The nuthatch flies to warmer climes. What does a nuthatch look like: description of the bird, photo

These forest birds are known for their masterly art of tree climbing. Nuthatches run along trunks lengthwise and crosswise, in a zigzag, diagonally and in a spiral, descend upside down and hang upside down on branches.

Description of nuthatches

The genus Sítta (true nuthatches) represents the nuthatch family (Sittidae), included in the large order Passeriformes. All nuthatches are similar to each other (in behavior and appearance), but differ in color nuances due to their habitat. These are small birds with a large head and a strong beak, a short tail and tenacious fingers that help them climb tree and rocky surfaces.

Appearance

Representatives of most species do not even reach the level of a brownie, growing up to 13–14 cm. The boundary between the head and body is difficult to detect due to the nuthatch’s dense build, loose plumage and short neck. In addition, birds rarely move their necks, preferring to keep their heads parallel to their bodies, which makes them appear to have little mobility.

The sharp straight beak resembles a chisel and is perfectly adapted for chiselling. The beak has hard bristles that protect the eyes (when foraging) from flying bark and debris. The nuthatch has rounded short wings, a wedge-shaped shortened tail and strong legs with tenacious curved claws that allow you to easily move along trunks, stones and branches.

This is interesting! The upperparts of the nuthatch are usually grey/blue-gray or blue-violet (in tropical East Asian species). Thus, the beautiful nuthatch, which lives in the eastern Himalayas and Indochina, displays a pattern of azure and black feathers.

Some species are decorated with caps of dark feathers, others have a “mask” - a dark stripe crossing the eyes. The abdomen can be colored differently - white, ocher, fawn, chestnut or red. The tail feathers are often bluish-gray with black, gray or white spots “planted” on the tail feathers (with the exception of the middle pair).

Character and lifestyle

These are brave, nimble and curious birds, prone to settling down and living in their own territories. In the cold season, they join the company of other birds, for example, tits, and together with them they fly into cities/villages to feed. People are almost not embarrassed, and in search of treats they often fly into the window and even sit on your hand. Nuthatches are extremely active and do not like to sit still, but they devote most of the day not to flying, but to studying food items. Birds tirelessly jump along trunks and branches, exploring every hole in the bark where a larva or seed might be hiding. Unlike the woodpecker, which always rests on its tail, the nuthatch uses one of its legs as a support, placing it far forward or backward.

This is interesting! A bird that has found food will never let it out of its beak, even if a person picks it up, but will desperately rush to freedom along with the trophy. In addition, nuthatches bravely rush to protect the nest and family.

Nuthatches are very noisy and have a variety of sounds, from gurgling trills and whistles to the melody of a horn. The Canada nuthatch, which lives next to the black-capped chickadee, has learned to understand its alarm signals, reacting to them depending on the transmitted information. Some species are able to store food for the winter, hiding seeds under the bark, small stones and in cracks: the nuthatch remembers the place of the storehouse for about a month. The owner eats the contents of the warehouse only in cold weather and bad weather, when it is impossible to obtain fresh food. Once a year, at the end of the nesting season, nuthatches molt.

How long do nuthatches live?

It is believed that both in the wild and in captivity, nuthatches live 10-11 years, which is quite a long time for such a bird.. When kept at home, the nuthatch quickly gets used to humans, becoming completely tame. Communicating with him is an unspeakable pleasure. The bird hilariously runs over arms, shoulders, head and clothes, trying to find a treat in pockets and folds.

Sexual dimorphism

Only an ornithologist or an experienced naturalist can understand the sexual differences in nuthatches. You can distinguish a male from a female solely by the color of the lower part of the body, paying attention to the undertones at the base of the tail and undertail.

Nuthatch species

The taxonomy of the genus is intricate and contains from 21 to 29 species, depending on the approach used.

This is interesting! The smallest is the brown-headed nuthatch, which lives in the southeastern United States. The bird weighs approximately 10 g and is 10.5 cm tall. The most impressive of the nuthatches is the giant one (19.5 cm long and weighing up to 47 g), which lives in China, Thailand and Myanmar.

Superspecies status unites 5 species of nuthatches:

• black-headed;
• Algerian;
• Canadian;
• Corsican
• shaggy.

They have different habitats, but similar morphology, nesting habitats and vocalizations. As a separate superspecies, the common nuthatch has recently existed, divided into 3 Asian forms (S. cinnamoventris, S. cashmirensis and S. nagaensis). Ornithologist P. Rasmussen (USA) divided S. cinnamoventris (South Asian species) into 3 species – S. cinnamoventris sensu stricto (Himalayas/Tibet), S. neglecta (Indochina) and S. castanea (lower Ganges).

In 2012, the British Ornithologists' Union supported the proposal of colleagues to transfer S. e. arctica (East Siberian subspecies) to the rank of species. Ornithologist E. Dickinson (Great Britain) is convinced that it is necessary to classify the tropical species S. solangiae, S. frontalis and S. oenochlamys into a special genus. According to the scientist, the azure and beautiful nuthatches should also become monotypic genera.

Range, habitats

All known species Nuthatches are common in Eurasia and North America, but most of the genus inhabits the tropics and mountainous regions of Asia. Preferred biotopes – forests different types, predominantly with a predominance of coniferous or evergreen deciduous species. Many species have settled in the mountains and foothills, and two (small and great rock nuthatches) have adapted to existence among treeless rocks.

Many nuthatches like to settle in regions with a fairly cool climate. Northern species inhabit the plains, and southern species inhabit the mountains, where the air is colder than in the valley. Thus, in northern Europe, the common nuthatch is found no higher than sea level, while in Morocco it lives from 1.75 km to 1.85 km above sea level. Only the black-fronted nuthatch, which inhabits South and Southeast Asia, is partial to lowland tropical jungles.

This is interesting! Several species of nuthatches live in our country. The most common is the common nuthatch, nesting from the western to eastern borders of Russia.

The black-headed nuthatch is found in the northwestern regions of the Greater Caucasus, and the great rock nuthatch is common in the states of Central Asia and Transcaucasia. The Yakut nuthatch lives in Yakutia and adjacent areas of Eastern Siberia. The shaggy nuthatch has taken a fancy to Southern Primorye.

Nuthatch diet

Well-studied species demonstrate a seasonal division of food into animal (during reproduction) and plant (during other periods). In spring and until mid-summer, nuthatches actively eat insects, mostly xylophages, which are found in wood, cracked bark, leaf axils or rock crevices. U individual species(for example, in the Carolina nuthatch) the proportion of animal proteins during the mating season approaches 100%.

Birds switch to plant components closer to autumn, including in their menu:

• coniferous seeds;
• juicy fruits;
• nuts;
• acorns.

Nuthatches skillfully use their beaks, cracking shells and cutting apart snails/large beetles. Carolina and brown-headed nuthatches have learned to use wood chips as a lever, opening voids under bark or dismembering large insects. The master holds his instrument in his beak when flying from tree to tree.

This is interesting! The method of obtaining food is similar to nuthatches, dart frogs, pikas, woodpeckers and tree hoopoes. Just like them, the nuthatch searches for food under tree bark and in its folds.

But claw climbing is far from the only way to search for food - nuthatches periodically fly down to explore the forest floor and ground. Having completed nesting, nuthatches fly away from their native food plots, joining the nomadic birds.

Reproduction and offspring

Nuthatches are monogamous, but do not refuse polygyny. Birds are ready to breed by the end of the first year of their life.. All nuthatches, with the exception of a couple of rocky species, “make” nests in hollows, lining them with grass and leaves, as well as moss, bark, wool, wood dust and feathers.

Rock nuthatches build clay/earth nests, pots or flasks: Greater rock nuthatch structures weigh up to 32 kg. The Canadian nuthatch works with the resin of coniferous trees: the male is outside, and the female is inside the hollow. Coating the hollow is done according to your mood - a day or a few days in advance.

This is interesting! Coating the inner walls of the hollow, the female does not eat anything, but drinks... maple or birch sap, pulling it out of a tap hole made by a woodpecker.

The clutch contains from 4 to 14 white eggs with yellow or reddish-brown speckles. The female incubates them for 12–18 days.

The brood is fed by both parents. Nuthatch chicks develop more slowly than other passerines and fledge after 18–25 days. Having fluttered out of the nest, the young do not leave their parents immediately, but after 1–3 weeks.

Wonderful pictures with migratory and wintering birds. Which birds remain to spend the winter in their homeland, and which ones fly away?

Walking through a park or forest, we listen to birds singing and often simply don’t think about which bird trills so nicely. There are birds that live in our area all year round, but there are also those who fly to “ warmer climes».

The fact is that in winter it is very difficult for birds to find food for themselves, because insects, berries and grains become scarce, and when snow falls, it is almost impossible to find them at all. And different species of birds solve this problem in different ways: migratory birds fly hundreds and even thousands of kilometers to more warm countries, and sedentary ones adapt to our harsh winters.

Settled, wintering birds: list, photos with names

To help the birds that remain over the winter find food, feeders are hung. And it is quite possible that they will be of interest to the following visitors:

• Sparrow. Noisy sparrows that fly in flocks may well become the first visitors to the feeder.

• Tit. Tits are in many ways not inferior to sparrows; they quickly rush to feed in feeders. But compared to sparrows, tits are endowed with a more gentle disposition. Interestingly, in the summer the tit eats almost as much food as it weighs. You can often see mixed flocks of both sparrows and tits at feeders.

• Gaichka. A close relative of the tit. However, the chickadee's breast is not yellow, but light brown. The chickadee also differs from other tits in that it makes a hollow in a tree to make a nest in it.

• Crow. Ravens are often confused with rooks. It is known that in the western part of Russia crows are very rare. Therefore, if you live in the European part of Russia and see a black bird emitting a piercing croak, then most likely it is a rook.

• Pigeon. The distribution and lifestyle of pigeons was largely influenced by people who simply brought them with them to different parts of the Earth. Now pigeons are found on all continents except Antarctica. Pigeons easily change rocks, which are natural environment their habitats, on buildings created by man.

• Woodpecker. In the warm season, woodpeckers feed mainly on insects, which they get from under the bark of trees, and in the cold winter, they can also feed on plant foods: seeds and nuts.

• Magpie. The magpie is considered a bird of high intelligence; it is capable of expressing a lot of emotions, including sadness, and can recognize its reflection in the mirror. It is interesting that not only its fellow birds react to the alarming cry of a magpie, but also other birds, as well as wild animals, in particular bears and wolves.

• Owl. Owls come in different varieties, large and small, and there are more than 200 species in total. These birds are endowed with acute vision and excellent hearing, which allows them to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. It’s interesting that the tufts on an owl’s head are not ears; owls’ real ears are hidden in the feathers, and one of them is directed upward, and the other downward, in order to better hear what is happening above the head and on the ground.

• This bird is also considered an owl and is a close relative of other owls.

• A rare owl that lives mainly in mountainous areas in northern latitudes. Name of the bird different versions means "inedible" or "insatiable."

• Jackdaw. Externally, jackdaws are similar to rooks and crows; moreover, there are mixed flocks in which all three species of birds can be seen. However, the jackdaw is smaller in size than the crow. And if you are lucky enough to observe a jackdaw up close, you can easily recognize it by the gray color of some of its feathers.

• Nuthatch. This little bird climbs tree trunks very deftly. In summer, nuthatches hide seeds and nuts in the bark, and in winter they feed on these supplies.

• Crossbill. Like the nuthatch, this bird is excellent at climbing trees and can hang upside down on branches. Crossbill's favorite food is seeds from spruce and pine cones. This bird is remarkable in that it can hatch chicks even in winter, but only if there is enough food.

• Bullfinch. Only males have bright red plumage on the chest; females look much more modest. Bullfinches are more often seen in winter, because due to lack of food, they are drawn to people. In summer, bullfinches prefer wooded areas and behave inconspicuously, so they are not easy to see.

• Waxwing. A bird with beautiful plumage and a singing voice. In summer it feeds mainly on insects and likes to settle in coniferous forests. In winter, the waxwing moves to more southern regions of the country and is often found in cities. In the cold season, rowan and other fruits become the main food for birds.

• Jay. Large bird, which, however, can fly to feed on a feeder hung by people. In the summer it is rarely seen in the city, but closer to winter the bird begins to reach out to human habitation.

• Kinglet. One of the smallest birds, the weight of an adult male is only 5-7 grams. Kinglets are relatives of sparrows.

• . A large bird that is a favorite trophy for many hunters. Pheasants can fly, but most often move on foot.

• Grouse. It is also an object of hunting, despite the fact that this bird is quite small. The weight of an adult hazel grouse rarely reaches 500 g. Interestingly, the largest population of these birds lives in Russia.

• Another bird that is related to hunting. Black grouse are found at the edge of the forest and in the forest-steppe.

• Falcon. It is considered one of the smartest birds on the planet and one of the best hunters. The falcon is capable of working in tandem with a person, but it is very difficult to tame it.

• . Like the falcon, it is a bird of prey. A hawk's vision is 8 times sharper than a human's. And rushing after prey, the hawk can reach speeds of up to 240 km/h.

Migratory and nomadic birds: list, photos with names

• Rooks differ from crows in having a gray-yellow beak. In Kuban and Ukraine, you can see how in the fall rooks gather in huge flocks, so large that the sky seems black from the birds soaring in it - these are rooks that fly south. However, rooks are classified as migratory birds only conditionally, some of them remain to winter in central Russia, some winter in Ukraine, and only some birds fly to the warm shores of Turkey for the winter.

• They really like to fly to freshly dug ground, sometimes they fly right behind a plowing tractor in order to have time to get as many worms and larvae as possible from the dug up ground.

• This inconspicuous bird with a singing voice loves warmth, and therefore flies south in the fall. And for wintering, our native nightingales chose hot Africa. These birds fly to the eastern part of the continent - Kenya and Ethiopia - for the winter. However, enjoy their singing local residents they cannot, because nightingales sing only during the mating season, which takes place in their homeland.

• Martin. Swallows love rocky terrain; they often settle on the steep walls of quarries that people have dug. However, our winters are too harsh for swallows and therefore in the fall they fly to the southern part of Africa, far from us, or to Tropical Asia.

• Chizh. Like the rook, it is a migratory bird that arrives early and winters nearby: in the Caucasus, Kazakhstan and southern Europe. Externally, siskins are inconspicuous, their gray-green feathers are absolutely not noticeable against the background of the branches. The bird's temperament matches its appearance: quiet and meek.

• Goldfinch. In Europe it is a wintering bird, however, in Russia goldfinches can only be seen in summer. By winter, goldfinches gather in flocks and move to lands with a warmer climate. Goldfinches are close relatives of siskins.

• A slender bird that runs quickly along the ground and shakes its tail with every step. Wagtails spend the winter in eastern Africa, southern Asia, and sometimes southern Europe.

• Quail. The only bird from the Galliformes order that is migratory. The weight of an adult quail is not so large and amounts to 80-150 g. In summer, quails can be found in fields sown with wheat and rye. Quails winter far beyond the borders of our homeland: in southern Africa and southern Asia, on the Hindustan Peninsula.

• Thrush. The song thrush, with its sweet trills, creates worthy competition for the nightingale. And his appearance, like that of the nightingale, is inconspicuous. In winter, blackbirds become Europeans: Italy, France and Spain are their second homeland.

• Lark. Larks return from warm countries very early; sometimes already in March you can hear their sonorous song, which becomes a harbinger of spring warmth. And larks spend the winter in Southern Europe.

• Gull. With the onset of cold weather, seagulls living on the coasts of the northern seas migrate to the Black and Caspian Seas. But over the years, seagulls are increasingly drawn to people, and increasingly remain to spend the winter in cities.

• . Swifts winter in Africa, and fly to its equatorial part or even go to the southern part of the continent.

• Starlings really need birdhouses, since most often they breed their offspring in them. And our starlings go to Southern Europe and East Africa for the winter.

• Finch. Finches from the western part of the country winter mainly in Central Europe and the Mediterranean, and finches that live near the Urals in the summer go to winter in Southern Kazakhstan and the southern regions of Asia.

• Heron. It is quite difficult to determine where herons spend the winter; some of them travel huge distances to South Africa, some winter in the Crimea or the Kuban, and in the Stavropol Territory, herons sometimes even remain for the winter.

• Crane. These birds are monogamous, and once having chosen a partner, they remain faithful to him throughout their lives. Cranes settle in swampy areas. And their wintering places are as diverse as those of herons: Southern Europe, Africa and even China - in all these parts of the world you can find cranes that have flown from Russia to spend the winter.

• Stork. In Russia there are black and white storks. White storks build huge nests, up to one and a half meters wide, and make very long flights to the south. Sometimes they cross half the planet and reach South Africa, a country located in the very south of Africa.

• Swan. The swan is a bird that represents devotion and romance. Swans are waterfowl, so for wintering they choose places near water, often the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea.

• Duck. Wild ducks, as a rule, do not fly far in winter and remain in the vast expanses of post-Soviet states. It is noteworthy that their domestic relatives also begin to worry in the fall and sometimes try to fly away, sometimes they even fly over fences and fly short distances.

• . Cuckoos live in forests, forest-steppe, and steppe. The vast majority of cuckoos fly to tropical and South Africa, less commonly, cuckoos winter in South Asia: in India and China.

• . A small bird with a singing voice and bright plumage that flies to the tropics for the winter.

• . They wake up at dawn and are among the first to start the morning song. Before this little one songbird called a robin. Robins fly to Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to spend the winter and are among the first to return home.

What is the difference between migratory birds and wintering birds: presentation for preschoolers

Why do migratory birds fly to warmer regions where they spend the winter, and why do they come back?

Winter is a harsh test for birds. And only those who can get food for themselves in harsh conditions remain to spend the winter.

What could be the ways for birds to survive in the cold season?

• Some birds store food for the winter in the summer. They hide plant seeds, nuts, acorns, caterpillars and larvae in grass and cracks in tree bark. Such birds include the nuthatch.
• Some birds are not afraid of people and live near residential buildings. In winter, they find food in feeders and garbage heaps.
• Some birds are predators and feed on rodents. There are birds of prey that can feed on hares, hunt fish, small birds and bats.

If a bird can find food for itself in winter, it means it does not need to go on a tedious and difficult flight to warmer climes in the fall.

It would seem that everything is simple, and the only reason for the seasonal migration of birds is the lack of food. But in reality there are more questions here than answers. For example, imagine that wild duck, which is a migratory bird, was provided with an artificially heated pond and sufficient food. Will she stay for the winter? Of course not. She will be called to long journey, strong feeling, which is difficult to explain, called natural instinct.

It turns out that birds fly away to warmer regions, as if out of habit, because their ancestors did this for hundreds and thousands of years.

Another question that requires an answer: why do birds return from warm countries every spring? Ornithological scientists have concluded that the beginning of the return flight is associated with the activation of sex hormones and the beginning of the breeding season. But why do birds fly thousands of kilometers and hatch their chicks exactly where they were born? Poets and romantic natures They say that birds, like people, are simply drawn to their homeland.

How do migratory birds know where to fly? A question to which to this day there is no clear answer. It has been experimentally proven that birds can navigate in completely unfamiliar terrain and in conditions of limited visibility, when neither the sun nor the stars are visible. They have an organ that allows them to navigate the Earth's magnetic field.

But the mystery remains how young individuals, who have never flown to warm regions before, find their own wintering place, and how do they know the route to fly? It turns out that in birds, at the genetic level, information about the point on the map where you need to fly is recorded and, moreover, a route to it is drawn.

Do migratory birds build nests in the south?

Birds wintering in warm regions do not lay eggs or hatch chicks, which means they do not need a nest. Only chicks that migratory birds will hatch in their homeland need a nest.

Which birds are the first and last to arrive in spring?

They arrive first in the spring rooks. These birds return to their homeland in early spring, when the first thawed patches in the snow appear. With their strong beaks, rooks dig out larvae in such thawed areas, which form the basis of their diet.

The last to arrive are the birds, which feed on flying insects. These are swallows, swifts, and orioles. The diet of these birds consists of:

• Komarov
• Moshek
• Horseflies
• Zhukov
• Cicadas
• Butterflies

Since the emergence of a large number of adult flying insects from larvae requires warm weather and about two weeks of time, the birds that feed on them fly to their homeland after the mass appearance of these insects.

Which birds are the first and last to fly away in the fall?

With the onset of autumn cold weather, insects complete their active life cycle and hibernate. Therefore, the birds that feed on insects are the first to fly to warmer climes. Then the birds fly away and feed on the plants. Waterfowl are the last to fly away. There is enough food in the water for them even in autumn. And they fly away before the water in reservoirs begins to freeze.

VIDEO: Birds fly south

What flock of migratory birds promises snow?

By folk signs, if a flock of wild ones flew south geese— you need to wait for the first snow to fall. This sign may not coincide with real weather phenomena. So in the north of Russia, geese fly to warmer climes in mid-September, and snow can fall much earlier. Let's say the first snow in Norilsk this year fell on August 25th. In the south, geese fly to warmer climes at the end of October, and sometimes even at the beginning of November. The first snow in these areas may occur around this time. But it all depends on the weather conditions in autumn. Indian summer here can last throughout October.

VIDEO: Geese gather in flocks to fly south

Which bird from the Galliformes order is migratory?

A migratory bird from the order Galliformes is quail. The quail's habitat extends beyond Russia in the west and south. In the east, these birds live up to the western coast of Lake Baikal. They are widespread in Europe, Western Asia and Africa.

For the winter they fly south. And they winter in Hindustan, Northern Africa and South-West Asia.

VIDEO: How do migratory birds fly?

Are Nuthatch and Cuckoo migratory birds?

Nuthatch- the size of a sparrow, similar in appearance to a miniature one, and as curious as a tit. The uniqueness of this bird lies not only in its rapid movement along a smooth trunk in different directions, but also in the ability to hang upside down on branches.

Description and features

The loud noisy nuthatch belongs to the passerine order, has a compact body, short tail and paws with tenacious curved claws. Dimensions depend on the species, length - in the range of 10–19 cm, weight - 10–55 g.

Red-breasted nuthatch

1. Wall climber

It lives in the Caucasus at an altitude of up to three thousand meters above sea level. Body length is up to 17 cm. Color is light gray with transitions to darker tones, with red sections of the wings standing out against the general background.

The wall climber makes small jumps along the steep surface of the cliffs, opening its unusually colored wings. It nests in rocky gorges near streams or waterfalls.

1. Shaggy (black-headed)

Due to low numbers, it is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The distribution area is the south of Primorsky Krai. Small birds, 11.5 cm long, create local settlements. They live in deciduous and coniferous forests, pine forests and woodlands.

They prefer to move not along trunks, but along crowns, including small branches. Maximum amount eggs in a clutch - 6 pieces. They winter on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition to the common one, numerous species include the nuthatch:

1. Canadian

The species is determined by the small body size (11.5 cm), gray-blue plumage of the upper part, and reddish color of the abdomen and chest. Birds have a characteristic black stripe running across the eye and a black spot on the top of their head. It lives mainly in coniferous forests of the North, rich in food.

1. Chit

The smallest representative of the nuthatch family weighs only 9 to 11 g with a body length of 10 cm. Bluish-gray top, white bottom, whitish cap on the top. Lives in coniferous forests of Mexico, Colombia, western North America.

It moves reluctantly along tree trunks and more often spends the day in the treetops. It makes nests in natural recesses of old trees. The clutch contains up to 9 eggs.

1. Corsican

The habitat corresponds to the name. It has a short beak on a small head and a 12-centimeter body. The upper part is standard gray and blue tones, the lower part is beige, the throat is almost white. The male's crown is black, the female's is gray. The voice is thinner and more muffled than that of the common nuthatch.

1. Small rocky

The size and color of the plumage is similar to the coachman. Lives in northern Israel, Syria, Iran, southern and western Turkey, on the island. Lesvos. They nest in ruins, on cliffs, and along ravines of the Mediterranean coast.

1. Big rocky

Reaches a size of 16 cm. Weight is greater than that of the giant - 55 g. The back is gray, the belly is white with red markings on the sides. Distribution area: Transcaucasia, Central and Central Asia. rock nuthatch lives and nests in the mountains. Features a loud whistle.

1. Azure

Java, Sumatra and Malaysia are favored by beautiful azure nuthatches, sharply different from other species. The back features a variety of shades of blue. Black plumage covers the back half of the abdomen, the top of the head, and the area around the eyes. The rest of the body is white. The unusual purple beak stands out.

Rare endangered populations that are in danger of extinction include the nuthatch:

1. Algerian, the only place whose settlements are located in the spurs of the Algerian Atlas Mountains.
2. Giant, up to 19.5 cm long and weighing up to 47 g.
3. White-browed, found exclusively in Myanmar.
4. Bahamian (brown-headed), whose numbers sharply declined after the 2016 hurricane in the Caribbean.

All species are united by similarities in lifestyle and appearance. The main differences are plumage color and habitat.

Lifestyle and habitat

Nuthatch bird active and restless. All day long, in search of food, it scurries along the trunks and branches of trees, making short flights. Distributed everywhere. Birds created settlements in most of Europe and Asia. They can be found in hot Morocco and the cold forest-tundra of Yakutia, in the Asian tropics.

In Russia, they more often settle in deciduous, mixed forests, and forest-park zones, where there are many bark beetles, wood borers, and leaf beetles. By eating pest beetles, the nuthatch prolongs the life of trees. Birds also settle in willow thickets, urban plantings, and in the Caucasus mountains.

Answer the question, nuthatch migrant or not, monosyllables are not allowed. For the most part - . It is not for nothing that each individual conscientiously stores up food supplies from autumn until the very cold, hiding nuts and seeds in secluded places in the nesting area.

The shaggy nuthatch lives in the south of the Korean Peninsula in winter, where it flies from Primorye. But this is rather an exception to the rule. If the birds are not disturbed, they stick to their area for years.

After the chicks grow up and leave the nest, families break up. Birds do not form specific flocks, but join tits and migrate with them over short distances in search of food.

Brave nuthatch in winter they calmly sit on the feeders, and in cold, stormy weather, if their supplies have been plundered by squirrels or chipmunks, they can easily fly into an open window. They willingly settle in small houses made for birds by humans, in city limits or in summer cottages.

They take root well at home. Spacious enclosures, close proximity to siskins and linnets, are suitable for them. The place of residence is equipped with twigs, swings, and rotten stumps. Bird watching is almost the same as attending an acrobat performance. With normal care and sufficient living space, a nuthatch in captivity is capable of producing offspring.

Nutrition

In spring and summer, the coachman's diet is dominated by insects. This especially applies to the period of nesting and feeding chicks.

Protein nutrition includes:

• larvae, caterpillars;
• small arachnids;
• pest beetles (weevils, leaf beetles);
• flies, midges;
• worms;
• ants;
• bedbugs.

More often, the nuthatch hunts for insects by deftly running along tree trunks and branches. But sometimes it descends to the ground, looking for food in the grass and forest turf. In autumn, birds love to eat bird cherry, hawthorn, and rose hips. The main plant diet consists of conifer cone seeds, beech and glen nuts, acorns, barley and oats.

Nuthatches are almost not afraid of people and are often found near feeders

According to the observations of ornithologists, the nuthatch has a good sense of smell; it will never be interested in an empty nut. It skillfully pierces the hard skin with a sharp, strong beak, pressing the fruit to the surface of the trunk, holding it with its paw, or placing it in a rocky crevice.

In winter, brave birds come to man-made feeders. When looking for food, they are not afraid to even sit on a hand with seeds or other treats. From autumn to December, crawlers create food caches, placing nuts and seeds along cracks in the bark or hollows in different places so that the supplies do not disappear all at once.

Reproduction and lifespan

Puberty birds ends by the end of the first year. Pairs are created once and for life. The nuthatch's mating song is heard in the forest in February, and by the end of March the pair is looking for a nesting site. Abandoned woodpecker hollows or hollows from rotten branches are suitable. The main thing is that they are at a height of three to ten meters.

Nuthatches place their nests in tree hollows

The entrance and adjacent areas of the bark are sealed with clay moistened with saliva. A hole with a diameter of 3–4 cm remains. Based on this feature, it is determined that it is the nuthatches that have settled here. The “ceiling” of the inside of the hollow is also “plastered”, and the lower part is lined with a thick layer of dusty bark and dry leaves. It takes two weeks to set up.

The nests of rock nuthatches are unique. They are a clay cone attached to the rock with a wide end. The most amazing thing is that the space around the entrance is decorated with bright feathers, fruit shells, and rags.

This decoration signals to other birds that the place is occupied. The pair trims the inner walls of the nest with chitin (wings, underwings of beetles).

In April, the female lays 6–9 white eggs with brown speckles, which are incubated for 2–2.5 weeks. At this time, the male actively cares for his female friend, offering her food throughout the day. When the chicks appear, both parents are concerned about feeding them.

More than three hundred times a day they bring caterpillars for their constantly hungry offspring. The chicks begin to fly after three to four weeks, but the male and female continue to provide them with food for another two weeks. After this, the young animals begin to feed on their own. Small birds live in the wild or in captivity for the same 10 years.

The coachman, or common nuthatch, is a small bird of the nuthatch family, which is widespread in North Africa, Asia and Europe. Can be found in central Russia, as well as in Siberia. There it nests in mixed, coniferous and deciduous forests, gardens and parks settlements. In search of food, the common nuthatch moves with dexterity along branches and tree trunks, often even upside down.

Description

It is a small, agile bird, reaching 14.5 cm in length, weighing 25 g and having a wingspan of 27 cm; with a large head, a dense build and an almost imperceptible, short neck. The plumage is thick and fluffy. The color varies depending on the habitat; the upper part of the body always has different shades of gray-blue. In Western Europe, as well as in the Caucasus, it has a red belly and a white chin and neck. In the north, its undertail is white with red sides, in addition, it has a chestnut undertail with white streaks.

The common nuthatch, pictures of which are presented in this article, living in the eastern part of China, has a completely red underside. Far Eastern species have white breast feathers. There are always white spots on the outer tail feathers. There is a dark horizontal stripe from the beginning of the beak to the back of the head. The beak is sharp, straight and long, gray. At its base there are stiff bristles directed forward. The wings are rounded, short, and have ten flight feathers. Short, straight tail. The legs are strong, gray-brown, with tenacious long claws, perfectly adapted for active tree climbing. Females and males do not differ from each other in appearance, only the male is slightly larger.

Area

In the forested part of the Palaearctic (the main part of Asia, Europe, and the common nuthatch is also widespread. The bird, the photo of which is presented in this article, is found almost everywhere in European countries. On the territory of our country from the north, the range is limited to the shore of the White Sea, the lower reaches of the Ob and villages Ust-Tsilm; from the south - Saratov, Voronezh regions, Kokchetav, Southern Urals, Barnaul and Omsk. Outside our country, it lives in Korea, China, Taiwan and the Japanese Islands; in the south lives in Iran, Israel, Indochina and the Himalayan mountains. In Africa it can be found in Morocco.

Habitat

The common nuthatch lives in forests - coniferous, mixed and deciduous, and chooses territories with big amount old and tall trees in which it looks for food. It also readily settles in parks and gardens with woody vegetation. In the southern regions and Western Europe gives preference deciduous forests, in which hornbeam, oak, and beech dominate.

The common nuthatch reaches the forest-tundra in the north, and the steppe zone in the southern part, where it nests in shelterbelts and tugai forests. On Far East and in Siberia, where coniferous forests mainly grow, it lives mostly in the taiga with a large amount of larch or cedar. It is known that the fragmentation of forests, often leading to a reduction in the number of different types, does not affect the reproduction of the nuthatch.

The common nuthatch (photo can be seen in this article) leads a sedentary life, and, as a rule, it sticks to one place unless disturbed. In the middle taiga and in the north of the range, birds migrate south in winter. At this time of year they can join other birds (mainly tits), but do not form flocks themselves. A territorial bird, it guards its territory all year round.

Reproduction

For birds, the beginning of the breeding season directly depends on latitude. For example, they begin to nest in April, while in the northern regions - only in May. Birds are monogamous (only one female per male); pairs persist throughout their lives.

Nuthatches wall up their hollow with clay, leaving only a small entrance.

Incubation

The common nuthatch, the photo of which is posted in this article, falls silent with the beginning of incubation, becoming inconspicuous. The female incubates, and she leaves the nest only in case of danger, having previously covered the clutch with bedding. Incubation lasts about two weeks. Next, the chicks hatch, which are covered with long, sparse down on the back, shoulders and head. Both parents take care of them, bringing them food up to 350 times a day. The chicks begin to fly after 25 days, although they are fed by their parents for another 1-2 weeks, and then disperse.

By the end of summer, the majority of young birds select an individual site for themselves, but the choice of partner and nesting territory are finally determined only next spring. Birds in the wild live about eleven years.

Hollow

The common woodpecker nests in hollows, but, unlike the same woodpeckers, it is not able to hollow out a hollow on its own, therefore, they use old nests or occupy natural voids in trees. The hollow is selected at a distance of 4-8 meters above the ground. Artificially created artificial nests are also occupied. Often, if the hole is large enough, they cover it with clay to protect it from various predators, periodically mixing it with manure, leaving only a small hole with a diameter of up to 35 mm. Periodically, both the hollow itself and nearby areas are covered with clay.

The inside of the hollow is lined with small scales of a thin upper layer of bark, and sometimes with pieces of leaves. The litter is lush - the eggs are almost completely immersed in it.