Black Slav - description, habitat, interesting facts

By black-eyed wimp is meant a small-sized bird, which is practically no different from itself. Its characteristic is perhaps the gray tint of feathering and the presence of a peculiar black cap on the head. There are individuals in African and Asian countries, inhabit squares and city parks. However, some craftsmen even keep these birds in the cages of the house. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, we will study everything in detail.

Description

1. Individuals of the male sex are partially different from females and young animals. Grown up males can boast of a darkened olive top, a gray light bottom and a whitish neck. The upper part of the wings in tone coincides with the back.
2. On the head is a kind of black cap, it comes to the sockets. The irises are brownish, almost black.Beak pigmented gray, legs of the same color.
3. In the autumn, young males are replaced by plumage, becoming similar to grown up individuals. In the area of ​​the caps they look through the feathers of black tone.
4. If you compare the young and females, then in their color, they partially coincide with the males. However, the lower part of the body is not grayish, but beige. Also the top is tinged with brown. The area under the tail is white, the throat is the same.
5. A distinctive feature of the birds discussed above from the males is a cap of reddish hue. In terms of its format, it is the same as that of the males. Only the color varies.
6. Young animals are slightly dirty in color, the shade is not yet fully formed, the birds need time and the onset of molting. The cap of the young brown with brown.
7. When in the autumn season the birds of two sexes change their plumage, they look olive and dark. The abdominal zone is yellowish in the center, and the back is dirty green.

Habitat

1. The represented individuals are more common in African, European and Asian countries.As for the nature of the stay, these birds are migratory. In autumn, before the frosts, they are collected in flocks and sent to the southern regions.
2. When the cold weather passes, Slavs arrive at their former place and start building houses for the future offspring. It occurs in the middle or the end of spring, which is rather late. However, during the summer period the birds give birth to twice.
3. Then go to the wintering grounds, it happens around October. Wait out the cold time on the Mediterranean coast. British Slavs do not leave their seats, dwelling there year-round.
4. In the winter season, family members are met in park areas, gardens, and public gardens. They also love to live in the forest, but are increasingly found alongside human activity.
5. They prefer to build dwellings for posterity at a small height, about 1.5 meters from the ground. For this purpose, choose larch or coniferous stripes. Recently, nests built on shrubs have become increasingly common.

Nutrition

1. These birds are quite picky in terms of drawing up a diet, trying to feast on what is in a particular area. Thanks to the thin beak, individuals harvest insects and pick berries.
2. The basis of the summer diet includes weevils, flies, caterpillars, leaf beetles and other residents of deciduous trees. For hunting birds choose dense thickets.
3. Representatives of the breed group quite savvy. They live on earth, touch and move away foliage in the hope of finding food under it. In autumn, the diet is supplemented with berries and fruit residues.

Lifestyle

1. Often, the representatives in question prefer to dwell in mixed and deciduous forests. Also, their habitat can serve as a place where well-developed high shrubs and all kinds of marginal vegetation. In most cases, these are gardens and parks.
2. Presented birds try to keep mostly under the forest canopy. They also live in treetops and bushes. The nest is a small cup. In which the bottom and walls are visible. Often birds build homes near the ground.
3. Like most of this species, males in the mating season try to build several grounds for nests at once. Only after the formation of a pair, adult individuals are taken to finish building one of the dwellings. At a time in a clutch there can be no more than 6 eggs.
4. For 2 weeks, both parents take turns in vidating future offspring. Nestlings are born completely naked, lacking fluff. After that, the adults also begin to feed the young. After just half a month, the chicks are already leaving the nest.
5. The basis of the diet of the individuals in question in most cases includes various insects. At the same time, at the end of the summer and autumn, the birds try to eat more plant food. Birds love to feast on soft berries.

Interesting Facts

1. A surprising phenomenon is that the males of the species presented are able to reproduce the sounds of other birds. For example, in the mating season, one can hear that such individuals reproduce similar trills, like those of a black and song thrush, robin, nightingale. A close relative of the birds in question is a mockingbird.
2. A few decades ago, people often kept slaves at home. Thanks to the beautiful and quiet chirping, it was possible to calm down and enjoy the iridescent trill.
3. It is worth noting that Slavs are sent to wintering grounds only at night.They are guided by the position of the Polar Star.

The individuals in question are very interesting and beautiful. They sing beautifully. Outwardly, many types of slaves are very similar to each other. In this case, the singing of different individuals is very different. Such birds are monogamous. After forming a pair, they take care of their future offspring together.

Video: black headed (Sylvia atricapilla)