With the onset of cold weather, you can often see flocks of birds in the sky. These are the birds leaving our lands, flying to warmer climes. However, some bird species remain. There are strange species that fly to central Russia to spend the winter. And there are some absolutely amazing ones that give birth to offspring precisely in the cold. This is truly true heroism!

Wintering birds of Russia: classification, list

Feed saves birds from the cold. About wintering birds They say: “Only well-fed birds are not afraid of low temperatures.” Therefore, the birds remaining for the winter must find food for themselves among the snow.

This can be plant seeds, berries, small animals, carrion, food waste in city garbage dumps. Insectivorous bird species migrate to the southern regions in winter. About seventy species of birds remain to spend the winter in Russia.

Group of wintering birds by territorial basis includes several types:

• urban;
• field;
• forest.

According to the method of nutrition, they are also divided into:

• predatory;
• herbivores;
• omnivores.

Transfer names of wintering birds completely almost impossible. One can only imagine a list of the most common and well-known species.

• bullfinch;
• sparrow;
• crossbill;
• nuthatch;
• yellow-headed kinglet;
• waxwing;
• nutcracker;
• lentils;
• goldfinch;
• Moscow;
• tit;
• jay;
• tap dance;
• woodpecker;
• magpie;
• pigeon;
• crow;
• jackdaw;
• grosbeak;
• pika;
• grouse;
• black grouse;
• partridge;
• owl;
• white owl;
• tawny owl

Bullfinches

These are beautiful wintering birds finch families are considered sedentary. They live in coniferous and mixed forests, since their main food is seeds of spruce, pine, berries, mainly rowan, and tree buds. In summer it is difficult to see them.

But in winter, bullfinches appear where they can profit from food. In cities and villages you can often see 5-6 of these red-breasted beauties on rowan trees. These bullfinches flew in to feed.

The birds are slightly larger in size than a sparrow, but their coloring is amazing. Poets in poetry call these birds red apples. Indeed, their bright scarlet or ash-pink breasts look amazing against the backdrop of snow-covered branches.

It is quite possible to catch and tame. These birds get along well in their cages and even begin to whistle simple tunes to their owner.

Listen to the singing of the common bullfinch

But bullfinches really love to eat - they never refuse food. Indulging the bird's gluttony, the owner often feeds the pet, which is harmful to its health.

Bullfinches cannot stand severe frosts below -50 degrees. Therefore, those who live in the northern part of the taiga forests still migrate during the winter. But their path does not always lie in southern countries.

Many simply move a little further south, remaining in the territory. That’s why they joke that the bullfinch flies to Russia for the winter to bask.

The female bullfinch is painted in gray tones and does not have such a bright breast

Sparrows

Residents of central Russia are so familiar with both summer and winter that it’s even strange to imagine if they suddenly disappear. According to statistics, the number of these birds in the world reaches a billion. Just for fun, someone has calculated that there is one sparrow for every 8 people. These birds belong to the urban species of wintering birds.

Interesting historical fact associated with them. Since these birds feed on grains, posing a serious threat to grain growers. Because of this, the PRC began to fight against “field pests.” Ornithologists have found that sparrows cannot fly for more than a quarter of an hour. By preventing sparrows from landing and frightening them, people have killed more than two million birds.

However, they did not take into account that these birds, in addition to grain, destroy harmful insects. Having gotten rid of one enemy, the Koreans made themselves another, more malicious one. So the unlucky fighters had to bring sparrows into the country.

Second interesting fact concerns their structure. Surprisingly, there are twice as many vertebrae in the neck of sparrows as in... a giraffe! But why aren't their necks so long? It turns out that the vertebral fragments of sparrows, unlike giraffes, are flat.

And the third fact will give odds to many representatives of the human race. Sparrows, as it turns out, are monogamous birds. Having once chosen a partner, they remain faithful to him all their lives. In a sparrow family, a couple can get another “spouse” or “wife” only if the previous one dies.

Crossbills

This representative of the finch family of the passerine order stands out among all the others. Talking about what birds winter in Russia, and mentioning crossbills, it should be noted that they even breed and feed their offspring in thirty-degree cold!

And at the same time, these small birds are called “singing in the snow.” True, crossbills can nest not only in winter, but also in summer. In order for the female to sit on the eggs, all that is important is the fact that there is sufficient food around.

The body of an adult is no more than 20 cm in length, the individual weighs about 50 grams. By the age of three, females have gray-green plumage with yellowish tint, while males are usually red-brown.

Crossbills feed on cone seeds. Birds get food using their curved beak. Based on their feeding preferences, they are divided into spruce crossbill and pine crossbill. They are also classified according to external characteristics.

It is impossible to find crossbills in populated areas. This is an absolutely forest dweller.

Female crossbills are also not as bright as males

Nuthatches

The second name for this small bird is coachman. It belongs to the nuthatch family, widely found in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests of central Russia and Siberia. The nuthatch also nests in parks and gardens of populated areas. Therefore, nuthatches can be classified as both forest and urban types of birds wintering in Russia.

The birds were named nuthatches for their amazing ability to climb tree trunks, clinging tightly with their claws. Moreover, these birds often move in a vertical direction with their heads down.

The nuthatch is called the driver for its ability to make sounds similar to the clicking of its tongue. Similar sounds are produced when a person controls a horse. But these are not their only “songs”. The nuthatch's repertoire is much wider. This noisy bird sings especially actively during nesting: in late winter and early autumn.

They breed their offspring in hollows, occupying old woodpecker dwellings for this, or they find natural hollows that have not yet been occupied by anyone - they themselves are not able to hollow out an “apartment” for themselves. Nuthatches do not disdain artificial nests.

The coachman feeds on both plant and animal foods. A caring bird constantly makes supplies for a “rainy day”, hiding excess food in tree crevices and disguising the “cache” with lichen or bark.

The bird got its name for its ability to deftly climb trees, even upside down.

Siskins

And also what birds stay for the winter in central Russia? Of course, siskins! This is another representative of the finch family of the passerine order. This is a resident of coniferous forests. The siskin feeds on insects and seeds, depending on the season.

Pairs are created only for the period of nesting. With the onset of autumn at the end of September, siskins gather in flocks and migrate to places where there are ice-free reservoirs. Therefore, siskins are classified as birds that partially winter in Russia.

A well-known song is dedicated to the little siskin. After all, this small bird is distinguished by its gullibility and sociability. She easily falls into all sorts of traps, quickly gets used to captivity, becomes completely tame and even produces offspring in captivity. She feeds in a cage on canary seed, rapeseed, and flax seeds.

With enough patience, a person can teach a pet siskin a variety of tricks and tricks. Therefore, at bird markets, this bird is constantly a success among those who want to get a feathered pet.

Yellow-headed kinglets

This is another songbird from coniferous forests that does not migrate with the onset of winter and, like the nuthatch, can move up the trunk upside down. The bird has a crest on its head, for which it got its name. And they would have dubbed him a king, but the bird was not the right size. This seven-gram forest singer is slightly larger than a dragonfly. Yes, he is a master at hiding from prying eyes.

The kinglet is difficult to see among the foliage, but can be easily heard. It is difficult to confuse the wonderful song of the forest soloist with others, his trills and modulations are so individual. Moreover, unlike other birds that “voice” the nesting period, the wren sings at any time of the year.

Listen to the singing of the yellow-headed wren

The bird's nest is built in the form of a flattened ball of blades of grass, fluff, moss, and lichen, holding everything together with cobwebs. Then the future parents hang their house higher in the dense foliage of the tree. The inside of the nest is quite crowded; the chicks sit huddled close to each other.

Getting a kingling as a pet is a difficult matter. He is very careful in the wild, but in captivity he is picky about his contents. Often, once in the cage, the wren refuses food and dies from hunger.

The bird is small in size, so it is difficult to notice in the forest, but it is easy to hear

Waxwings

This beautiful small bird from the passerine family, measuring about 20 cm and weighing 60 g, can be found in winter Russian forests. There is a crest on the bird's head, the eyes, wings, crop and tail are outlined in black. In addition, red spots are visible on the wings, and there is a yellow line on the tail.

The bird got its name from its iridescent trills, which resemble the sounds: “Sviri-ri-ri-ri.” Anyone who has heard the singing of a waxwing will never confuse it with any other bird.

Waxwings are common in the taiga forests of the northern hemisphere. During wintering they do not sit in one place. They are called nomadic because they are constantly in search of food.

Kedrovki

The second name for this bird of the corvid family is nutcracker. It is slightly smaller than the jackdaw, but has a long beak. He helps the nutcracker get nuts from the cones. Hiding food in the sublingual pouch, the bird carries it to its nest.

One individual can carry up to 100 nuts at a time. And the rest, which the nutcracker noticed, but could not fit into its sublingual pouch, the bird hides in an area of ​​2-4 km in the winter in snowdrifts, and at other times of the year directly in the ground.

An interesting fact is that in the city of Tomsk there is a monument to the Nut Bird. After all, thanks to her thriftiness, she helps coniferous forests grow. Not all nuts buried in the ground are found, which means that some of the supplies will germinate in the spring.

Goldfinches

The name of this bird from the finch family is consonant with the word “finch”. This is justified, because such a handsome man still needs to be found. The white cheeks contrast beautifully with the black crown of the head. The dapper bird's image is completed by a scarlet mask around its long conical beak.

Goldfinches are not distinguished by their large size, since they grow only up to 17 cm. Their weight does not exceed 20 g. However, the fame of fighters is firmly entrenched in the birds. Brave birds are ready to fight tooth and nail for their territory.

These birds belong to the field species. Food for goldfinches is the seeds of weeds, in particular thistles, burdocks, burdocks, black dropsy and some shrubs. They do not disdain the seeds of cones. With the onset of winter, birds look for food on plants sticking out among the snow.

The goldfinch is a lover of singing. His repertoire includes up to 20 types of different trills. This is why they love to keep him in homes as a pet.

And a goldfinch in a cage, when properly kept, pleases its owners with cheerful songs. all year round. Goldfinches can live up to 20 years in captivity!

Moskovki

The second name of this small bird is the black tit. In appearance it is extremely similar to the common tit, but smaller in size. And her chest is gray.

Due to the black mask around the beak, which turns into a cap, the bird was originally called “masked”. But later they renamed it into a word more convenient for Russian people, which seemed to go back to the main city of the country - Moscow.

Muscovites live in coniferous forests. But with the onset of cold weather, it can be found near feeders in gardens and parks.

The original name of the bird was masked due to its mask-like plumage

tits

This small bird is surprising in that it can destroy almost half a thousand insect larvae and caterpillars in a day. Because of such gluttony, she became the main protector of fields and vegetable gardens. People noticed this and began to protect the tits. In the 17th century, there was even a royal decree according to which anyone who killed a titmouse faced severe punishment.

With the onset of cold weather, tits move closer to human habitation, where they eat up the remains of human food or feast on leftover food in “canteens” specially designed for birds. Schoolchildren are happy to prepare feeders for them.

It's interesting that in modern Russia tits also received special attention. November 12th is Sinichkin Day in the country. In some places (unfortunately, not everywhere yet) the authorities even organize public festivities on this occasion.

jays

This bird belongs to the family of corvids in the passerine order. It reaches a length of 34 cm, and its weight is almost 180 g. The name of the bird goes back to the verb “to shine”, because jays are very beautiful. Her plumage is reddish-brown, her wings are spotted with white and blue, and she has a small crest on her head.

The jay's food consists of sunflower seeds, spruce, cereals, and acorns. The bird not only eats oak seeds, but also prepares supplies for itself by burying them in the ground. Thus, it contributes to the spread of oak trees in the area.

The jay is omnivorous. In addition to plant foods, its diet also includes animals: carrion, small rodents, chicks of other birds, eggs. And this is in addition to insects and their larvae. There are cases where a jay attacked adult birds, killed them and ate them.

The feathered one is extremely careful. It is difficult to catch her and even just to see her, she hides so cleverly among the trees. But you can hear it. Although there is a difficulty here: the jay rarely sings its own songs, more often it imitates other people’s voices: a nightingale’s trill, the croaking of a crow, barking dogs and even the creaking of a door.

Shchury

The taiga forests are home to beautiful small birds of the finch family - the shura. Their sizes coincide with the sizes of starlings. Behind bright color(crimson breasts and backs, gray belly, dark brown wings and tail, white stripes on the shoulders) they are called Finnish roosters or Finnish parrots.

True, female gar have very modest plumage colors: instead of crimson, their predominant color is dirty yellow. Shchers have beautifully cut tails. Sometimes the shura is confused with the bullfinch - both are red-breasted and love to feast on rowan berries.

It’s interesting that pike-mouths simply love to swim; it doesn’t matter to them what time of year it is. Even in winter, these amazing birds find ice-free bodies of water and have fun splashing around in them. In captivity, these birds get along well, but reproduce offspring extremely rarely.

Woodpeckers

This representative of the woodpecker family usually lives in forests. But it can often be found in rural areas near populated areas. They are also not rare guests in city gardens and parks, and in cemeteries.

They are known for using their hard beak to hollow out holes in trees, extracting a variety of insect pests from under the bark. In this way they provide an invaluable service to plants. And other birds and animals benefit from this activity: for the majority, there remain convenient places for living and breeding.

In autumn and winter, the woodpecker switches to plant foods. It finds and eats coniferous seeds, nuts, and stone fruits.

The woodpecker reaches 27 cm in length. Its weight can be up to 100 g. The plumage of the woodpecker is black and white with pink or red undertail. The bird's head is decorated with a bright red cap.

The bird flies beautifully. But more often she can be seen climbing a tree trunk. The woodpecker is a noisy bird. The sounds it makes cannot be called a song. Rather, the vocal performance of an excited woodpecker sounds like a chirping sound.

Listen to the woodpecker's knock

Pigeons

These birds symbolize peace and harmony among people. Probably, this was the custom because of their loyalty to their mates and their native place. Like swans, doves do not cheat on each other, remaining faithful throughout their lives.

People began to use this feature of always returning to the place where they were born in order to send messages over considerable distances. Carrier pigeons have been around for quite some time. Until now, ornithologists cannot come to one answer to the question of how they find their way back: by the stars or thanks to magnetic fields.

Pigeons are omnivores. Most often they live in cities, finding food in garbage dumps or feeders. People love this bird and feed it at any time of the year. Many people breed pigeons, creating special breeds. There are even exhibitions of this beautiful bird, where the brightest representatives of the breeds are given medals and prizes.

Pigeons are habitual inhabitants of winter

Magpies

The nickname “thief” has firmly stuck to the magpie. Her craving for everything shiny and bright is truly omnipotent. People often found expensive gold jewelry, watches, and silver cutlery in their nests along with metal lids and beads. How the birds managed to steal this from their owners is a secret known only to themselves.

- birds are the smartest. Ornithologists have proven that she is smarter than other birds, since only white-sided birds are able to recognize themselves in the mirror. They do not see another bird in the reflection, attacking or frightening it, and do not worry.

If a magpie grows up with a person, then it recognizes its owner not only by his voice, but also by his gait and figure. These are faithful birds: they bring their trophies (sometimes stolen) to their owners and share food. Many funny stories about this are told by those who had to deal with “gifts” from a feathered pet.

Magpies in captivity live long, are easily tamed, and can be trained. Their behavior is sometimes puzzling. In his free time, for example, a well-fed bird can amuse itself by riding along the roof slope on a metal can lid. Moreover, having rolled down, the magpie picks up its “sled” with its beak and drags it up, just like kids do on a hill.

There are legends that Metropolitan Alexei in the 19th century suspected a human element in these birds. He decided that magpies were witches in the form of birds. Therefore, the magpies were forbidden to approach Moscow.

Some representatives of this species are able to imitate sounds made by humans. Although this does not happen often.

Crows

A large bird of the corvid family often lives in cities and villages. She is an omnivore, feeding on waste from the human table. Garbage dumps are their favorite habitat. In villages, crows steal chickens, goslings, ducklings, and eggs from villagers, thereby causing harm. There are known cases when kittens and puppies fell into their claws.

Like magpies, crows are extremely intelligent. Their intelligence has been compared to the development of a five-year-old child. People, noticing the loyalty of crows, sometimes use it to their advantage. If you put crow eggs in an incubator where chickens are hatched and then raise the offspring, you won't find a better yard keeper.

Crows will not allow any creature into the territory; they will bravely defend the living creatures of their owner. But this won’t stop them from enjoying chickens from someone else’s backyard.

The crow is called the Russian parrot. Adopting human speech and copying the sounds of other pets is not difficult for them. In captivity, crows live for more than 20 years.

Eagle owls

This bird wintering in Russia is listed in the Red Book. She easily endures Russian winters, feeding on small animals: martens, hares, mice, squirrels, rats. The predator swallows small food whole.

Sometimes eagle owls hunt quite large animals: roe deer, wild boar. Then they tear the victim into pieces that can fit down the throat. They hunt at night and prefer to sleep during the daytime.

Owls

Like the eagle owl, the owl is a nocturnal predator. Having lush, loose plumage, it easily tolerates frost. Fast, silent flight and sharp vision help it find its prey. In the weakest light, the bird sees the prey located 300 m from it.

The bird is large, up to 70 centimeters in length. The bird gains 3 kilograms of mass.

Wintering birds also include black grouse, hazel grouse, and partridges. They warm themselves by burying themselves in snowdrifts. Under the snow, the birds look for food - last year's grains and herbs.

In severe frosts, birds try to avoid flying. The body area increasing when the wings are open leads to greater heat loss. The bird risks freezing instead of catching prey or getting to places with better weather.

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

All scientists existing species The birds were divided into two groups. One included migrants, and the other wintered. All birds are warm-blooded, that is, their average body temperature is about 41 degrees.

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

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

What birds fly away in autumn?

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

In addition, some bird species, both wintering and migratory, leave their habitats depending on weather conditions. In cases where the year turned out to be fruitful, and there was little snow, bullfinch, redpoll, waxwing, and butternut may remain for the winter. But if the feeding situation is unfavorable, they begin to join the birds that are about to fly south.

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

Complete list of migratory birds

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

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

Why do birds travel?

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

What birds are migratory?

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

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

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

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

Many birds have become the harbingers of spring. And this is not without reason.

In winter, everything calms down, nature freezes, and the chirping of birds is almost inaudible. But in the spring the world is filled with sound again. This migratory birds are back.

Sounds great, right? But in May-June I have difficulty falling asleep, the birds are singing so loudly under my window. The earliest are blackbirds. Three o'clock in the morning - they are already crackling.

In general, migratory birds are happy with their return, of course, but waking up with the first roosters and blackbirds is not very pleasant.

But I’ll come back a little closer to the topic.

Why do birds fly away

Not at all because of wanderlust.

One of the main factors is cold. Not every bird can survive thirty-degree frosts.

But winter is not only frost, it is also a sharp reduction in food resources. In this sense, omnivorous birds and “city dweller” birds have the least worries.

Typical non-migratory inhabitants of the city:

• hoodie;
• house sparrow;
• rock dove.

Such species of animals that constantly coexist with humans are called synanthropic.

For waterfowl the presence of open water is critical. Ducks are migratory birds, but in the presence of non-freezing reservoirs they winter well, which can be regularly observed in Moscow.

And this is not the only example where birds of the same species behave differently. Play a big role climatic conditions region and availability of food supply

Which birds are called migratory and which are not?

There are birds that move quite actively throughout the year, but migratory, strictly speaking, they are not.

Birds are:

• migratory;
• nomadic;
• sedentary.

Migratory birds are characterized by annual seasonal migrations(flights).

But even resident birds They can appear and disappear like swallows.

In winter you can often see in cities handsome bullfinches, which suddenly “disappear” somewhere in the summer. Are they migratory? No.

You can see them even in summer in forests And large parks. They simply do not need to visit the city in search of food, since there is enough of it, and they are less visible among the leaves than on bare branches in winter.

Birds can also fly away from their homes if they are no longer suitable for life. Migratory This doesn't make them any better. The reasons for such a change of residence may include Forest fires, active human activity in a given territory, etc.

Ruppel's griffon vulture flies at 11,300 meters. This is the highest flying bird. However, Ruppel's vulture, named after the German zoologist, is not migratory. The feathered creature lives, although in the north of the continent, in Africa. There is no need to “run” from the cold.

It is from them that all migratory birds hide. Some of them are afraid of the frost itself. Others cannot feed themselves in the absence of insects. Among migratory birds, by the way, there are also record holders for flight altitude. Some flocks cannot be seen from the ground.

Gray crane

Most part of time migratory birds They stay at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters. Periodically, cranes land and rest. Among flying birds, gray birds are the second in size and weight.

The first place is shared by the swan, condor, and albatross. Each of the trio gains a mass of about 15 kilos. The weight of the gray crane is approaching 13 kilograms.

The Himalayas stand on the migration route of gray cranes. They cannot be jumped over at an altitude of 1500 meters. Here the cranes climb 10.5 kilometers. The gray crane is listed in the International Red Book.

The population size has been “decimated” by intense economic activity of people. Birds are dying from pesticides and also not finding places to nest, because the swamps beloved by cranes are being drained.

mountain goose

Gains almost 9 km altitude. This is how a bird jumps over Mount Everest. The air above him is thin. Therefore, the bar-headed goose has voluminous lungs. They are 2 times larger than those of other geese. Externally, the mountain goose differs from its relatives in two black stripes running from the eyes to the back of the head.

The head itself is white. There are brownish feathers on the neck and chest. The body of the bird is predominantly gray. There are about 15 thousand mountain geese in the world. Therefore, the species was given conservation status.

Whooper swan

Among swans, he is the most numerous and one of the largest. The bird weighs 13 kilograms. At the same time, the swan rises to 8300 meters into the sky. Snow-white whooper swan. The tundra swan is also completely white, but it is smaller. There are also completely black birds with a black neck,

Not all whoopers fly south in winter. Birds remain if there is enough food and it is relatively warm. Accordingly, swans that settle near the thermal power plant often lead a sedentary lifestyle. There are bodies of water there that remain warm all year round.

Mallard

This duck prefers to winter in Spain. Some mallards, like mucking swans, lead a sedentary lifestyle if conditions permit. In cities on rivers blocked by hydroelectric power stations, ducks are fed, and in warm water there are plenty of fish, crustaceans, and algae.

In flight, the mallard rises to 6.5 thousand meters. A flexible neck helps in flight. It has 25 vertebrae. A giraffe has 2 times less.

Godwit

During flights, he reaches an altitude of 6.1 kilometers. The Godwit travels 11 thousand kilometers without landing. This is the path over the Pacific Ocean. The godwit weighs about 300 grams. With a low mass and typical fat burning during movement, the bird should not fly 11 thousand kilometers without landing.

This is inevitable death. The Godwit bypasses it, emptying its intestines before flying. During it, the digestive organs atrophy. The advantage is economical energy consumption. During an hour of flight, the bird loses only 0.40% of its body weight. Most small birds take 1.5-2%.

The aerodynamics of its body contribute to its even longer flight. When scientists studied the flight duration of birds, a couple of females were implanted with transmitters, and the males were simply attached to their bodies. The males died during the flight. The transmitters reduced the aerodynamics of godwits in flight.

White stork

Migratory bird routes extend between Europe, Asia and Africa. The birds spend the winter in the latter. In flight, the stork rises 4.9 thousand kilometers. Birds move in flocks. Each contains about 1 thousand individuals. In addition to the white stork, there are 6 more species. Not all are migratory. The marabou stork, for example, is sedentary.

song thrush

It does not differ in flight altitude, but it develops a respectable speed - up to 24 meters per second. The song thrush is a passerine and therefore small. The bird's body length does not exceed 28 centimeters. The weight is approximately 50 grams.

Externally, the song thrush is distinguished by its gray plumage, rounded wing edges, rectangular host, short legs and beak. The feathered eyes are also set on the sides of the head. Therefore, in search of food, the thrush tilts it not forward, but to the side.

Robin

Migratory birds are flying at a kilometer altitude in splendid isolation. Robins do not migrate in flocks. However, birds also stay solitary on the ground. The robin is smaller than a sparrow and belongs to the thrush family. The bird is distinguished by its anthracite-black eyes and beak. Olive-gray plumage. The breast and front part are reddish-red.

Robins are found in cities because they are not afraid of people. However, birds are poorly tamed. Therefore, you won’t find melodiously singing robins, related to nightingales, on sale.

Oriole

It makes flights at an altitude of about a kilometer. In an hour, the oriole covers 40-45 kilometers. In addition to speed, flight is distinguished by the wave-like nature of its movement. The oriole is slightly larger in size than the starling. However, the bird is noticeable from a distance because it is brightly colored.

There are fully and partially yellow varieties of willow. The color is golden, rich. Migratory birds in autumn travel from Europe to Africa. There the birds stop at the southern tip of the Sahara.

forest pipit

This 15-centimeter bird is not found only at the poles. In warm areas, pipits lead a sedentary lifestyle. The other population is migratory. There are about 40 species of skates in nature.

The differences between them are slight. Sometimes even ornithologists get confused in identifying a bird. The differences between the sexes of skates are also blurred. Each species has a distinct way of singing. It is used to identify skates. But they rarely sing when ordered.

Lark

Group of migratory birds stays at an altitude of 1900 meters. The flight is fast. Body structure helps. The lark's tail is short, and the wings are large and sweeping for a 70-gram bird. The lark's plumage imitates the color of the soil. In chernozem areas the birds are dark, and in clayey areas they are reddish.

This allows them to camouflage themselves while searching for food on the ground. Larks are among the first to return from warmer climes, heralding the arrival of spring. In warm winters, birds arrive by the end of February.

Lapwing

It flies low, but is distinguished by its maneuverability. Therefore, lapwings are rarely shot by hunters. Birds deviate from the shot. There are more than 20 species of lapwings. They belong to the plovers family. Among their relatives, lapwings are the largest.

In Russia, for example, the lapwing, about 30 centimeters long, nests. The bird weighs 250-330 grams. Most lapwings have crests on their heads. The exception is the soldier's look. Its representatives are also the largest, weighing 450 grams.

Martin

Swallow is another answer to the question, what birds are migratory. The flocks move south at an altitude of about 4 thousand meters. However, swallows do not differ in speed; they cover no more than 10 kilometers in an hour. Swallows are birds of the passerine order. The name of the bird comes from the common Slavic “fin”. The verb denoted flights back and forth.

There are 4 types of swallows. The black plumage of the tree has a purple tint. The ground swallow is brown-gray with a white belly, breast, and fragments on the neck and head.

Village birds are distinguished by their blue-black backs and wings. The abdomen is pinkish. Representatives of the urban species are similar to the village ones, but with a whitish chest.

Wood Accentor

This is a passerine bird, weighs 25 grams, and is inconspicuous in appearance. Accentor is mistaken for warbler, tree pipit, warbler, lark and the same sparrow. Usually only ornithologists can accurately identify the species.

Accentor may refuse to fly when living in warm and temperate regions. Birds of the species have adapted to replacing a summer diet of insects with a winter diet of plant debris, berries, and nuts. A shortage of plant foods in winter is observed only in the northern regions. From there the Accentors fly south.

Black swift

He is not only migratory, but also the most flyer; he may not sit on the ground for 4 years. Wings that are disproportionate to the body help. Their span is 40 centimeters. The body length of the black swift does not exceed 18 centimeters.

Fifty-gram swifts differ not only in their wingspan, but also in their life expectancy. Little ones often pass away in their 30s. For miniature birds, this is almost the limit of longevity.

Wren

It is one of the smallest birds on the planet. The wren competes with hummingbirds and kinglets for the palm. The wren does not exceed 12 centimeters in length and weighs about 10 grams. Externally, the bird is dense, round, with a short neck.

There are several types of wrens. In warm regions, birds live year-round. However, sometimes it’s not the weather that gets in the way of life. This is how the New Zealand wren disappeared. There were no land predators in the territories he occupied, in particular Stevens Island.

The lighthouse was rebuilt. A caretaker was appointed there. The man brought with him a cat named Tibbles. The cat single-handedly wiped out the New Zealand wren population. Now this view can only be seen in photographs and paintings.

Reed Bunting

Otherwise called reed. The sixteen-centimeter birds with a brownish-variegated coloration can easily hide among the reeds. Reed bunting weighs about 15 grams. Long flights with such a mass are difficult. Therefore, if the weather permits, buntings lead a sedentary lifestyle.

When winter forces them, birds migrate, that is, they move within one region or country. Only a third of buntings are migratory in the classical sense, traveling to other states, to other continents.

Klintukh

This is a wild pigeon. He has a dark lower back. This distinguishes the clintukh from brown and rock pigeons. They prefer to live in flat areas. Clintukhi are more often found in mountainous areas, far from people.

During flights, clownfishes stay in flocks, often but powerfully flap their wings, and move at a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour.

Finch

Not all migratory birds are preparing for a long journey. Part of the finches population is sedentary. In particular, birds live year-round in the foothills of the Caucasus. If finches fly away for the winter, they go not to Africa, but to Europe. There, birds are attracted to the Mediterranean region.

The finch is a finch and is the same size as a sparrow. The color of the head and neck of the bird is blue-blue. The finch's forehead and tail are black. The chest, throat and cheeks are red-burgundy. Before flying south, finches molt. The colors become faded. In winter, finches are rather brown.

Tiemaker

Refers to plovers. This is the genus. The same family belongs to the Ringed Plover. Among them, the bird stands out with a black stripe on its neck. The mark resembles a tie. The forehead, throat, breast, underwings and belly of the ruffed one are white.

The rest of the plumage is brownish-smoky. The beak and paws of the ruffed lizard are yellow, but become dull as they fly away to warmer regions. The colors of the feathers are also fading. The cheeks, in particular, become brown, and the back darkens.

Fieldfare

This is a large representative of thrushes. The bird has a gray head and rump. The back of the bird is brown. The tail of the fieldfare is black. In flight, the fieldfare has visible white armpits. Birds demonstrate them when moving to northern Africa and Asia Minor for the winter.

Redstart

The fifteen-centimeter passerine bird has many subspecies. In Russia there are 3: Siberian, nigella and garden. The latter loves deciduous trees with hollows. The Siberian redstart, on the contrary, prefers to settle in coniferous forests. Chernushka gravitates towards mountain landscapes.

The bird is called a redstart because it has an orange-red tail. The belly, chest and sides are colored to match it, and the upper body is gray with brown and white splashes. In autumn, redstarts flock to Africa and the Arabian Islands. There birds find insects - their feeding base.

Nightingale

The bird is uniformly brown, the size of a sparrow. Melodic singing adds beauty. It is impossible to hear it in winter - the nightingales fly south. Nightingales arrive at the moment the first leaves bloom.

The birds accompany him with trills day and night. As the sun sets, the sounds of the forest fade away for the most part. Therefore, the nightingale’s singing can be heard especially clearly.

Warbler

The warbler is smaller than a sparrow. The body length of the bird does not exceed 13 centimeters. The wingspan is 17 centimeters. The feathers of the bird are brownish-sandy, with an olive tint in places. The warbler is also distinguished by a thin, shield-shaped beak. It is black, like the feathered paws.

Wryneck

Belongs to woodpeckers. Most of them gouge holes in trees for nesting. The whirligig uses the hollows of its relatives. The whirligig has a long and flexible neck. She is constantly spinning.

Hence the name of the bird. She twists her neck, looking for insects and defending herself. Enemies confuse the bird with a snake. To make it even more convincing, the whirligig has learned to hiss.

Coot

Coots - black migratory birds. They are from the rail family and lead a waterfowl lifestyle. There is a leathery growth above the coot's beak. He is featherless. It turns out that the bird has a bald forehead. Hence the name of the species.

The leathery growth of young coots is red. In adult birds, the formation turns white. The iris of the eyes remains scarlet.

The length of the coot is about 40 centimeters. The bird weighs 0.5 kilograms. Sometimes one and a half kilogram specimens are found. The coot goes to warmer climes after the first frost. The “impetus” for flight is ice on water bodies. This makes it difficult to catch fish and eat algae.

Tern

She has a bright orange beak and legs. The tern has a black cap on its head. Below it is white plumage, turning gray to the tail. The length of the tern is about 30 centimeters. The bird weighs on average 130 grams.

The tern settles in inland waters. Birds move 100 miles away from the coastline. This is approximately 182 kilometers.

Cuckoo

It is also migratory. Therefore, you can turn to the cuckoo with a certain question only in the warm season. Then the birds go to Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia, Indochina, and Ceylon.

The cuckoo's flight altitude varies between night and day. During daylight hours, birds are several hundred meters above the ground. It's easier to find food here. At night, cuckoos fly at a kilometer altitude.

Cuckoos hardly make any stops along the way. The final destination is selected depending on the place of summer stay. So, from Europe, cuckoos prefer to migrate to Africa. The birds of the eastern regions fly to Asia.

The first of the migratory birds to leave their homes are insectivores. Then those that feed on fresh herbs, seeds, and fruits fly away. Waterfowl are the last to set off. The size pattern also works. Large birds remain in nesting areas longer. Small birds fly south with the first days of autumn.

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