Blackbird - description, habitat, interesting facts

Today, blackbirds are considered the most common birds among similar breed groups. They live in the summer in a mixed, deciduous or coniferous belt. The number is large enough, this species of feathered creatures are not in danger. In this article we will study everything that concerns this family.

Description

According to their external data, individuals of male and female sex partially differ, but not much.

1. The beak of males is pigmented in red with an orange tint; there are no noticeable transitions in tones. By plumage male black, there is a noticeable luster. The legs in the region of the legs are covered with short feathers, similar to the bristles. In color, they are brown, dark. Paws are four-fingered, one of the fingers is pointing back.
2. Do samochek looks through kayochka in the eye area. This contour is pigmented in orange-yellow color.Beak heterogeneous, unlike males. In its lower part the shade is yellow. In the area of ​​the neck can be seen spots and stripes. On the plumage females are brown on the back and ocher with orange in the abdominal part.

Nutrition

1. Individuals of this species are not picky in terms of nutrition and preparation of a diet in particular. They find food in any season and never go hungry. The main part of the menu are worms that appear after the rain. In the summertime, food is supplemented with various insects, berry and fruit fruits.
2. Birds do not really need water, they try to get all the liquid with food. When a drought is observed due to weather conditions, then instead of worms the birds lean on caterpillars, aphids, berries with fruits. Thrushes do not pick the soil in search of food, but collect it from the ground.
3. A frequent picture that can be observed is the behavior of the individuals under discussion. They jump on the short grass and are looking for a meal. Then quickly pounce on it, not giving a chance to slip away. Birds that are not afraid of humans live near gardens and summer cottages.

Habitat

1. These individuals perfectly adapt to different climatic conditions. Initially, they lived exclusively in dense thickets. But later they moved to the territory chosen by people. Today, thrushes are found in larch, mixed and coniferous stripes.
2. The most courageous individuals live in public places, whether it be parks or squares. Distributed across the European continent, seen within the city, in the greenest parts of it. The number is quite high, so the birds live almost everywhere.

Breeding

1. Prospective parents with great care choose a place to build a home for future offspring. They can place the nest in public places, for example, arbors, covered with dense thickets. There are also nests in trees and dense vegetation weaving. If the birds find a wide gap in the stone structure, then they will definitely use it and build a nest.
2. In the construction of houses used dried grass, various roots and sticks. The inner part is sealed with clay, connected with moss. The bottom is lined with blades. The first clutch is at the beginning or middle of spring, it all depends on the territory of the birds.4 to 6 eggs pigmented in bluish color with a gray tint and dots of brown tone are involved in the clutch.
3. As for incubation, this is the future mother of the family. The whole process takes about 2 weeks. When chicks are born, they live with their parents for half a month, feed on protein foods and grow quickly. After learning to fly and leave the house. For some time, the chicks still live next to their parents to learn the basics of survival.

Lifestyle

1. The considered individuals mainly prefer to nest in the forests. Such birds can be attributed to the migratory species. As soon as autumn comes, the birds gather in flocks and go to warm regions for wintering.
2. Individuals living in urban environments are often sedentary. However, most of these birds prefer to spend the winter in milder climatic conditions, where predominantly southern climate prevails.
3. With the onset of the first warm days in spring, birds begin to return to their usual nesting sites. As a result, the males begin to announce the native surroundings with beautiful and sonorous singing.It is on quiet evenings you can hear the pleasant songs of thrushes.
4. As for the diet, the birds represented feed on a variety of foods. In the warm season, birds in most cases begin to hunt various invertebrates. With the onset of autumn, the thrushes gradually switch to food of plant origin.
5. The considered individuals love to feast on currants, strawberries, cherries, rowan, sweet cherry, elderberry, borage and blackthorn. Before migration, birds try to eat enough. As a result, in frosty days, birds try to save their energy. In this way, individuals sit in secluded places on frosty days.

Interesting Facts

1. It is strictly forbidden to disturb the represented birds in their shelter in the winter. The problem is that because of such actions their fragile energy balance is disturbed. As a result, the birds are frightened and fly away from their homes in search of a new secluded place. During such movements, individuals spend a tremendous amount of energy. Often, from such human actions, the birds die.
2. It is worth noting that in the middle of autumn the body weight of the treated individuals reaches 90 grams.At the same time, before the onset of cold weather, birds start to weigh more than 100 grams. At the end of winter, their body weight drops to 85 grams.
3. In addition, blackbirds are skilled imitators of various sounds. During singing, the individuals accompany their songs with a beautiful whistle. Such sounds can be compared with the way the owner beckons his dog. Thrushes are able to portray even the squeal of car wheels. The bird can play the phone ring.
4. Surprisingly, among black individuals, albinos are often found. And this most often occurs in those populations that mostly live in urban environments. At the same time, there are practically no natural predators in the cities. For this reason, albinos can reproduce their offspring without any problems.
5. In addition, in the populations of the individuals in question, there is a certain balance between sedentary and migratory representatives. The problem is, sedentary birds often die on frosty days. However, surviving individuals in the mating season produce more offspring. As for migratory birds, they survive the cold without problems, but the chicks hatch much less.

In today's material we have studied little birds, which are called nothing but blackbirds. These individuals, by their nature, are rather warlike, protect future offspring at the cost of their own lives. They live preferably in larch, mixed and coniferous stripes. Also found near the person, for example, in park areas and squares.

Video: Blackbird (Turdus merula)