Interesting facts about waxwings in winter. Amazing miracle bird waxwing

Waxwings are frequent guests of cities and towns in winter, but they are secretive, so much of their behavior has not been fully studied, including seasonal movements.

It would be more correct to call them conditionally nomadic, because if they fly to other areas for the winter, then over short distances. The desire to fly south for the winter in these birds may not arise if the usual area has a mild winter and a lot of food.

Habitat - North America, northern Europe and Asia, coniferous and mixed forests. In autumn, flocks of waxwings move south, they can be found at this time and in winter in central Russia, in France, Poland, and Italy.

Some flocks reach the Crimea and Turkey. Waxwings living in America live in the southwest of the mainland in summer, fly to Mexico in winter.

Appearance description

The waxwing is a small bird, the body is about 20 cm long, weight 60 g. The color of the feather is gray with a pink tint, on the head this shade is brighter. There is a sharp crest on the back of the head, wings at the ends with black and white patches, under the beak there is a coal- black spot. Females and males of Eurasian waxwings are the same in color.

Silky (American) male waxwing black, with a blue tint, but the female is gray, inconspicuous. They have a long pointed tail and red eyes. Ornithologists are inclined to believe that black waxwings should be considered a separate species.

Nesting and breeding

Waxwings cannot be called strictly monogamous. Breaking up into pairs in the spring, they choose last year's partner, but not always.

The nest is built on a coniferous tree not very high from the ground. Dry grass, twigs, needles - a nest is built from this, the bottom is lined with shreds of wool and moss.

The female lays up to 5 small bluish eggs, does not leave the nest during incubation, the male carries food to her. After a couple of weeks, when the chicks have hatched, both parents fly for food for themselves and the babies. After another 15 days, the chicks become independent.

Nutritional features of waxwings

Eating like small insects, and berries, fruits. The food preferences of waxwings vary depending on age and season. Chicks are fed with insects, catching them right on the fly.

Food is butterflies, dragonflies, mosquitoes, midges. From plant foods in summer, adult waxwings can find mulberry and mistletoe. Closer to autumn, waxwings are happy to peck at apples, wild or those that have not been collected in the gardens.

With the onset of cold weather, when waxwings are already flying over for wintering, they switch to berries: they eat viburnum, mountain ash, lingonberries and cranberries, juniper. If a berry plucked by a bird falls to the ground, then the waxwing will never fly down after it.

The soil under a tree or shrub strewn with berries is a sign that waxwings feasted there.

It is considered a bad omen if a waxwing hysterically beats on a window or door, sometimes it dies. The explanation for this is simple: they also peck at fermented berries, from which they lose their orientation.

These unscrupulous birds are excellent seed distributors. Berries peck greedily and a lot, without damaging the seeds, their stomach does not fully digest so much food. Flying to new places in search of food, waxwings spread seeds over long distances.

Waxwing singing, her enemies in the wild, domestication

The sounds that the waxwing makes are very different: melodic tinkling like a bell, whistling and chirping, screaming in high tones.

The origin of the name of the bird is from the Old Russian "sviristet" (whistling loudly). Another version is from the word "pipe", they often sing like this instrument.

Their main enemies are birds of prey: owls, hawks, crows. Squirrels and martens annoy waxwings, they destroy nests and eat eggs and chicks.

Waxwings are small, very beautiful songbirds common in the northern regions of Eurasia and North America. Representatives of the waxwing family are poorly understood today, so much of their life remains unknown even to biologists. A small family has only 3 species. They usually live in coniferous and birch forests, in Eastern Siberia noted among larch forests. Waxwings do not belong to migratory birds, although in winter they roam in large flocks south of their usual habitats. During this period, they can be seen in the Crimea, in the south of France, in Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Turkey. And also in the Faroe Islands, in Iceland and Greenland.

Waxwings are distinguished by a dense physique with silky and beautiful reddish-brown plumage. On the long wings of the songbird, white and yellow segments stand out clearly, the tail is decorated with yellow canvas. The beak is straight, ending with a tiny tooth at the end. The colorful appearance of the waxwing is completed by a small crest on the head and a red undertail. Females and males are similar in appearance.

In the spring waxwings break into pairs - the nesting period begins. Nests made of dry grass and moss are located mainly on coniferous trees low above the ground. The bottom of the bird tray is lined with needles, wool and moss. Clutch usually contains up to 5 eggs blue color. In June, the female incubates the clutch, and the male provides her with food. After about 2 weeks, chicks appear, which are fed by both parents. After 15 days, the grown cubs become completely independent. Waxwings feed on insects and plant foods. But most of all, this colorful bird loves a variety of berries: mountain ash, viburnum, wild rose, lingonberry, bird cherry, juniper, mulberry.

And now, nice pictures singing bird waxwings.

Video - Winter waxwing singing.

Lunch flutters.

And also singing...

And in this video, a beautiful bird close-up.

If you see a big beautiful bird with black spots on the throat and a perky tuft on the head, then know that this is a waxwing. It is not named so by chance. In the old Russian language, the word "sviristet" means to whistle, shout loudly. And so is this wonderful bird. She sits on a branch, chirps, and then suddenly surprises everyone with a loud whistle. She doesn't do it out of fear. The bird has long been accustomed to people. She allows them to come very close and admire her beauty.

Appearance

The waxwing bird (see photo below) is similar in size to a starling. She has thick fluffy plumage. The head of the waxwing is decorated with a large crest.

The bird has a very bright varied color. She is pinkish grey. But her wings are black. At the same time, they are decorated with white and yellow stripes. Black throat and tail waxwings. The secondaries are bright red at the tips. A yellow stripe runs along the edge of the tail, and a black stripe runs through the eyes.

It is simply impossible to pass by the noisy flocks of bright waxwings. Even constantly hurrying Muscovites pay attention to them. Citizens often call these feathered cockerels, crested tits or parrots.

Habitat

The waxwing bird prefers the taiga zone of Russia. This is the place of its summer habitation and nesting. You can also meet her in the forest-tundra. She prefers mixed forests, clearings and conifers located in the northern zone of the country. Most often, for habitat, birds choose those places where birch, pine and spruce grow.

Waxwings are migratory birds. With the onset of cold weather, they move closer to the south, where the places are warmer. Some flocks reach the Crimea, Central Asia and the Caucasus. However, most prefer middle lane. The waxwing bird, as a rule, appears in the Moscow region in the first half of winter, and sometimes by Christmas.

During migrations, ornithologists have a great opportunity to study these birds. Indeed, in the remote and sparsely populated northern zone, waxwings lead a sedentary and secretive lifestyle.

At home, the waxwing bird eats small fruits and berries, young shoots and buds. They love birds and insects. They got the hang of grabbing midges and mosquitoes, butterflies and dragonflies on the fly. Waxwings also feed on larvae.

With the onset of autumn, the birds leave their inhabited places. It is not so much the cold that drives them out, but the hunger. They fly away in search of places where they can find food. During their migrations, waxwings become vegetarians. They make a stop in those places where there are a lot of berries. During the rest, the birds try to eat enough. They like mountain ash and juniper, viburnum and barberry. They can also eat berries from other shrubs and trees.

The waxwing is a bird with excellent appetite. Gluttonous birds eat quickly and in large quantities. They swallow the berries whole. At the same time, food is consumed in such quantity that their stomachs are not able to digest it. An interesting fact is that their droppings testify to the appearance of waxwings. Birds leave red-orange spots, consisting of half-digested berries with pieces of peel. Such litter soils platforms and steps in front of houses. The seeds that waxwings leave sometimes grow in various places. Feeders prepared by man can also visit these birds. They peck willingly dried berries and seeds.

After a flock spends several weeks in one place, it flies to another. Choice new zone habitat depends on the amount of food. Waxwings appear again in the Moscow region at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring. Here they feed on the remaining berries, as well as already swelling buds of poplars and aspens.

Strange behavior

The waxwing bird is sometimes "drunk". Such strange behavior of birds has been known since ancient times. This phenomenon was observed not only in Russia. Such situations arose in America and in the countries of Scandinavia.

"Drunk" waxwings can be observed not only in the autumn, but also in the spring season. Sometimes "intoxication" provokes the juice of trees. In the spring, its trickles flow down the trunk at the slightest damage to the bark. But more often waxwings get drunk in the fall, if the weather is warm and humid. The juice in the berries that remained on the bushes by the arrival of birds begins to ferment under such conditions. Voracious birds eat everything. They also swallow fermented berries.

The behavior of "drunk" waxwings and changes in their body have been studied by American ornithologists. It turned out that in the case of eating a large number of berries, their fermentation begins already in the esophagus. At the same time, the liver cannot cope with the increased load. Alcohol that has entered the bird's body changes the behavior of birds. A flock of "drunk" waxwings is not a funny sight. Birds do not orient themselves in space. They cannot fly in a straight line, crash into various obstacles, fall, get injured, and sometimes die.

Economic purpose

Waxwings play a significant role in the life of the forest. Birds spread the seeds of berries large area. They fall to the ground along with the litter. Seeds do not lose their germination capacity after passing through the intestines, and germinate under favorable conditions.

With the onset of cold weather, unusually interesting songbirds appear in Russian cities. They have gray-pink plumage and a crest on their heads. These are whistles. The singing of these birds is a trill of repeating sounds. The bird got its name precisely because of the singing, which is somewhat similar to the sounds of a flute.

Waxwing: description and photo

common waxwing – small bird about 20 cm in size. It stands out for its unusual color: gray-pink plumage, black and white wings, black spot on the chin, red spot under the tail, black arrows on the eyes, yellow edging of the tail. hallmark the waxwing is a grey-pink tuft on its head.

A small waxwing family includes only 8 species and three subfamilies. Despite the wide distribution of the bird, it is not fully understood. In his total mass males and females differ little from each other, with the exception of the black waxwing. Males are solid black with long tail and red eyes (see picture below), females are grey.

Waxwings - fearless birds, without caution let a person close to them. In winter, you can often meet a feathered bird on a rowan branch; it is impossible to pass by this spectacle. Waxwings attract passers-by not only with their bright appearance but also loud chirping.

Where does it live and winter

Habitat - coniferous and mixed forests of North America and Eurasia. In Russia, the summer home of birds is the taiga zone in Siberia. They can be found in the forest tundra. Favorite places for waxwings: clearings, conifers, mixed forests. Most often, birds choose places where spruce, pine and birch mainly grow.

Many do not know whether the bird is migratory or not. Definitely migratory birds cannot be named. They are rather nomadic. With the onset of winter, birds move to the more southern regions of the continent in search of berries and fruits. In nomadic time, birds can reach the Crimea, the seaside coast, and the territory of the Caucasus. However, more often waxwings prefer the middle lane. Therefore, at the beginning of winter, they can often be seen in Moscow and the Moscow region.

AT vivo a habitat birds are preyed upon by some predators, such as:

• marten;
• squirrel;
• hawk;
• owl.

The prey of these predators can be not only laid eggs, but also adult birds.

What does it eat

In their native habitat, waxwings feed on:

• tree buds;
• insects (dragonflies, butterflies, mosquitoes);
• fruits and berries of plants.

Birds catch insects on the fly. Birds can eat not only the insects themselves, but also their larvae.

With the onset of winter, birds, moving to more southern regions, begin to eat one plant food. Berries of viburnum, hawthorn, mountain ash, bird cherry, mulberry, barberry make up the entire diet of birds. Most of all, waxwings love white mistletoe berries, which is why locals They called them "Mistletoe".

Birds deftly peck berries, peeling them with their beak. Sometimes they have to hang on a branch upside down. If under berry bushes or trees the peeled peel of fruits is brightly full, this means that waxwings have been here. Birds peck at some berries so quickly that they swallow them whole, and their body simply cannot cope with the digestion of such food. Seeds leave the body undigested, due to which waxwings are excellent carriers of fruit plants.

Eating waxwings very different from other birds. For example, blackbirds drop berries on the ground and then go down in search of them. Waxwings, on the other hand, peck food directly from a branch and almost never descend to the ground.

The gluttony of these birds often leads to sad consequences for themselves. Fermented berries can cause the death of birds. Having eaten too much of such food, besotted waxwings cease to distinguish surrounding objects, cannot fly, fall, crash into barriers and die. Sometimes a bird crashes on a window pane, which is considered a bad omen.

How it breeds

Waxwings start nesting in May or June in their natural habitat. The formed pair follows each other everywhere, and their mating season starts before departure. At such a time waxwings become very cautious and secretive.

The best nesting place for birds: a tall spruce next to a lake in a woodland. Waxwings prefer to build a nest at a height of 10-15 meters in the dense canopy of trees, so that they cannot be seen by the prying eye.

Suitable for nest building everything nearby:

• small branches;
• moss and lichen;
• grass stalks;
• feathers and down;
• needles.

The result is a ball-shaped nest where the female lays her eggs. Violet with dark speckled eggs, the female incubates for about 13 days . During this period, the male takes care of her bringing her food. Parents feed the chicks together. At first, the chicks feed on larvae and insects, then they switch to vegetable food.

For two and a half weeks, the chicks become independent and can fly on a par with adults. Birds become sexually mature by the year of their life. Pairs are formed anew every year. The average lifespan of a waxwing is 10 to 13 years.

nature and animal world Russia has a significant diversity, since on the territory of our country, which has the largest extent in the world, there are several dozen climatic zones. Over vast areas there is a large number of various types of birds, characterized by an unusual appearance and lifestyle. Of considerable interest are birds with an original decoration on their heads - a tuft.

waxwing

One of these types of birds is the waxwing. birdie has a small size(15-18 cm), weighing up to 70 grams, brownish-gray plumage with red spots. Wings, tail, head and neck are black with white and yellow stripes.

Waxwings live in northern regions Siberia (taiga and forest-tundra), with the onset of winter they migrate to more southern regions - cities and towns of the Moscow region, Crimea, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The diet of the birds warm time are predominantly insects, they also use cone seeds or birch buds.

In winter, birds feed on the fruits of viburnum, mountain ash, hawthorn, wild rose, swallowing them whole, not having time to digest. Eating fermented fruits, they often get drunk. Drunk waxwings also appear in the spring after drinking the sap of trees (maple, etc.). Birds like this behave inappropriately, aggressively, often getting injured, as a result of which they die.

Waxwing nests are built from pieces of moss, lichen, dry twigs, grass, and feathers and down are used for bedding. During courtship, the male brings berries to the female. The female usually lays 3 to 7 eggs, gray or purple speckled, which incubates for about 14 days. The chicks become independent and can fly after two weeks, after which they join a flock of birds, consisting of 5 to 30 individuals.

Hoopoe

Another species of birds with a similar decoration is the hoopoe. In size, the bird is almost equal to the waxwing. The hoopoe has a long thin beak up to 4-6 cm. The color is very bright: a reddish back, wings and tail are black with white stripes, a high red crest with a black border, folded in its normal state.

Birds are widespread on the territory of our country - the Central Black Earth region, Siberia, Transbaikalia, and the Far East.

These bird species live on open plain or forest-steppe territory. They can quickly run on the ground, and in case of danger, cling to the ground, spreading their wings and raising their beak up.

The hoopoe can feed on both insects and small reptiles (snakes, etc.). Bird nests are arranged in dense thickets, and it serves as protection from enemies. bad smell, which comes from the droppings left on the nesting sites.

The clutch usually contains 3 to 8 eggs, which are incubated for two weeks. Parents continue to take care of the chicks even after they fly out of the nest.

Remez oatmeal

Some species of birds from the bunting family also have a crest. This is a remez oatmeal, with its appearance it looks like a sparrow. The bird is small in size, about 15 cm and weighs from 16 to 20 years, plumage is reddish-brown with white and red stripes. It has a small crest, unlike a sparrow, which is most pronounced in males and a short, strong beak, with which it easily cleans the grains. Oatmeal, feeding chicks, pre-soaks food in its beak.

bird usually lives in open spaces

• in the swamps
• in the steppe regions with shrubs
• in swampy river valleys

The basis of the oatmeal diet is insects and often cereals, berries.

The nest is arranged on the ground in a recess, occasionally on bushes in the form of a bowl woven from stems and leaves. cereal crops. It is lined with moss, lichen, horse hair or animal hair. Birds lay 4-5 eggs of gray or white color with brownish specks, incubate them for about two weeks.

The habitat of birds in Russia is quite wide - the north of the European part of the country, Siberia and Far East. AT winter period they wander to areas of East Asia.

Jay

One of the representatives of feathered species with a crest is the jay, a fairly small bird about 15 cm tall and weighing 200-250 years. It has a bright tan plumage, bright blue shoulders with black stripes and a long black tail with a white rump.

The bird has long and flexible fingers with sharp curved claws, with which it can quickly move along the tree. Thus, the jay seeks out a variety of insects, and the curved beak allows you to cope with large beetles (May beetles, leafworms) or small rodents, lizards and frogs. In winter, birds can eat acorns, a variety of berries.

Jays live in deciduous forests , areas with shrubs. During the period of incubation, old hollows or secluded places in the branches of trees are often used to build a nest. They have from 5 to 10 greenish, light yellow eggs.

Birds are able to imitate the sounds of animals (dogs, cats, chickens) or any household sounds similar to the creaking of a chain from a well, etc.

Lapwing

In many parts of the country you can find lapwing. This is a fairly conspicuous bird with bright plumage. Unlike other presented species, it is larger. Its length is 28-30 cm, weight reaches 130-330 grams. The plumage of the lapwing has a black and white color, the wings are cast in purple, greenish-blue and yellow hues. The eyes of the bird are large, expressive, long feathers on the head form a crest, the paws have a bright crimson color.

The lapwing lives in open areas with abundant vegetation:

• in wetlands
• in the fields of corn, potatoes
• in wet meadows

The bird feeds on insects and invertebrates.

The nest is built directly on the ground in a depression lined with twigs and grass. The female lays four eggs, the parents take turns incubating them. Chicks appear only after 28 days.

Often feathered endangered during this period.. Since the nesting site can be located directly on the planted field, many birds die during the harvest.

Selected in the photo different kinds birds with a crest on their heads.

Birds with a tuft on their heads