female usually lays 3-4 greenish-white eggs, which incubate for about 35 days. At the end of July, the young finally abandon the nest and begin an independent life.

The color of the goshawk is very typical for hawks: from above it is smoky gray, from below on a white background there are transverse black stripes. Short wide wings and long tail provide the hawk with good maneuverability in the forest. The male usually weighs about 800 g, and the female up to 1700 g. Juveniles are well distinguished from adults by a reddish tinge in plumage and clear longitudinal intermittent stripes on the underside of the body.

The sparrowhawk in its way of life and color is extremely close to the goshawk. The food of this small jackdaw-sized predator is dominated by smaller birds, mainly passerines; he regularly eats murine rodents and large insects.A number of special studies have shown that in natural conditions the hawk, selecting sick and weakened animals, "cleans" the livestock and contributes to the preservation of its high number. Only in poultry farms, it is capable of causing some damage, and there we can shoot them.

Marsh harrier

Low above the thickets of emerging vegetation, above lakes and marshes, a marsh harrier, which seems almost black from a distance, flies. It feeds on eggs and chicks, and attacks adult birds. Ducks and coots especially suffer from it. We observed one nest of the Marsh Harrier, located on a raft, among impassable thickets of reeds, with four chicks. Within eight days, the parents brought them 9 coots, 2 gray coots, 3 water voles and many small rodents and birds. says that he watched the attack of the Marsh Harrier on the muskrat.

The number of marsh harriers is now small, and the loss caused by them is negligible in comparison with the positive role in the health of the livestock.

This is the most common bird of prey in our republic. The cut-out tail of a kite is an excellent feature of the species, by which it is easy to distinguish it from all other predators, which is helped a lot by the characteristic cry, vaguely reminiscent of the neigh of a stallion.

Kites appear in our country in mid or early April and almost immediately concentrate near their nesting sites. They often nest in colonies of 3-6 nests on an area of 200-500 hectares - on some forest island, in a forest clearing near a large lake, or select a forest edge along the Volga and Kama slopes. It should be noted that they live in groups in a relatively small area only in years rich in food. More often than not, we found single nests, which were arranged in trees and lined with a wide variety of materials; with a washcloth, rags, pieces of paper, cotton wool, etc. In one nest, located not far from the camp of our expedition, we found our own notes, lost in one of the trips around the island.

There are usually 2-3 eggs in the nest. Incubation and feeding of chicks takes about two and a half months. By August, the young are difficult to distinguish from adults and are already leading an independent life. At this time, kites are especially common near settlements and marinas.

Kites feed on a wide variety of foods: large insects, molluscs, mouse-like rodents, fish, frogs and lizards, small birds and carrion. Occasionally they attack chickens, flying into villages and even larger settlements. In the second half of summer and autumn, two to three dozen birds accumulate near cattle burial grounds and in other areas rich in fodder.

Owl squad

This detachment unites - birds that are nocturnal, have large, forward-facing eyes, from which small feathers radiate in all directions, forming the facial disc characteristic of the detachment. The head is large and, as it were, merged with the body, but, despite this, it is very mobile - owls can turn their head 180 °. Although owls are typical nocturnal birds, they can see quite well during the day. During the feeding period of young short-eared owls sometimes hunt even during the day. The plumage of the owl is loose, soft and contributes to the silent flight of these predators. Their hearing is well developed. The ear openings are very large and, in some species, are surrounded by longer feathers that form, as it were, the outer ear. Most owls have a mimic variegated coloration, where small specks are scattered over a reddish-gray background. Females are usually larger than males.

Like diurnal predators, owls have a hook-like curved beak and well-developed claws, and the outer finger can turn back - this makes it easier to grasp prey. The food consists of various warm-blooded animals, among which rodents - voles and mice - predominate. Owls throw away indigestible food debris in pellets, which differ from pellets of daytime predators in their rounded shape.

Owl nests are very primitive, and some species lay their eggs on the ground or in a hollow; Long-eared owls often occupy crows' nests. The female incubates. Immediately after the first egg is laid, the female sits on the nest, and therefore the chicks hatch at a time, which greatly facilitates their feeding.

In the fauna of Tatarstan, owls are represented by 12 species. Eagle owl, tawny owl, hawk owl and some little owls are sedentary, while snowy owl and tawny owl appear with us in winter only in some years. All owls are undoubtedly useful birds, and if from time to time they catch game animals and birds, then this is more than compensated for by the large number of mice and voles they have destroyed.

The largest representative of the detachment, weighing up to 3 kg. On the territory of Tartary, it is found everywhere, but its favorite habitat is the wilderness. At present, the owl is relatively rare, but nevertheless, in spring, in all large forests of the republic, you can hear at night its dull cry "ear-ear", sometimes turning into a very unpleasant sound, reminiscent of a cry of a man or a cry of a child. This, apparently, was the reason for the creation of beliefs among the people, according to which the owl portends trouble. Often in our time, the cry of an owl is identified with the laughter of the "goblin".

Eagle owl food is very diverse and depends on the amount of this or that food in nature. According to the materials, the main food of the eagle owl is mouse-like rodents. So, in the stomach of an owl, taken in February 1946, the remains of 40 voles and mice were found. Undoubtedly, rodents form the basis of his food, but when there are few of them, the eagle owl is able to take hares, catch black grouse, grouse, rooks, jackdaws, crows and jays, and even dares to attack foxes. So, in one of the forest ravines near Matyushin, an owl was killed at the time of his attack on a fox.

The owl does not suit the nests, but lays 2-3 white, almost spherical eggs, typical of all owls, right on the ground.

An eagle owl undoubtedly needs protection, and hunters should remember that if he destroys a certain number of hares, black grouses and other useful animals, he first of all takes the sick and weakened and this brings great benefits, cleaning the livestock and to some extent preventing an outbreak of disease.

Eared owl

One of the most common owls in our country. Inhabits forests of various ages and composition and is often found even in the immediate vicinity of the city, and, possibly, nests in the Arsk cemetery of Kazan, where we have repeatedly heard her two-syllable cry "hu-hu". The size of the long-eared owl is significantly inferior to the owl: all the owls we caught weighed less than 500 g. It differs well from other owls by two protruding bunches of feathers on the head, resembling ears. In addition, long-eared owls have long wings that, when folded, extend over the end of their tail.

In years rich in mouse-like rodents, long-eared owls live with us sedentary, not flying away for the winter; in years poor in rodents, they migrate south, reaching Africa. They start nesting in April. The number of eggs in a clutch depends on the provision of birds with food and ranges from 3 to 8. Usually, a long-eared owl occupies the nests of crows, magpies and jays: all 4 nests of a long-eared owl we found previously belonged to crows. and three nests of an owl were described, of which two were made by crows and one by a magpie.

Incubation begins immediately after the first egg is laid. The female incubates, but the male is usually not far from the nest. With large clutches, the difference in the size of the chicks is very large; for example, in one examined nest, the largest chick weighed 242 g, and the smallest - only 87 g. It is quite natural that all chicks rarely survive - in years of large "harvests" of rodents. Usually 1-2 "of the latter die, as the food brought by the parents is captured by larger chicks, which are even capable of slaughtering their little" brothers and sisters "themselves and eating them. Such" screening out "of chicks is a common occurrence for all our predators.

Long-winged squad

As the name of the detachment itself shows, birds with long wings, somewhat resembling swallows, but even more adapted to flight, belong to it. We have one species from this order - the black swift, or ordinary.

The saber-like curved wings, as it were, a flattened head with a split, like a nightjar's, beak, short and weak legs with a feathered metatarsal and trailing fingers, directed forward and serving only to hold on to walls, cornices and tree trunks, are good signs of a swift. The swift does not know how to walk at all and, hitting the ground, climbs onto the wing with great difficulty. His element is air, where he has no rivals both in speed and in flight maneuverability. It feeds exclusively on insects that it catches on the fly. Swifts also mate in the air.

We have swifts appear with almost calendar accuracy - around May 14, and their swift flight with a shrill cry of "swift" marks the onset of the last phase of spring. Swifts are found in large numbers in Kazan and others settlements where they nest under eaves, in cracks in walls and in attics. In some places they are numerous in tall hollow forests. For two years in a row, near the laboratory station in the Raifa section of the reserve, a pair of swifts nested in a birdhouse hung on a birch at a height of only about 6 meters.

Two strongly elongated, almost cylindrical, white eggs are incubated by the female, which at this time is carefully fed by the male. Before bad weather, swifts fly low, which is associated with the migration of insects, which are very sensitive to changes in weather conditions; thus, observing swifts can often predict weather changes. Swifts migrate to Equatorial Africa for wintering in early September.

A detachment of passerines

The richest order of passerines in the number of species is represented in Tatarstan by 103 species, which is 37.2% of the species composition of birds in Tatarstan. Undoubtedly, in terms of the number of individuals, the order of passerines has no competitors. Most of our small birds belong to this order and are found in enormous numbers. So, according to counts, up to 400 pairs of birds nest on 25 hectares of mixed deciduous forest. The appearance of birds included in the order of passerines is very diverse. Along with the raven, reaching a weight of up to 1500 g, the kinglet belongs to the order of passerines, the weight of which does not exceed 8 g.

Passeriformes have "natural" legs, four fingers of which are located in the same plane: three of them look forward, one - backward. The wing has 10-12 flight feathers, the tail consists of 12, less often 10-16 tail feathers. All passerines are chick birds. The planting period for small species lasts 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by the parents in the nest for about the same period. In large passerines, the periods of incubation and stay of chicks in the nest are longer.

Most of the species of this order fly away to warm regions for the winter, and in the spring they return again to their homeland, where they nest. Some of the species are found here all year round, making only minor migrations. Most small passerines feed on insects, if not all year round, then while feeding their chicks. Many people eat weed seeds. Passerines are mainly useful birds that help humans to fight pests in agriculture and forestry.

Lark bird family

The characteristic external features of the representatives of this family include the rounded back surface of the metatarsus, covered with scutes, and a long, sharp claw of the hind toe.

Field lark

Modestly colored, with grayish-brown streaks and a low wide tuft, the field bird is well known to everyone who is in the fields in spring and summer. He arrives to us very early, as soon as thawed patches appear here and there, and his ringing song is heard already at the end of March. The massive flight takes place in the first half of April, and then the singing of a lark coming from above can be heard even when passing through noisy streets. big city... Pairs begin to reproduce when the fields freed from snow become green. Clutch contains 4-6 eggs.

An uncomplicated nest is made on the ground. Chicks develop rapidly and leave the nest 9-10 days after hatching. Larks usually have two broods during the summer. They feed their chicks with insects. The rest of the time, larks mostly feed on various grass and cereal seeds picked up on the ground. By autumn, they gather in flocks and, before leaving for the winter, roam through the fields and meadows.

Forest lark, or whirligig

It differs from the lark in smaller size, light yellowish eyebrow and shorter tail. The song of the forest lark can be conveyed by the words "yuli-yuli-yuli". Yula has a clear gravitation towards the forest, and its habitats are forest clearings, clearings, pine woodlands, especially heather wastelands on sandy hillocks.

Horned lark

It got its name for the original B black "horns" of feathers on the sides of the head and cannot be confused with any other bird. Flocks of these rather brightly and variegatedly colored birds, slightly smaller than a starling, can be found during their spring and autumn migration, but they do not nest here.

Vagrant species include the crested lark. We managed to observe these birds several times in the vicinity of Kazan.

	Soaring in the sky and here about the birds

2nd class MBOU "Secondary school of the village of Nizhnyaya Rus"

Presentation about some wintering birds in our region

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Wintering birds of Tatarstan

Solovyov Anton: "How do birds winter?" In winter, our neighbor birds try to stay closer to human habitation: it is warmer and more satisfying here. Well-fed and frost is not so terrible. A good lunch warms up from the inside, warmth goes through the whole body. If you do not lose weight during the winter and keep the fat under the skin, then even the fierce cold that passes through the feather is not dangerous: it cannot freeze the fat under the masonry. But the trouble is, it is not easy to find food in winter. It is difficult for those birds that ate insects in the summer, they switch to cones, nuts and grains. And you still need to look for this food. Difficult times are easier to cope with. And so in the winter they gather different birds in flocks. After all, how is it in the flock? I found one food, immediately notified everyone: everyone will be full. The danger is easier to notice in time - there is always someone on guard while others feed or doze. If you need to fight off a large predator, then here it is more convenient for everyone together. So a little bird cannot be alone in winter. Even those of the birds that usually live alone and then for the winter are nailed to some flock.

Daniel Semyonov: "Nuthatch and Woodpecker" In the park, garden, at the feeders in a flock of different tits, you can see the nuthatch. This small short-tailed bird immediately attracts attention with its ability to quickly run upside down along the trunk of a tree. Among birds nuthatches are the best climbers. They are helped in this by a special arrangement of paws with very long fingers and claws. All warm seasons these birds run through the trees, looking for insect pests. In winter, they have to sit down on a plant-based diet. A piece of unsalted bacon in a feeder or a nuthatch bug that has turned up in the bark for a nuthatch. The color of the bird is bluish-gray, the neck, chest and abdomen are white, a black stripe goes from the beak. The woodpecker is a noticeable bird. His back, wings, tail are black, as if he is wearing a black tailcoat. The throat, chest, abdomen are white, and on the head there is a bright red cap. It sits on a tree trunk, clutching the bark with its claws, and also rests on its tail. The tail of a woodpecker is unusual: with pointed at the ends, very hard feathers. Resting its tail against the unevenness of the bark, the woodpecker firmly adheres to the sheer trunk. Such strength, he needs to beat the tree hard. After all, the woodpecker feeds on worms, beetles and other insects that spoil the tree, gnawing the passages deep into the trunk.

Bikbova Ilsina: "Tits" Tits are one of the most useful birds for humans, because they destroy many pests. In the spring, when they have a child, they can eat as many insects per day as they themselves weigh. These birds are nomadic, but do not fly long distances, only for short ones - from the northern edges they can move to the southern ones. “There are several types of titmouse, and they are all useful. The more of these birds, the better. They need to be attracted with feeders. In spring and summer, tits feed only on insects, and in winter and autumn they eat berries and grain. To prevent the wind from blowing away their food, you can make a ball from lard (unsalted) and "glue" raw sunflower seeds, oats, millet, flax to it. This food can be hung from a tree or by a window. Titmouse also relishes unsalted bacon.

Egorova Liana "Sparrows" Sparrows of two types live in the middle zone of the European part of Russia: house (city) and field (village). They are found together in mixed flocks, especially in late autumn and winter. In spring and summer, individuals of each species adhere to their favorite habitats, where they nest and reproduce. It is not difficult to distinguish a house sparrow from a field sparrow: the house sparrow (male) has a dark gray cap on the crown, and the field sparrow has a brown cap; the house sparrow has one light stripe on its wings, and the field sparrow has two. In addition, the field sparrow has black brackets on its cheeks against a light background, and there is a white collar around its neck. In physique, the house sparrow is rougher than the field sparrow and larger than it. The house sparrow is also called the urban sparrow, because it is especially numerous in urban settlements and is common even in the largest cities. Field sparrow received the name Rustic for its commitment to the countryside.

Garifullina Gulia "Bullfinches" The bullfinch is larger than a sparrow. He has bright plumage: red on the chest and gray-bluish on the back. Females are similar in appearance to males, but differ in more modest gray plumage. Bullfinches of both sexes have a black cap on the crown and a thick short black beak. The homeland of bullfinches is the coniferous forests of the northern taiga. Here they make nests and hatch chicks. In September, bullfinches form flocks, and in October they migrate for wintering to the forests of the middle zone of our country. At this time, they appear in villages and cities, sharply standing out against the background of the snow that has fallen. Hence, probably, the name of these birds - bullfinches. In winter, bullfinches keep to mixed and deciduous forests, where they feed on seeds of alder, ash, maple, linden, hornbeam and other trees, as well as shrubs (lilacs, etc.). In gardens and parks, they eat tree buds, and on the outskirts of fields they look for seeds of quinoa, horse sorrel and other weeds in ravines and wastelands. Bullfinches are especially attracted by mountain ash, which they willingly eat. During feeding, they leave traces of their work in the form of open ash and maple flies, remnants of linden seeds, pulp of crushed rowan berries, etc. By these remnants, it is easy to find out that bullfinches "ruled" here.

Nikonorova Azalea "Pigeons" The largest of our pigeons is the wood pigeon. It is also easy to distinguish by its well-visible white spots on the neck and wings. Noble gray, with a light smoky bloom of plumage. Pigeons arrive at the end of March, and since mid-April, their mating sounds are already constantly heard - a dull, vibrating buzz in an early rhythm. At the same time, one can see the current flights of pigeons: a sudden take-off with a noisy flapping of wings and the subsequent smooth glide. The nest - a loose flat flooring of twigs - is built on the side branches of trees and is extremely careless. A clutch of two pure white eggs is incubated for 17-18 days. Three weeks later, the chicks leave the nest, and birds from the forests move to the fields, gathering in large autumn flocks. They leave in October. In the reserve, wood pigeon is the most common pigeon. The clintuch is much smaller than a whirlwind and without any white markings. Arrives earlier - the vikhiryatoka voice of the klintukh has been heard since the beginning of April. It nests in tree holes, sometimes at considerable height. It occurs regularly in the reserve, preferring ripe pine forests.

Riddles about birds Greenish back, Yellowish tummy, Black hat And a strip of scarf. (Tit) Here is a bird so a bird, Not a thrush, not a titmouse, Not a swan, not a duck And not a nightjar. But this little bird, Though small, Breeds chicks Only in a fierce winter. (Klest) Red-breasted, black-winged, Loves to peck grains, With the first snow on the mountain ash He will appear again. (Bullfinch) Small bird Has legs And does not know how to walk. He wants to take a small step - It turns out a jump. (Sparrow)

Most often we meet birds in the winter forest. First of all, of course, woodpeckers.

The most common is the great spotted woodpecker. It is his knocking that we hear - the woodpecker hollows the cones and takes out the seeds - its main food in winter. Males and females are easily distinguished, the male has a red "cap" on his head, the female does not.

Much less often you can see the yellow woodpecker, or the black woodpecker. It is the largest woodpecker in our forests, about the size of a crow. It gets out from under the bark, from rotten trees, insects hidden there, their larvae, pupae. Males differ from females by a red "cap" all over their heads, in females it is very small.

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, the size of a sparrow, is found where there are many rotten birches. Insectivorous, but, on occasion, does not disdain seeds, feeds on feeders. Like the great spotted woodpecker, the female does not have a "hat".

Tits are the most famous and numerous group of birds that remain with us for the winter. The great tit in winter keeps closer to human habitation, but it also occurs in forests. The rest of the titmouse species prefer the forest, only some individuals live near villages and settlements. Flocks of tits, often mixed, consist of several species, sometimes accompanying woodpeckers and nuthatches. It happens that pikas also roam with titmouses in the forest. All of them feed mainly on insects, extracting them from under the bark, and on occasion feed on seeds. Ordinary visitors to the feeding troughs.

The largest titmouse species is the great tit.

The blue tit is a small, neat, very lively titmouse.

There is also the blue tit, or prince, but it is extremely rare.

The brown-headed gadget is a powder.

The crested tit is a grenadier.

On the forest edges, in the floodplains of streams and rivers, you can see cute small long-tailed titmice - opolovnikov.

The nuthatch is a bright, lively bird. Dexterously crawls up and down the trunks.

Pikukha is also a great craftswoman to climb tree trunks.

Corvids are cool omnivorous birds. Of these, the crows stand out for their size. Unlike the hooded crow, in winter it is found here only in the forests. His guttural, peculiar voice can be heard from afar.

The jay is bright, unlike the rest, black and white corvids. The voice is sharp, raspy.

There are few hooded crows in the forest in winter; they prefer to feed near human habitation at this time of the year.

The magpie, like the gray crow, is known to everyone; it prefers to stay on the outskirts of the forest and closer to housing.

It is easier for finch birds to feed in winter: seeds, buds. Unlike tits and corvids, whose sex is almost indistinguishable, males and females of finches differ well in outward appearance... Males stand out for their bright, one might say tropical coloration, females are much more modest. This difference is clearly visible on the example of bullfinches.

Flocks of tap dancers feed in birch forests, on forest edges.

Quite a rare bird - a schur, a crimson male and a modestly colored female.

Among these birds there is a special one - the crossbill, for its bright color and curved beak, it was named "northern parrot". We have several types of them: spruce, pine, white-winged. The most common is spruce. These amazing birds build nests and lay eggs already in January - February. They raise their chicks in the winter. It was at this time that the forest abounds in their food, spruce seeds. In March, when the sun begins to warm up, coniferous cones open and scatter their seeds. Therefore, the crossbills have to hurry.

When you go skiing, you may come across some of the birds shown in this post.

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