Bullfinch - description, habitat, interesting facts

The presented bird belongs to the finch family and the genus of bullfinches. The individual is distinguished by its singing and beautiful voice, bright color and miniature dimensions. These birds show originality in absolutely everything, be they habits or feeding. The bullfinch prefers to dwell in cold climatic regions, it stands out favorably against the background of snow mass and attracts human attention. With regard to habitat in the summer season, the birds lose their colorful color and become unremarkable.

Description

1. In terms of their dimensional characteristics, these feathered creatures are a little more sparrows. Their body is knocked down, dense, rounded format. Due to the thick plumage, it seems to people that these birds are quite large. In fact, they are not much higher than those of a seb. Adult birds grow up to 18 cm in length. With a mass of about 30 grams.
2. It has already been mentioned that representatives of the species belong to the finch family.Moreover, sexual dimorphism in bullfinches is present, even an inexperienced eye can reveal where the female is, and where the male is. So, in males, the abdominal area, cheeks, as well as the lower part of the neck and the lateral sections are pigmented with red. The feathers on the wings are black, with a white stripe. In the area of ​​the head there is a shiny black “cap”.
3. Females are not as rich as males. Females are mostly painted in gray and brown shades. The young of the same color, that is gray-brown. In the lumbar region, all individuals, regardless of gender, have an elongated strip of white tone. These birds are very beautiful, especially against the background of snow, so they attract attention with their appearance and singing.
4. Some people with pleasure keep bullfinches at home in a cage, they are suitable for these purposes. In addition to the aesthetic beauty you can endlessly listen to the songs of these birds. They live in the forest belt or park. The songs are melodic, pleasant and long. It is also known about these birds that they like to repeat various sounds and even movements. When individuals are in captivity, then literally after 2-3 days they begin to sing.
5. If you hear singing for the first time, it may seem strange and not as sophisticated as everyone used to think. Birds hone their skills all the time, so old songs have much better songs. If a person decided to purchase a bullfinch to keep the house, then it is important to put the cage in a cool room.

Lifestyle

1. As a rule, individuals of the family under discussion prefer to live in mixed or coniferous areas. Also, bullfinches can be found in public gardens, residential and moderately built-up areas, parks. They stand out among other birds, so confusing them with someone else will fail. These birds differ in that they quickly get used to humans. If they do not have enough food, the birds will fly into the trough, which was made and hung by people.
2. These birds are calm and unhurried in their behavior. They are careful and behave quite calmly with other birds. If a stranger approaches, the bird will fly away. Individuals of female gender behave much more carefully, they are constantly on the watchman. They can watch people for a long time and even copy voice traits.
3. However, when a person constantly approaches and pours grain into the manger, birds no longer react with such fear to people. They begin to recognize their breadwinners, moving closer and listening to conversations. If the bird lives at home, it can fly up to its owner, sit on its shoulder or arm, then spend hours singing songs for it.
4. In order for the bullfinch to survive the cold season, he has to keep close to the person. Feathered creature by its nature is friendly to the world around it. If we study the way of life of a flock of birds, then there will never be fights between individuals. This cannot be said, for example, about sparrows or other birds. Females can fall into a stressful situation, which is accompanied by tapping the tree with its beak and shaking the head to the sides.
5. These little feathered creatures are very bold. They will guard the brood to the last, if the offspring are suddenly attacked. For comparison, the same ducks, for example, can escape from predators. But bullfinch are hardy and strong in spirit. As for the number of individuals in a flock, it is usually 4-10 birds. Birds are diurnal, at dusk and at night they already live in the bushes and are preparing for rest.
6. As soon as severe frosts occur, the individuals in question significantly reduce their activity. In the first half of winter, you can see that bullfinches have a beautiful and colorful chest. When the second half of the season begins, the plumage begins to lose its former beauty.
7. In mid-spring, the birds present become barely noticeable in their habitat. You are unlikely to be able to see such individuals until the cold comes again. It is also impossible to say with accuracy whether these birds are migratory or not.
8. Bullfinch can be attributed to the wandering individuals and sedentary. Birds that live in the forest tundra and tundra, in winter, must migrate to the more southern regions. Otherwise, they will not be able to get their food. The represented individuals, which mostly live in the southern regions, can live there all year round.
9. It is worth noting that birds can keep small flocks, while the female will always be the main one. It is often possible to notice that a female will sit in the manger, and she will not let anyone near her. This applies to fellows, as well as tits and sparrows.
10. Characteristics of these individuals are directly dependent on seasonality.In the warm season, the birds in question give preference to spending time in pairs. After the mating season with the emergence of young stock into the world, adult individuals form into flocks of small size.
11. Also with the arrival of winter, some married couples form into small groups. However, such phenomena can be seen quite rarely. Bullfinch also do not form huge flocks. It is worth noting that for many people the individuals in question are associated with snow-covered trees, in winter, with snow and holidays.

Nutrition

1. The basis of the diet of the birds in question consists mainly of feed of plant origin. Often birds feed on seeds of bushes and trees. However, birds will always give preference to berries. Bullfinches are very fond of rowan.
2. Interesting is the fact that individuals do not completely eat the fruit. The fact is that birds peck out the bones of the berries, and the flesh is thrown away. That is why under the trees you can see a lot of spoiled rowan. You can be sure that this is the work of bullfinches.
3. In addition, these birds often eat young shoots, buds and flowers.As for animal food, birds only in some cases feed on various insects. In addition, birds do not limit themselves in food. Therefore, they can endlessly pick something from the ground and not get fat.
4. Bullfinches go on trips and migrate because of feed. If there is not enough food in their edges, individuals begin to fly. If there is more than enough food, birds can stay in one place at least the whole year round. As soon as the babies are born, the female goes in search of food. The male watches the chicks.

Breeding

1. During the mating season, the male begins to sing beautifully. His melodies are unusual and very gentle, unlike ordinary days. At the same time, the female responds to the male with her singing. At the beginning of spring, pairs begin to form. However, the female becomes the head of the family.
2. Among other things, other duties also fall on the shoulders of the female. She independently is engaged in construction of a nest. The dwelling is located at a small height away from the tree trunk.
3. It is worth noting that the female spends a lot of time weaving a nest. Twigs and dry grass are used as a building material.The bottom is lined with leaves, moss, feathers and lichen.

In today's material we looked at cute and beautiful birds such as bullfinch. They differ in their singing, appearance and ability to live at home. These individuals are easily accustomed to hands, they can remember a person. They do not live in huge flocks, they prefer to stick in groups of up to 10 birds.

Video: Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)