Feathered "polar explorers". Which birds stay for the winter. Which birds fly south in winter: names, photos and a brief description of migratory bird species
Birds are the most mobile creatures living on earth. Due to the presence of wings, they can easily migrate over long distances due to changes in weather conditions or environmental degradation. According to their ability to fly, birds are divided into two large groups:
- wintering:
- sedentary (never leave the inhabited territory);
- nomadic (constantly on the move: moving from place to place, wanting to get food);
- migratory (make constant movements, depending on the time of year).
Migratory birds - acquaintance
These birds seem to live in two houses: they have different wintering and nesting places, they can be located at a considerable distance from each other. Frequent migration goes through several stages, between which the birds take a break to rest. The list of such birds is quite extensive.
Birds begin to leave their permanent habitat at different periods: so, orioles, nightingales, swifts begin to travel at the end of summer, although they are still standing warm days and food for them is a real abundance. And waterfowl (swans, ducks) leave their reservoirs very late, waiting for the first frosts.
Reasons for flying
Feathered - most often thermophilic, their body is different elevated temperature(often it exceeds 40 ° C). However, feathers protect them well from the cold, which is why living in cold conditions harsh winter they certainly can. But for this need more stern. And in the snowy season, getting food is not easy! That is why birds have to leave their nests and fly to distant countries rich in food.
As a rule, the inhabitants of the tundra and taiga are more susceptible to flights, where natural conditions the most severe, and the feed in winter time extremely few. A regularity was also revealed: most often insectivorous and carnivorous birds migrate, less often - granivorous. The reason for this is obvious: you can find grain in winter, but even the sharpest beak will not get insects from under the snow. A large number of migratory and among the inhabitants of the middle zone.
Since there are a lot of them, imagine list of the most well-known representatives feathered world:
- martin;
- lark;
- landrail;
- song thrush;
- wagtail;
- fieldfare;
- lapwing;
- nightingale;
- oriole;
- robin;
- cuckoo;
- finch;
- heron;
- woodcock;
- gray flycatcher.
It is these birds that leave their places closer to autumn in order to return in the spring for breeding.
Buntings are of interest: before they were sedentary and ate in the stables all winter. However, due to the development of urban life and the gradual extinction of the village, there are fewer and fewer stables, so the birds had to switch to a migratory lifestyle. With ducks, the situation is the opposite: in urban waters, thanks to humans, there is now enough food, so they can spend the whole winter there, that is, they become hibernators.
Species of migratory birds
Among the migratory birds, one can distinguish two main types:
Instinctive is usually insectivorous birds that leave their nests in advance, without waiting for the arrival of cold weather. They instinctively feel the approach of autumn, although there are still warm days. To understand that it is time to hit the road, they are allowed to reduce the length of daylight hours.
Weather - most often these are granivorous or birds with mixed type nutrition. They fly away if the weather deteriorates significantly, for a short distance and a short time.
Why are they coming back
There is still no clear answer to the question of what prompts birds to leave warm places rich in food and return, overcoming great distances to the abandoned nests. Scientists have put forward several hypotheses.
Many are interested in the question, is the crossbill migratory? No it's nomadic species, which is evidenced by the following signs:
- he makes movements not related to seasonality, but in search of food,
- migrations do not occur along a certain route, but in a chaotic manner;
- the nesting area directly depends on the amount of food: pine, spruce, larch seeds.
In a similar way, cedar, waxwings, and schury behave in a similar way, therefore they are also nomadic representatives of the feathered world.
Black grouse and crow
Are black grouse a migratory bird or not? Despite the most severe cold and lack of food, this bird remains in its habitat and does not migrate. Special devices help this wintering bird not to die in the cold: they are headlong burrow into the soft snow and bask, since in the resulting well the air from breathing heats up. And for nutrition, the black grouse uses berries and buds previously hidden in the goiter.
And the crows? These birds are wintering. They do not fly, they prefer to live in an urban environment, eat carrion or in garbage dumps, and hunt for ruining other people's nests and hunting for small rodents. Due to their dense plumage and unpretentiousness in food, crows easily survive the winter cold.
Owl
This wise feathered one leads sedentary life without migrating. In cold weather, there is enough food for an owl in the forest, so it can easily cope with the difficulties of wintering. Due to the fact that this predator has tenacious claws, an owl can catch small rodents, which are in its diet most often in cold weather.
The world of migratory birds is very rich and diverse, many of them lead a completely unique way of life. However, sedentary birds are also of interest due to how they manage to adapt to adverse conditions and survive the hungry winter. It remains only to admire the logic and thoughtfulness of nature!
Quite recently, at the beginning of summer, early in the morning, bird polyphony burst through the open window. Here the gray warbler brings out its ornate melody, which has made a cozy nest for itself in the fork of mock orange branches, and right behind the fence on top of a tall spruce sits the recognized Orpheus of the bird world - the blackbird - and sings something under his breath (or rather, under his beak). Like teenagers whose voice mutation has begun, scurrying and squeaking in the bushes are the fledglings of the great tit who have recently left their nest in the old titmouse. It seems like it was only yesterday! And outside the window - snow, twilight in the middle of the day, and in general it is hard to believe that this timelessness can ever end. And suddenly…
"Apples in the Snow"
A handsome bullfinch sits in detail on a branch of a spreading mountain ash. Astrakhan tomato, and more! Perhaps it is he who serves as a standard bird for us, which adds a little optimism to the sad winter picture. The fact that bullfinches visit our gardens (and feeders suspended in them) in winter does not mean at all that we don’t have them in summer. The bullfinch is an absolutely common nesting bird in central Russia. Once you identify for yourself his simple song, you will easily isolate it from the summer bird polyphony. Quite often in mid-May, one can observe a red-breasted handsome man (or his more modestly colored girlfriend) on a branch of a flowering apple tree, where a bullfinch with the most thoughtful look eats away sweet stamens and pistils from a flower. Do not worry, for him this is not the main food, and he will not cause damage to your future harvest. Just pampering, like a lollipop for a child.
Bullfinch. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
It is interesting
It turns out that in winter and summer we see not the same individuals: this became clear from the ringing data. For example, bullfinches fly to St. Petersburg for the winter, which nested somewhere near Arkhangelsk. And from the vicinity of the Northern capital, they, in turn, fly to the "resort" - closer to Moscow. Such not very long migrations are very logical from the point of view of the survival of the species: there is a kind of voyage along the "hospitable" edges. In places of local abundance of food (mainly berries of mountain ash, hawthorn, chokeberry), the birds stop for a while. And, having raised the crop properly, they fly further.
AT last years, when there is almost no real winter, sometimes the whiskered tit (P. biarmicus), a distant relative of both the puff and the pole owl, began to stay for the winter. So far, she keeps on the willow bushes and in the reed thickets around the reservoirs - she has not yet learned to derive undoubted benefits from the neighborhood with a person!
"Merry family"
Among the most notable birds in winter, without a doubt, are tits. We have several types of winters. The great tit (Parus major) is the most common. You can meet her even on Red Square, even in the inner courtyard of the Hermitage. Yellow breast, black tie. Busy and businesslike. This is a regular visitor to bird feeders, the main consumer of seeds and unsalted fat.
Puffy. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
Winter is a difficult time for all living things. And the birds do not spend it from a good life in our latitudes. It would seem much more logical to wait out the snow and frost somewhere in the Mediterranean or the Red Sea. But native species live there, and they do not want to share food at all and living space with aliens.
Her closest relative, one might say, a cousin, is the brown-headed tit, or puff (P. montanus). Like the great tit, it is also very numerous. But in size and strength it is inferior to its “cousin” and in a dispute for the right to be the first to cling to a piece of bacon hanging on a wire, it almost always passes. There is one more similar view tits, which in winter we can see both in the forest and on the feeder. This is a black-headed, or marsh, tit (P. palustris). I would call this view almost virtual for a simple (not sophisticated) bird lover. Well, nothing, absolutely nothing, it differs from the powder! Only stubborn taxonomists find minor differences in plumage paint! Yes, the spring song sounds a little different.
Blue tit. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
Did you know?
Crested tit, or grenadier (P. cristatus) is a small bird with a flirtatious crest. It is interesting that for life it can be content with a very small area. Both the birth and rearing of offspring takes place on just a few hundred square meters! And she makes a nest in an unusual way: hollows it out in the trunk of a rotten alder or birch. Neither give nor take - woodpecker!and the feeder you can see and blue tit. And in the Moscow region, only blue (P. caeruleus). But a little to the north (in the zone of taiga forests and light forests) there is also a white (P. cyanus). Here you have another difference between the two capitals! But both species are absolutely charming - both in color and in behavior.
Slightly apart from other types of tits is the long-tailed tit, or pole tit. Such vernacular name the bird received for the combination of a long tail, reminiscent of some people the handle of a ladle, with a tiny head. Even her Latin name- Aegithalos caudatus - translated into Russian, it emphasizes that the bird is "tailed". In a systematic sense, this is probably the second cousin of the great tit, or in general some kind of sister-in-law. Our simple treat in the form of seeds and bacon does not suit her: with her microscopic beak, she simply cannot cope with the seed.
Attention
Little titmouses, in particular Muscovy, are often unable to cope with seeds. “The eye sees, but the tooth is numb!” Such small pichugs need help: crush the hard shell of the seeds a little. Bird lovers should generally adopt this procedure. Strong birds do not care if the seeds are crushed or not, but for smaller ones it is just a gift from heaven.
Moscow. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
But our smallest tits with the patriotic name Muscovite (P. ater) willingly visit the feeders. They are rarely numerous, and differ from other species by a clearly distinguishable white spot on the back of the head.
Off-suit company
"On the light" can look and other wintering in middle lane feathered. Here, for example, is the nuthatch (Sitta europaea). He is almost always in splendid isolation - not like sociable tits. He took a seed and flew off to a branch of the nearest bush. A complete feeling that he knows exactly why he came: everything is business-like, without stupid chirping and shadowing. I came - I saw - I ate!
Nuthatch. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
By the way, about chirping. Sparrows, of course, will not miss a meal. We have two types of them: brownie (Passer domesticus) and field (P. montanus). The first one has a gray female, one might say, plain (it sounds better - modestly colored), but the male, perhaps, is even smart. Although, of course, it does not shine with special beauty. But professional ornithologists are still arguing about the differences between “girls” and “boys” in a field sparrow. Someone sees a slight difference in the color of the plumage, while someone says that this is only individual variability.
Field sparrow. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
By the way, it’s still not clear to me why the sparrows were so guilty in front of a person that even the recommendations for making feeders specifically say what should be done so that they do not crawl into the “dining room”? Moreover, it is quite possible to separate them with titmouse according to the gastronomic principle: crumbs, millet, millet will be happy to peck sparrows, but seeds - tits.
Attention
feeder " closed type”, i.e. a house with windows where birds fly in, not to the liking of many birds. A bullfinch, for example, will not even try to squeeze into a narrow "loopholes". Yes, and sparrows, which are hollow-nesting in their mentality, are in no hurry to crawl into the holes of the feeder-house."In the Crow's Village"
To see who else stayed to while away the winter with us, and did not fly away to distant warm lands, we will break away from watching our feeder and go for a walk around the country house. Without a doubt, the palm belongs to the diverse crow tribe. If you put all our corvids in one row as in a parade: a raven, a crow, a magpie, a jackdaw, a rook, a jay, then appearance and you can’t tell which of them is a sissy, and which is not afraid of any frost. In fact, all the corvids spend the winter with us, with the exception of the rook. It is understandable, of all the representatives of the corvidae family, the diet of the rook has the most insects. However, in recent decades, and he sometimes hibernates. Mostly in places where food is constantly available, namely, in suburban landfills. Together with crows, gulls and pigeons.
Crow. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
Mister in black
The crow can be safely called the head of the whole family. I hope it's not worth saying that this is not a crow's husband, but a separate species. The most freedom-loving of the corvids. Until now, he leads a fairly independent lifestyle (independent of people, of course). And by the way, the raven is songbird! Of course, in a systematic sense, and not according to vocal data. Although the spring “cru-cru” of ravens may seem to many, if not melodic, then at least not repulsive.
It is interesting
The range of the gray crow, by the way, is very large, extending from Ural mountains and before western Poland and the former GDR. But to the east of the Urals, a black crow lives. She even status separate species do not give: it is listed in the rank of subspecies. The same picture continues in Europe. There, the gray crow is also replaced by a black one.
The crow is grey. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
"Grey Personality"
Oh, someone, and we see gray crows all year round! At the beginning of March, they complete their nest with twigs in their beaks; in the fall, they tear apart some package left on bus stop, here they are trying to get something out of the snow ... And it seems that these are the same specimens. But no! There are a lot of inaccuracies in the arguments about the sedentary nature of crows. Only adults lead a real sedentary lifestyle. And the young "roam around" in search of a better life quite far from their father's house. For example, a crow, ringed by me in May in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, was found in the autumn of the same year in the Middle Urals. Here you have a settled crow! Explicit and large-scale migrations of crows occur in November - autumn and in February.
Jay. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
dandy
Thanks to the blue “mirror” on the wing, the jay (Garrulus glandarius) looks elegant in a foreign way. Perhaps this is the most herbivorous among the corvids. Hence the exorbitant interest in acorns, mountain ash and small apples. In winter and early spring, this bird is very noticeable. She seems to say: “Look how beautiful I am. Not like a crow! In winter, jays mostly fly in families. Includes mom, dad and kids. Young birds disperse only at the end of winter. They make their nests only at the age of less than two years, and all the next summer after birth they only idle. Well, in winter, of course, they visit bird feeders. On a note
Jackdaw. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
Stylish "thing"
The plumage color of the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) can be described as "wet asphalt". Very elegant! This bird is the most real hollow-nesting among the corvids. This circumstance helps her successfully survive very coldy. While the crows are sitting and shivering from the cold on a tree branch, the jackdaws climb into some kind of calm, and with luck - so warm place. stronger and large birds sometimes they offend the jackdaw, but she endures it stoically.
Goshawk. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
In the hunting grounds
Birds of prey, despite their "sinister craft", cause involuntary admiration. In the summer, it happens that they even look into our gardens without invitation. But how are things with them in winter?
"Sailor in a vest"
Have you noticed how sometimes the edge of the forest near your garden calms down - just before a thunderstorm? A few seconds of silence, and then the ubiquitous crows try to restore order with their cry. This means: a goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) flew out to hunt. A large, two-kilogram bird swept swiftly at a height of some ten meters. One could even consider gray back and a dapper white chest with a transverse stripe - like a sailor's vest.
Most birds of prey - from small falcons to the largest eagles - are migratory. But the hawks often stay. Moreover, as in the case of other species of birds, adults usually turn out to be homebodies, but young birds roam widely. And predators have one feature: their males are smaller than females. Therefore, so that there is no competition with the larger "lady", they fly off together with the younger generation.
Not every year, but regularly adult Sparrowhawks (A. nisus) remain to winter. This predator is a two times smaller copy of the goshawk. These small hawks feed on any living creatures. A sparrowhawk that has settled near your feeder can bring many sorrowful minutes to your feathered guests.
Sparrow owl. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
"Night Witches"
Danger can lie in wait for small wintering pichugs not only during the day, but also at night, when owls rule. Most nocturnal hunters fly to warmer regions for the winter. But some of them remain.
The rather large Owl (Strix aluco) is quite capable of overcoming a prey the size of a crow. And our smallest owl - a sparrow owl (Glaucidium passerinum) - is a real thunderstorm of tit flocks. It is interesting that in other years the tawny owl starts nesting even in winter. The fact of finding her chicks, and quite feathered ones, was recorded already at the end of February. Which means the eggs were laid sometime between Christmas and Epiphany! Sparrow owl (namely, an owl, and not an owl - this is quite scientific name species of birds) does not perform such feats with winter breeding, but postpones this most important “event” until better times - until May.
around and around
At the thought of hawks and owls, one becomes anxious for the visitors to our feeder. Wouldn't it be better to go home? Moreover, on the way back we will surely come across other birds wintering in the vicinity of the dacha.
Woodpecker. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
"Snitches"
So it is: the first thing we meet is a large spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). This is the most common view we have - it is always in sight: both in summer and in winter! Together with him, like a royal retinue, a mixed flock of tits, puffballs, grenadiers, and our smallest pichugs - kinglets (Regulus regulus), who stayed with us. Each such crumb weighs a little more than a five-ruble coin. Tits in comparison with them seem almost giants. But in winter there are only a few belated individuals. Still, the place of the kings is in the southern regions.
But the pika (Certhia familiaris) is common for winter forest bird. What she does in the company of a tit flock and a woodpecker is not entirely clear. Usually pikas keep alone and even differ in non-standard behavior. They do not jump along the branches, like all normal birds, but exclusively “crawl” along the tree trunk, examining all the cracks and cracks in the bark and removing hibernating insects from there. Moreover, they move “upside down”, that is, from the top of the tree to its base.
Pika. Photo: From the personal archive / Vasily Vishnevsky
By the way, unlike the big motley woodpecker, many species of woodpeckers are migratory. For example, residents deciduous forests green and gray woodpeckers fly from us to southern Europe. Such amateurs velvet season who decided to fly to Nice for half a year! But with us remains the largest of our woodpeckers - black, or yellow (Dryocopus martius). Big, simply huge, almost larger than a crow, it flies heavily, as if emphasizing its size and significance. The loud guttural cry of the yellow often makes you shudder in surprise. Even if you have never seen the bird itself, you most likely found traces of its vital activity: huge holes in the trunks of thick trees. So he looks for woodworm larvae.
Svirestel. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
Handsome
On the way back, right in front of us, from a tall old mountain ash, whose branches are bent with many berries, a flock of waxwings flew off. These large, bright birds with a perky crest and luminous yellow spots on the tail they spend the summer in the forest-tundra, far to the north. In the same place, offspring are bred, feeding their chicks almost exclusively with mosquitoes and midges. But in adulthood they become exclusively berry-eating. Their cheerful flocks in winter are often found in the vicinity of holiday villages, where there is something to profit from.
Sometimes on the same mountain ash, if you are very lucky, you can see a handsome schur (Pinicola enucleator). Birders with experience from time immemorial have revered him for the "red bird". The one who caught the scura was considered a real ace. This bird really has it all necessary qualities to get into the elite of the bird world. Firstly, the shur is larger than the bullfinch. Secondly, it flaunts color - there are individuals with a bright crimson, carmine, brick, orange breast. In addition, schury have good vocal abilities. And yet, they are rare. They have always been rare.
Klest is a spruce. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
It is impossible not to remember the crossbills. That's who the winter resident is! Almost the only bird that is not at all afraid of winter cold. Crossbills manage to raise chicks in the midst of frost! The fact is that they almost 100% feed on seeds. coniferous trees. Moreover, the crossbill gets them, according to its name, from fir cones, and the pine crossbill, respectively, feeds on pine seeds. And there is also a white-winged crossbill, which also gravitates towards Christmas trees. But all of them will be with great pleasure to feast on the seeds in your feeder.
Did you know?
Crossbills can nest not only in winter. Their nesting season is quite clearly correlated with the presence of cones. There are cones - chicks appear from February to July. And there are no cones - there may be no chicks at all.
Tap dance. A photo: Vasily Vishnevsky
Originals
Quite often, for the whole winter, especially if it is mild, such representatives of the feathered kingdom as greenfinch, goldfinch, siskin, tap dance remain. And they usually arrive from wintering places very early - it seems that they did not fly away at all. But, perhaps, due to the general warming, you are no longer surprised to see these birds on New Year's holidays.
Some other birds, which do not winter at all with us, sometimes began to stay. The blackbird (Turdus merula) has long been settled in the Scandinavian countries and Great Britain. It seems that this trend has come to us. The sayings known since childhood about the fact that “a rook is a spring bird”, and “a starling is a herald of spring”, may soon lose their relevance. In one place or another, you can observe these birds right in the middle of winter!
What will be the feathered population of our cities, forests and gardens in the future, of course, we do not know. But, you see, the birds around us make this world more pleasant and diverse. Whether it's a flock of waxwings eclipsing the sky or just a couple of cooing pigeons.
Autumn is the time when you can watch flocks of migratory birds going to warm countries. Where do birds fly for the winter, and which birds are classified as migratory? Birds that prefer to stay for the winter in their region are called sedentary. Among them are pigeons, sparrows, tits, and crossbills are able to breed in the most severe frosts.
wandering birds
There are nomadic birds - they fly away only in very severe cold, and with a relatively warm winter they can stay in their region. it carduelis, schury, siskin, waxwings, bullfinches. Gray crows and rooks northern regions wander, and in the south - remain settled. Some birds migrate only in years that are unfavorable for their food, for example, if there are not enough seeds. coniferous plants- among these types:
- waxwings,
- crossbills,
- nuts,
- tits,
- tap dances and others.
Migratory birds
Migratory birds migrating for the winter include:
The reason for their migration is the lack of food, disappearance of caterpillars, larvae in winter and other insects that form the basis of the bird's diet. About half of the forest birds will fly away for wintering, but from the tundra or taiga, from the wetlands they will go to places warm wintering almost all types of feathered inhabitants.
When choosing where to fly for the winter, most species will prefer familiar conditions. forest dwellers and choose for wintering forest edges, meadow - meadows or fields, steppe inhabitants find a new place of residence in the steppes. Here they will find the usual food and environment, similar to those in their homeland.
When choosing where to fly, the birds will focus both on the final destination - the place of the future wintering, and on the opportunity to feed themselves in the process of a long journey. Therefore, the route of migratory birds does not run in a straight line to the wintering place, but contains various bends, turns and stops where they rest and feed. In the route of their flight, they will also follow the usual terrain - forests, fields, steppes. If the path runs through the desert - Karakum, Sahara, Libyan desert- migratory species tend to fly through these places as quickly as possible.
Birds are guided by an unmistakable instinct - sometimes young, not knowing the way, flies away earlier than more experienced individuals. During the flight, birds exchange signals similar to an echo. Some species fly during the day, others prefer to travel at night and rest during the day. Usually females and males travel at the same time, with the exception of finches (their females fly away for the winter earlier) and storks (their males arrive in their permanent habitats before females).
It is those species of birds that feed on insects that are the first to leave their nests before spring. Swallows and swifts set off immediately upon the approach of autumn, in August, at the first night cooling. Swans, ducks and geese are the last to fly to wintering grounds: this happens when the temperature drops below zero, the rivers are covered with a crust of ice and forage becomes impossible.
Migration routes of migratory birds
Ducks go to the Balkans, swans fly to Greece and Great Britain. Starlings go to the coast mediterranean sea. Wagtails fly to Africa or Asia, they also often choose India for wintering. Thrushes like to winter in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. Cranes go further - to Egypt, to the Nile River. Dubrovnik bunting flies from the Moskva River and the Oka through Siberia to South China.
To establish where birds fly for the winter, ornithologists use the ringing method. Some waterfowl are known to winter in Russia. White Owl from the tundra flies to the Central Russian forest-steppe, seagulls will go to Sea of Azov or to the south of the Caspian Sea. Many migratory birds choose Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan for wintering - large concentrations of finches, ducks, geese are observed here, during the wintering period, and reserves are specially created in these regions.
There is a unique case - polar terns fly to Antarctica for wintering, due to the presence of food, which is typical for cold Antarctic water.
Airspeed
The flight speed of birds during migration is relatively low. One of the slowest is the quail - it flies at a speed of approximately 40 km / h, among the fastest include the black swift (160 km / h). But, during the flight, birds can spend a lot of time on parking, and in general, their long-distance travels - for example, to Africa - can stretch for 2 - 4 months. The speed of spring migration during the return of migratory species is higher - in spring the birds return home faster than in winter they fly for the winter.
Good for settled birds. With the onset of cold weather, it is not necessary to overcome thousands of kilometers to the south, and return home in the spring. The annual flights of birds to hot countries are nothing more than an evolutionary adaptation to the survival of the species.
If you ask a person who is far from ornithology what birds fly south in autumn, those who cannot be overlooked will be listed: cranes, geese, or ducks. Many species of migratory birds live in European countries, and we simply do not notice the departure of many of them.
Typical migrants
It is important to understand that the range of many bird species is extremely extensive. Take a gray heron. The populations of the European part are migratory, migrating over long distances, while the inhabitants of South Asia and Africa are sedentary.
Many are mistaken, considering the main reason for the migration of birds of cold. Of course, parrots or hummingbirds in temperate latitudes oh, they won’t survive, such is their biology, but flycatchers, thrushes or warblers could winter in their homeland, there would be something to eat.
Therefore, typical migratory birds include representatives of species that are unable to get their usual food or change to a vegetarian diet with the onset of winter. These are insectivorous and aquatic birds, as well as some raptors.
common kestrel
A bird of prey from the falcon family whose diet consists of voles, water rats, lizards, large insects and small species of songbirds.
Populations of the Scandinavian countries winter in Southern Europe and North Africa. Birds living in Asia are sedentary or nomadic.
Falcon kestrel.
reed warbler
A small bird from the reed family that feeds exclusively on insects and their larvae, spiders and small mollusks.
A fully migratory species found throughout Europe with winter quarters located in Africa.
city swallow
A typical representative of the swallow family, also known as the funnel. It feeds on small flying insects: flies, mosquitoes, midges, which it catches on the fly.
Distributed throughout Europe, winters in Africa and tropical Asia.
Swallow in flight, rear view. 
A bird of the flycatcher family and the nightingale family. Breeds in Eurasia, winters in South Asia and North Africa.
It feeds on insect larvae, slugs and worms, which it hunts on the ground.
Male bluethroat. 
The female bluethroat airs the feathers. 
A species of the shepherd family, in the literature it is found under the name dergach. Distributed in temperate zone Europe and Asia, for the winter flies to South East Africa. Nests in Russia most of general population.
The diet of the corncrake consists of mollusks, spiders, large insects, small rodents and frogs. In winter it feeds on cockroaches, sacred scarabs and termites.
Rare photo: corncrake in flight. 
Meadow coinage
A small bird of the flycatcher family, completely migratory. Common in Europe, widespread species wintering in Africa.
It eats insects, spiders, slugs, and snails; it hunts worms in plowed fields. At the end of summer it feeds on berries.
common cuckoo
A nominative species of the cuckoo family, a typical long-distance migrant. Breeds over a wide range from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. In autumn it flies to Africa and tropical Asia.
It feeds on insects and their larvae, butterfly caterpillars, worms, ant eggs and small lizards.
Cuckoo in flight. 
Cuckoo with prey. 
Representative of the gull family, forming 4 subspecies with an extremely wide range. Breeds in Northern and South America, Africa and Eurasia. For the winter, populations of temperate latitudes go to Africa and Southeast Asia.
Bird diets are based on small fish species, aquatic insects and mollusks.
Common tern in flight. 
Common tern with prey in its beak. 
Features of the migration of migratory birds
Small insectivorous birds are the first to fly to wintering grounds, departure begins at the end of August, in warmer areas of the range it lasts until the end of September. The last to be removed from their homes are waterfowl and near-water birds, which can find food even after the first frost.
Large birds fly at speeds of up to 80 km/h, small ones about 30 km/h. Among the high-speed migrants, it is worth mentioning the black swift, which is not for nothing called rabid. When flying, the bird accelerates to 160 km / h and crosses the entire African continent.
Why don't birds live happily in the tropics, and what makes them fly to their native lands? First, it is genetic memory. Most migratory birds come from the south, so during their annual migrations they follow the paths of their species.
Secondly, food competition with local birds and the lack of places to build a nest. Third, the difficulty of adapting to tropical climate where rainy seasons give way to droughts.
And so they fly every year for thousands of kilometers, day and night, in flocks and one by one. The weak perish along the way, someone becomes the prey of predators and hunters. But the sacrifices are justified by the ultimate goal - the survival of the fittest and the preservation of the species.
People say this: "The month of September collects birds on the road." And it's not for nothing that they say! Before the cold comes, in many regions of Russia, some species of birds leave them. In this article, we will talk about which birds fly to warmer climes in autumn and why, in fact, they do it.
Gold autumn. Who is flying and where?
Watching in the autumn season is quite interesting. Cranes, ducks, thrushes, swallows usually fly to warmer climes for wintering. And among them there is a kind of order. For example, swifts are the first to leave their native lands, ducks are the last.
Already in September, cranes begin to gather in their flocks. So they are preparing for a long journey. These beauties say goodbye to us until the very spring with their beautiful guttural cry, which spreads so far in this clean autumn air that you are simply amazed!
In early October, geese set off on a long journey. There is a saying about them among the people: "Geese drag winter-winter on their tail, and snow-snow on their nose."
Swallows fly to the Mediterranean coast for the winter. The most desperate of them generally fly directly to Africa!
What do you think, which birds fly to warmer climes in autumn one by one? Right! These are kites, kingfishers, hawks, falcons and cuckoos. However, most migratory birds still leave their native lands in flocks. For example, ducks generally line up in an oblique row, and geese and cranes fly in a wedge.
What will autumn be like?
From what birds fly away to warmer climes in the fall, you can predict what it will actually be like! Consider this sign on the example of all the same cranes.
Why do birds fly south in autumn?
It would seem that the answer to this question is as simple as ever. But it wasn't there, my friends! Birds leave their native lands not only because of the coming cold weather! After all, if this were so, then why do sparrows and pigeons, as well as crows and tits remain wintering next to a person? Is their plumage denser than that of handsome cranes? Of course not! It's not the cold, it's the food!
Evolution has decreed that sparrows and pigeons have adapted to find food in garbage cans, garbage dumps and landfills. These "winter" birds are not afraid of either winter or autumn! Birds fly away (photo 1), which feed only on fish, insects and their larvae. After all, to stay for the winter in the former lands is like death for them. Until spring, there will be no insects and fish (after all, water bodies are covered with ice). So poor migratory birds have to travel from one end the globe to another, thousands of kilometers away!
long journey
So, now we, friends, know which birds fly to warmer climes in the fall and, most importantly, what makes them do it! In addition, they spend as much energy on their long flight as a person on a long journey. Many of us get tired after only a few miles, and birds generally have to cover a distance of two thousand kilometers without any stop! This is truly heroic!