The content of the article
Goldfinch is a very bright and beautiful small bird. They sing very beautifully and melodiously. It is because of these amazing qualities that people often keep this bird at home to enjoy beautiful singing.
The bird is mobile and sociable, quickly becomes attached to people. They belong to the family of finch. In Latin, the species name sounds like Carduelis carduelis. The name of the species goldfinch appeared because the bird has a very bright, dandy color. And the Latin name of the species comes from the word carduus, which in Latin means "thistle". The seeds of this particular plant are the favorite delicacy of the bird.
Description
There are quite a few other birds belonging to the same family that look like a goldfish. For example, greenfinch or tap dance. How to distinguish representatives of this species from other members of the family?
The size of the bird is very small. It has approximately the same dimensions as the sparrow.An adult individual usually weighs only 20 g. The body of the goldfinch is up to 12 cm in length, and the wingspan of these small birds is 21-25 cm. Their constitution is knocked down, and the head has a round shape. The neck of the goldfinch is short. The beak is small, pointed.
The main difference of this bird species from the rest is that there are several bright colors in their coloring. In different parts of the body they have red, yellow, and also contrasting white and black feathers. The Mature Goldfinch has two decorations. His beak is bordered with bright red and has a black cap on his head. In males of this species, the red bezel, located around the beak, is somewhat wider. It is this symptom that allows you to determine the sex of a bird, according to other indicators they will not differ. They have red plumage on the abdomen, brownish on the back. The cheeks are decorated with white plumage. The wings, as well as the tail, have a rich black color. They are stained yellow and white stripes.
Power Features
Nestlings eat small insects. Adults also sometimes eat such food.
Habitat in nature
These birds live in many European and Asian countries, as well as in North Africa. You can meet them in the Caucasus and Siberia. But these birds do not like to migrate. They do this only when absolutely necessary, if winter is too cold. They love to live in a habitable and familiar area.
If there is a severe frost in winter, the inhabitants of northern latitudes can fly over to the south to wait out the cold.
Wherever these birds live, they prefer to live and nest in gardens, parks or in deciduous forests. Here they choose the edge, because they love a large amount of light. The goldfinches choose their nesting sites in such a way that they can find food for themselves nearby. Nearby must grow many different herbs, from which a goldfinch usually collects seeds.
Kinds
There are many subspecies of the goldfinch.The most numerous species are black headed and gray headed. In nature, there is also a thick-billed and Yemeni. Consider a few basic types.
Blackhead
This species is the most common among all. Birds live in Europe, in the west of Asia, as well as in the northern part of the African continent. Since there are more representatives of this species in nature, it is called ordinary. It is with this kind that all the others are compared, considering it to be standard. Their body is downed, small. On the head of the birds there is a characteristic black cap. Plumage in the cheek area is white. Around the beak there is a characteristic red bezel. On the wings of the black-headed goldfinch feathers are painted black and yellow.
Gray-headed
Birds of this species live in Siberia and Asia. Externally from the black-headed goldfinch, it differs in that it has a larger body. The color of these birds is not so bright.
Plumage more gray and brown. The colors are not absolutely white and absolutely red shades. But the main characteristic feature - the red bezel, which is located around the bird's beak, is present.
Sex differences
Externally, the representatives of different sexes are almost the same. But some differences between them can still be seen. The plumage of the female is somewhat paler and lighter. But she sings more melodic and beautiful. Therefore, those who like to listen to the birds singing are advised to acquire females of the goldfinder. Another distinctive feature is the narrower red frame around the beak as compared with males. In males, it is wider and reaches almost to the eyes of the bird.
More differences are observed between individuals that live in different latitudes. Birds living to the north tend to be larger and have a paler color. Southern inhabitants are smaller and painted in brighter colors.
Vote
Females and males sing very beautifully. They chirp both in the wild and at home. You can hear singing at almost any time of the year. They are silent only during the molting period. Singing can be varied. Experts distinguish more than 20 different trills.
Homemade content
These birds are very beautiful, they sing very well. In addition, their character is friendly. It is these qualities that made the bird so popular among thosewho likes to keep birds at home.
To contain a goldfincher, you must prepare a cage. In length, it should be about half a meter. It is important that there are different crossbars in which a goldfinch could sit. It is desirable that the cell was a two-tier. Indeed, in nature, these birds are usually located on a hill. On the ground, they descend only occasionally. In addition, they are very mobile. It is important that the bird in the cage be as comfortable as possible. It can not be located where usually there are drafts. For a goldfinch important a large amount of light. At first, he may behave very restlessly. To get used to it, you need to periodically cover the cage with some light material. The drinking bowl should be big. It is also necessary to put a container with more water in which the bird could swim.
What to feed
You can feed these birds with a mixture of seeds from various plants. Suitable spruce, dandelion, plantain and others. They can be fed with a mixture intended for canaries. When a goldfinch molts, he needs some amount of animal food. Various small insects, worms will be useful to him.In the feed you need to add vegetables, herbs, chalk and coquina. Sometimes they like to eat fruits.
Feed them should be a little, giving food 2 times a day. They love the delicacy of boiled grated carrots mixed with egg. Sometimes they can cook such a mixture.
These birds need to change the water as often as possible.
Interesting Facts
- These birds are tied to man. Sometimes they come back even if the person let go of the goldfinder to freedom.
- With home keeping the bird may well live for about 15 years.
- After the young individuals leave the nest, they do not fly far away for about a week, and the parents bring them food.
- Goldfinches can be planted in a single cell to the canaries. If they bring offspring, the result is a bird with a bright color, which sings even more beautiful.
Breeding
She lays about 5 eggs at a time, sometimes they can be a little smaller or larger. They have a bluish tint. Hatching takes 2 weeks, and parents take care of the offspring for about 20 days. Chicks grow very quickly.
In captivity, they can breed all year round. In the wild, the nesting period begins in early spring.
Video: Goldfinch (Carduelis)
To send