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Chaffinch is a very attractive looking songbird. It belongs to the family of finch, which has many species of birds. They live in Europe, Asia. They can be found even in northern Africa.
general description
The name of the bird gave the people. So it is called almost everywhere. The female is sometimes referred to as a finch. In some areas, the bird is also called the Yurok or the iron pot.
The adult bird is small in size, like all passerines. The body length of a bird can reach a little more than 14 cm. The average wingspan of them is 25-28 cm. The bird's weight is from 20 to 40 g.
- They have an elongated and sharp beak.
- Tail with a pronounced recess.
- Their plumage is dense and rather soft. The color is bright.
- In males, the head and neck are bluish with a gray tinge. Their forehead is painted black. On the back of the plumage brownish.In the lumbar region, it is yellow-green.
- Interestingly, during the mating period, the beak of the male becomes bluish, and in the other months it is brownish-pink in them.
- Fly wings in birds are colored brown. The lower part of the body is pale brown.
- The females are gray-brown from below, and from above they are painted in brown. Young finches have virtually no sex differences. The plumage changes only with age.
Lifestyle
In the fall, they fly away to spend the winter in warmer areas. It does not happen at the same time either. Fly lasts from the very beginning of autumn to the middle. They fly away, gathering in relatively numerous flocks. They number up to several hundred birds. During the flight, flocks of finches sometimes stop to rest and find food for themselves.At this time, they can be seen in the North Caucasus.
There are many subspecies of finches. They differ in size, color, length of beak, as well as various behavioral features.
The life expectancy of these birds is small. Individuals that live in the wild can live for only a few years. This is due to the fact that in modern conditions they are affected by many unfavorable factors. In captivity, they are able to live much longer. There were cases when the finches lived for 10-12 years. But for this you need to take care of the bird. Although this species is distinguished by its unpretentiousness.
Habitat
This species lives on the territory of Europe, as well as in the western regions of Asia. On the African continent, they live only in the north-western regions. They can be seen in some regions of Norway and Sweden. They also live in the British Isles.
A lot of these birds inhabit almost the entire territory of the CIS. Some birds fly to winter in the Caspian Sea. At that time, they can be seen here on the northeast coast. They also fly to Iceland and even to the Faroe Islands.
Representatives of this species live in various localities. For these little birds it is very important that, where they live, any woody vegetation is present.
Very often they live on the territory of domesticated tree zones. For example, in gardens, groves, on boulevards and in parks. Often these birds can be seen on the forest edges. They live in both deciduous and coniferous forests. They prefer sparse forest zones, as well as island, which are located in the middle of the steppe.
These birds are one of the most numerous among those species that inhabit the territory of Russia. They can often be seen in city parks. They often lodge very close to a person.
Nutrition
In the diet of these birds there are mainly various insects. Studies have been conducted to study the nutrition of finches. Scientists have concluded that they feed not only insects, but also weed seeds, fruits, and berries.
But in the period from April to the fall, animal food still prevails in their diet. Most often they eat small beetles, they are very fond of weevils.Therefore, representatives of this species of birds bring a lot of benefit to man. After all, they destroy very many harmful insects that are pests of agriculture and forestry.
Enemies in nature
Representatives of the species are quite unpretentious to the living conditions of birds. They can live in a variety of conditions and are distinguished by their endurance. But their number today is influenced by various factors. This is the climatic conditions of the area in which they live. In addition, during the nesting period, these birds and their nests are often attacked by other birds and animals. Sometimes a woodpecker attacks the nest. But more often other birds destroy nests - jays, ravens, tawny owls. Among mammals, their enemies are ermines and squirrels.
Breeding and nesting
From the wintering grounds, these birds arrive in flocks, which consist of representatives of the same sex. Males arrive at nesting sites earlier. When the breeding season begins, the males emit peculiar cries. These sounds are somewhat reminiscent of squeaking chicks. They alternate with singing.
During the mating period, males, as a rule, fly from place to place, often singing,as well as constantly fighting among themselves. This current, which is characteristic of many other species of birds, is completely absent in finches. Mating occurs on the ground or on powerful branches.
These birds begin to build a nest only a month after arrival. In many areas where climatic conditions allow, these birds can lay eggs more than once per season.
The nest is constructed by the female. But the male also plays a significant role in this. After all, he finds and brings her all the material. These birds build their nest from various thin twigs, as well as roots and stalks of plants. Constructed, it looks like a ball, whose top is cut off. Finches tend to mask their nest so that it is as little as possible visible to enemies. Indeed, as has already been said, birds of prey and mammals often attack it. To make it as less visible as possible on the tree, finches enclose the outer surface with moss and bark.
The eggs of these birds are usually colored green with a bluish or reddish tinge. They are covered with rather large stains of a pinkish hue. In one clutch there are usually from 4 to 7 eggs.Only female is engaged in incubating. Chicks appear quite quickly. This usually occurs after about 2 weeks.
Both mother and father bring food to the chicks. They find various invertebrates for them. Nestlings eat caterpillars, spiders and larvae of some insects. Caring for the offspring lasts too long. Parents feed their chicks for about 2 weeks. After that, they begin to live independently. And the female begins to prepare for the next laying. For this, she is building a new nest.
Status and population
Areas that are suitable for nesting this bird, is becoming smaller. This leads to the fact that their distribution does not increase, but decreases. In some areas, the view simply disappears.
But, despite these difficulties, the number of the species is very high. In Europe alone, there are about 100 million pairs of finches. In addition, a lot of them also live in Asia. Although finches are a numerous species, their habitats still need to be protected. After all, this small bird brings a lot of benefit to man by destroying pests.
Video: Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
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