Migratory birds feed. What types of migratory birds are there? For example, migratory birds include

During the cold season, it is important for many birds to feed themselves. But there is a lot of snow outside the window, and the birds cannot find food in the snowdrifts. In order not to die, birds fly to warmer climes.

Wintering and migratory birds: a brief summary for children

Rook. Crow clan. In the north it is a migratory bird, in southern countries it is a sedentary bird. Rooks nest in large colonies. In large populated areas, the rook is a common wintering bird.

Stork. One of the most famous migratory birds for children. Prefers to avoid people and lives in the forest zone of Eurasia.

Nightingale. It lives in river valleys, in bush thickets, a very small migratory bird, flies to Africa for the winter.

Sparrow. This active little bird remains to spend the winter with humans. Sparrow loves bread crumbs very much, but is wary of people who feed him.

Titmouse. This is a nomadic bird. Depending on the season, it can hibernate or move from place to place in search of food.

Magpie. A sedentary raven bird that often lives near humans.

Migratory and wintering birds: pictures

Tasks for the baby

Find the migratory birds in the picture and circle them.

Read the names of the birds. Which of them winter in your city?

Show me how the birds sit, ruffled in the cold.

Migratory and wintering birds: presentation

Rooks love to follow tractors plowing the ground in large flocks.
The magpie is the only bird (and not a mammal) that can recognize itself in a mirror. In comparison, a parrot does not recognize itself in the mirror, but mistakes its own reflection for another parrot.
The migratory bird the pink gull, which lives in Greenland and northeast Siberia, does not fly to the South when frost sets in, but flies to the North. This is explained by the fact that the coast of the Arctic Ocean is not completely covered with ice, and pink gulls can spend the winter there, feeding on crustaceans and fish.
There are pigeons that cannot fly. This breed is called a salon roller.
Raven and crow are perfect different birds, not male and female. The raven is about 10 cm longer than the crow.
Some storks periodically fall asleep during their flight. A tired bird moves to the center of the key, closes its eyes and dozes for about 10 minutes. At this time, the stork’s acute hearing helps it maintain its altitude and direction of flight. The black swift can also fall asleep during flight.
Birds do not have sweat glands, and the temperature of birds is 8 degrees higher than that of humans. Three quarters of the air inhaled by birds is used to cool the body. But in winter, some birds do not freeze like humans.
The birds fly in wedges so that each individual can conserve its energy. Each bird flies after its neighbor, ending up in air flow, created by the wings of the previous individual. In this case, it is most difficult for the leader - he is the most resilient individual, flying ahead of the entire flock.
Swifts and pigeons can reach speeds of about 300 km/h, seagulls can accelerate to about 160 km/h.
The condor is the largest bird that can fly. It weighs about 15 kg, and its wingspan is up to three meters.

Migratory birds are those that, with the onset of cold weather, fly south to wait for them. For each species of migratory birds, the need for flight is determined in its own way: if one bird already senses something is wrong and flies away, then the other will think: “Wow, so much food, maybe it won’t fly anywhere at all?” We have prepared for you pictures of migratory birds with names and descriptions, which are often needed for children. For example, to prepare a report, homework, or just for general development. You will learn where migratory birds live, what they like to eat, as well as the size of the birds. We'll also give you some general information about winged travelers.

Why do birds migrate at all?

Birds fly away not because they are cold. They have excellent insulation from feathers, but they need something to support the metabolism inside the body: eat. It is the availability of food that determines the time of flight of birds. If the winter promises to be warm, then some bird species may have enough food to survive the winter, so some species sometimes stay.

Which migratory birds fly away earlier and which later?

Birds that feed on insects fly away first. After all, at some point their food becomes insufficient: the insects hide, and the birds go further south to feed themselves.
Then, along with the freezing of the soil, birds also fly away, feeding on seeds, grains of trees and plants.
Large waterfowl representatives hold on until the end, until their reservoirs begin to become covered with an ice crust.

All migratory birds: photographs, names, descriptions

Whitebrow, a species of Thrush (Turdus iliacus)

The white-browed blackbird is the smallest among the thrushes, and the most common species in Russia and the CIS countries. Not very afraid of the cold: it flies away late for the winter and is one of the first to return. Prefers to nest in sparse birch forest.

Dimensions: 22 cm in length, weight almost never exceeds 60 g.
Habitat area: Eurasia, Himalayas. In winter it flies closer to Africa.
What does it eat?: insects, butterflies, caterpillars. It does not disdain worms, which it brings to its chicks in whole bunches to the nest.

Shore swallow, Shore swallow (Riparia riparia)

These tiny representatives of the swallow family love to fly quickly over the surface of the water and settle near reservoirs. Moreover, Beregovushki do not change their living habits even when on a warm “vacation”. Favorite places for nests are steep banks of rivers with soft soil, near sand pits, anywhere where you can dig a nest-cave next to a pond.

Dimensions: length - 12-13 cm, wingspan - 25-28 cm, weight 11-16 g.
Habitat area: the entire territory of Eurasia, as well as part of North America. Migrates south depending on the area of its original habitat, closer to the reservoir.
What does it eat?: almost exclusively by insects. Likes to hunt in flight, quickly grabbing insects with its beak. Small size and great mobility in the air make Beregovushka a successful hunter.

Woodcock (Skolopax rusticola)

A medium-sized bird of the Snipe family with a straight beak and camouflage color in red and black tones. The singing of this bird can be heard infrequently, only during the mating season. Loves moist, swampy soils, dense deciduous and mixed forests. Always not averse to moving around in search of places with richer food. They are found alone, which may be in vain: they love to hunt Woodcocks.

Dimensions: length - up to 38 centimeters, on average 33-35. The wingspan reaches 65 cm, and the weight is 460 g. The beak is 7-9 centimeters long.
Habitat area: forests and forest-steppes of Eurasia. It is also found in the Canary, Azores, British Isles, and Japan.
What does it eat?: earthworms. Woodcock chooses its place of residence based on the size of its population. It can also feed on insects and their larvae.

Junx torquilla

The bird of the woodpecker family got its name for its long neck, which is constantly in motion. It does not make a hollow for itself in a tree; it prefers to settle in living space abandoned by other woodpeckers. Can drive smaller birds out of the hollow. When its hollow is attacked, the Whirlwind fluffs its tail, hangs its wings, makes a hiss and twirls its neck like a snake, misleading the attacker.

Dimensions: approximately 17-20 cm in length, wingspan 25-30 cm, weight 32-48 g.
Where does it live?: in the forests of the Mediterranean, Eurasia from France all the way to Japan, and south to China. It also settles near people, in public gardens and parks.
What does it eat?: ants, beetles, but most often - their larvae.

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

A small bird of the Thrush family of the order Passeriformes. Males have bright colors on the chest and under the beak. They love to sing while sitting on bushes in the morning, sometimes flying into the air to perform so-called current flights. At night the singing stops. The songs of this bird often contain sounds reminiscent of “Varak”, hence the name.

Dimensions: about 15 cm long. Males weigh from 15 to 23 g, females - from 13 to 21 g.
Where does it live?: banks of rivers, streams, ravines, lakes, etc., where it is wetter and denser. They nest directly on the ground in thickets of grass and bushes. Widely distributed in Eurasia.
What does it eat?: insects and their larvae. In autumn he switches to a berry diet.

Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

A small bird of the flycatcher family, which can often be found in city parks in the European part of Russia. If you look at the photo of this migratory bird, you can easily understand where its name comes from.

Dimensions: approximately 10-15 cm in length as an adult.
Where does it live?: Europe, European part of Russia, fly to Africa for the winter.
What does it eat?: usually insects, but may switch to berries if a primary food source is not available.

Ringed beetle (Charadrius hiaticula)

The Ribbed Bird is a small migratory bird, dark gray-brown above and white below. It got its name from the characteristic black circle surrounding the neck. They nest in the sand; usually the house of these birds looks like a depression in the sand, sometimes covered with stones.

Dimensions: usually about 20 cm long.
Where does it live?: the coastline is both sandy and pebbly and silty. Habitat: Eurasia, North America. It flies to the southern parts of the continent for the winter, but most often to Africa.
What does it eat?: mainly worms and other invertebrates that are found in the waters and near the shores of inhabited bodies of water.

Deryaba (Turdus viscivorus)

A moderately large bird of the thrush family, males are completely black with an orange beak and a yellow halo around the eyes. Females and newly hatched individuals are brown with light spots on the throat, chest and abdomen. This is a singing migratory bird that loves to set intricate melodies with the first rays of the sun, and use them to see off the day. Singing is similar to the sounds of a flute.

Size: up to 26 cm in length. The weight of an adult is from 80 to 125 g.
Where does it live?: In Europe and western Russia in coniferous and mixed forests with moist soil and undergrowth in which worms can be found. Loves forest ravines. Not averse to settling in gardens and parks abandoned by man. Also lives in Caucasian mountain forests. Flies south when the undergrowth freezes.
What does it eat?: It’s easier to list what the blackbird does not eat. This is an omnivorous bird that can feed on worms, beetles, insects, larvae, seeds, berries and fruits.

Song thrush (Turdus philomelos)

The songs of this migratory songbird of the thrush family are rightfully recognized as especially beautiful and pleasing to the ear. The song thrush sings a wide variety of songs in a leisurely manner. They are able to sing all day long, they are most active in the morning and evening hours. The popularization of his work is facilitated by his gradual appearance in city parks. But still, the song thrush prefers the outskirts of dense forests and clearings as a permanent place of residence.

Size: the average adult is from 21 to 25 cm in length, the wingspan is on average 35 cm, but reaches 39. Weight is 55-100 g.
Where does it live?: any types of forests in Europe, Asia Minor, Siberia.
What does it eat?: invertebrates (worms), switches to a berry diet in the fall.

Field Lark (Alauda arvensis)

Larks are known for their sonorous morning songs. It has a fairly wide chest for its size, which holds a lot of air for continuous singing. The skylark nests directly on the ground, camouflaging it in the grass. It also hunts on the ground, never catching insects in flight. In winter, it does not fly far from its habitat and returns early.

Size: 11-20 cm in length, body weight up to 45 g.
Where does it live?: meadows, steppes, fields, mountains of Eurasia, North Africa. Not found in forests.
What does it eat?: plant seeds, especially loves wild types of millet. Eats bugs, spiders, butterflies and their larvae.

Common Shrike (Lanius collurio)

The shrike is a small carnivorous bird of the shrike family of the passerine order. Males differ from females in being brighter in color, as can be seen in the photograph. Doesn't really like to sing. This bird migrates at night. Hunts by sitting on a branch. He likes to pin the fruits of a successful hunt on tree thorns or barbed wire.

Size: 16-18 cm body length, 28-31 cm wingspan, 28 g body weight.
Where does it live?: Almost all of Europe and western Asia. It flies to the tropics of Africa for the winter.
What does it eat?: large insects, smaller birds, lizards, voles.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Migratory bird from the flycatcher family. They are colored pale gray-green on top, the chest and part of the head are bright orange. A long-legged bird of passage, the robin is one of the first to return to its habitat after wintering. Both females and males sing, but the latter do it better.

Size: body length reaches 16 cm, on average about 15 cm, weight on average 17-18 g.
Where does it live?: North-West Africa, Western Eurasia. They love dense and moist deciduous/mixed forests. They settle in human parks and gardens.
What does it eat?: worms, snails, insects. They eat berries when there is no main source of food. In winter they eat soft food in feeders.

Wood Accentor (Prunella modularis)

The Wood Accentor is a small migratory songbird. It belongs to a separate family - Accentoridae, in which it is the most common species. It differs from its relatives in that it nests in the plains in addition to the mountains. After all, she is very agile and elusive, she moves very quickly through the bushes.

Size: 13-14.5 centimeters, weight up to 20 g.
Where does it live?: Eurasia: continental Europe, Mediterranean, can be found in the Swiss Alps, Caucasus Mountains, Pyrenees. Prefers temperate climates and bushy undergrowth, especially close to water.
What does it eat?: insects, worms, arachnids. In the fall, he changes his diet to plant foods: seeds, berries, fruits. Willingly feeds from feeders if there are bread crumbs or lard there.

Finch (Fringila coelebs)

The finch is a bright, attractive songbird of the finch family, about the size of a sparrow. IN natural environment habitat lives on average 2 years, but when tamed by humans, it lives up to 12 years. Males and females differ significantly in color, especially in spring. In the top right picture above you can see a male and female Finch.

Size: length is just over 14 cm. Wingspan is from 24.5 to 28.5 cm. The finch weighs from 15 to 40 grams.
Where does it live?: in all types of forests, both coniferous and deciduous, including artificial ones. Prefers not too dense forests with tall mature trees and a cool climate. Often settles near people in parks, squares, or even next to residential buildings. Almost the most common bird in Russia.
What does it eat?: seeds, plant shoots, harmful insects, worms.

Oriole (Oreolus oreolus)

The oriole is the only species of the Oriole family, and is also a common migratory bird in Europe and Asia. It loves the crowns of deciduous trees and is not inclined to gather in large flocks; pairs of these birds can often be seen. It is not afraid of long flights for the sake of warmth; it migrates all the way to tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Bright black and yellow appearance.

Size: 24-25 cm in length, weight varies from 50 to 90 grams.
Where does it live?: Eurasia, covers almost the entire territory of Europe and western Asia. He likes to settle in tall deciduous forests, which cannot be said about the dense shady forests of the Taiga. It often nests near humans, in parks and squares.
What does it eat?: wood insects, caterpillars, large and small insects. Not averse to profiting from the nests of smaller birds. It can also feed on berries, which it does with pleasure during their ripening period.

Badger Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)

The badger warbler is a migratory bird of the passerine order. Males and females do not differ in color; they have a black-gray pattern on top and a light belly with a yellowish tint. The nest is built on a slight elevation above the ground; the eggs are incubated alternately by the male and female. In less than two weeks, the chicks are ready for independent life.

Size: average length - 13 cm, wingspan up to 21 cm. Weight up to 15 g.
Where does it live?: in thickets of reeds and bushes near rivers, lakes and other bodies of water almost throughout Europe. With the onset of cold weather, it travels an average of 6,000 km to reach places south of the Sahara in Africa.
What does it eat?: insects and berries, as well as shellfish.

Marsh warbler (Acrocephalus palustris)

Similar to the previous family, marsh warblers are similar in size and also do not differ in color depending on gender. Shows a good ability to move in thickets of bushes and reeds, as well as imitate the singing of some other birds. A considerable life expectancy by the standards of a bird of this size is 9 years.

Size: Length 13 cm, wingspan reaches 21 cm, weight from 11 to 14 grams.
Where does it live?: A European summer resident, the marsh warbler prefers to winter in Africa south of the equator. Settles near water bodies in dense thickets.
What does it eat?: spiders, insects and their larvae, mollusks.

Coot (Fulica atra)

Coot, Lyska, Kashkaldak or Kachkaldak are all waterfowl migratory birds of the rail family. It got its name in Russia for the white leathery growth above its beak. It should be noted that it becomes white in adult birds, and in captives it is red. The shell of the eyes is bright red. The animal feels great in water, where it spends a huge part of its life.

Size: length 36-38 cm, wingspan 19.5-23.5 cm, weight from 0.5 to 1 kg. Some individuals can gain up to 1.5 kg
Where does it live?: on reservoirs with both fresh and slightly salted water. Loves quiet water places, without strong currents. Nests can be found in coastal vegetation. During winter migration, it does not change its habits; it is often found in sea bays, lakes, and reservoirs.
What does it eat?: mostly plant foods, aquatic plants and their fruits. Carnivorous food (insects) makes up no more than 10% of the diet. Can take food from swans and ducks. Sometimes it dives in search of food to a depth of 1.5 m.

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

The buzzard is a predatory migratory bird of the hawk family, found almost throughout the Old World: both in Africa during migration and in Eurasia. They like to settle in forests, from which they are not far from meadows or clearings, where they like to hunt. They attack prey either from a leisurely hover above the ground or from an elevated position. During winter migration they form large flocks, which are avoided by rabbits and gophers.

Size: length 51-57 cm, wingspan 110-130 cm. Females are usually larger than males.
Where does it live?: in almost all of Europe, in the forest belt of Asia, it usually migrates to Africa for the winter, but may not fly anywhere.
What does it eat?: small mammals such as rats, mice, gophers, small birds even rabbits. From hunger, he can profit from carrion.

River Tern (Sterna hirundo)

The River Tern is a water-loving bird of the Tern family and is a migratory bird. It is also called the Common Tern. Outwardly it is very similar to the polar one, but a little smaller. Excellent divers, they find food in the water. Easily recognizable by their bright orange beak with a black tip, black crown and bright flipper legs.

Size: the body of an adult is 31 to 35 cm long, wingspan is 70-80 cm, weight is from 97 to 175 g.
Where does it live?: on the coastline of seas, oceans, as well as rivers and other inland bodies of water in Europe, Africa, New Guinea, the Philippines, and western South America.
What does it eat?: a small fish that it catches by diving into the water. They are also not averse to profiting from insects and mollusks.

Clintuh (Columbia oenas)

Klintukh is a pigeon very similar to the Rock Pigeon, well known to city residents. But unlike it, Klintukh prefers a forest lifestyle far from civilization. Males and females look almost the same, but males are larger. It usually leads a sedentary lifestyle if it nests in a warm area, but the further north the nest is, the greater the chance that Klintukh will fly away from its home to spend the winter in warmer climes.

Size: length 32-34 cm, male weight 303-365 g, female weight 286-290 g, wingspan 63-70 cm
Where does it live?: deciduous, mixed forests and forest-steppes of Eurasia. Usually does not nest above 500m above sea level.
What does it eat?: seeds of plants and trees, much less - insects, mollusks.

Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Everyone is familiar with the species of migratory birds of the cuckoo family due to the recognizable singing of the male bird. Do you already have her voice in your head? This means that you have at least once been near the forest and heard this singing. For most of their lives they are silent birds, and only in the spring do they begin to sing, conducting their mating games. According to ornithologists' observations, a cuckoo can crow up to 360 times in one approach. I wish I could get to a song like this after the question “Cuckoo-cuckoo, how long do I have left to live?”

Size: the length of the cuckoo reaches 34 cm, the wingspan is from 55 to 65 cm, the weight is 80-190 g.
Where does it live?: This bird can be found almost everywhere, in all climatic zones and landscapes. He prefers to spend the winter in Africa and the tropics of Asia.
What does it eat?: mainly insects and their larvae.

Common nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

The nightjar is a nocturnal carnivorous migratory bird of the true nightjar family, slightly larger than a thrush. A characteristic feature is the color, which allows the bird to camouflage well against the background of tree bark or forest litter. Squinting her eyes, she blends even more into the world around her. They don’t have long legs and can’t grab branches with them. Therefore, Nightjar sits along the branches, and not across.

Size: length 24.5-28 cm, wingspan 52-59 cm, weight of males 51-101 g, and females 67-95 g.
Where does it live?: Eurasia, North Africa, in open areas, as well as rare forests. Avoids dense forest. Loves warm or temperate climates.
What does it eat?: mainly nocturnal insects, catches bees and wasps, mosquitoes.

Forest Pipit (Anthus trivialis)

This migratory bird of the wagtail family is also called the “forest crow.” It is smaller in size than a sparrow, has a gray-brown color on the top with black-brown splashes, the chest and bottom are lighter, but also with dark splashes. How younger bird, the more clearly visible are the black streaks on the top.

Size: body length reaches 16 cm.
Where does it live?: in Europe, Northern and Central Asia.
What does it eat?: insects and their larvae, spiders. In autumn it begins to eat plant seeds.

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

The wren is a tiny migratory bird of the wren family, its only representative. A small ball of feathers with a trumpet-like tail, this bird is very active and loud. Males sing, flying up a tree or other elevation, marking their territory. They nest unusually; the entrance to their nest is located on the side, making it resemble a cave. That's why this species given the name troglodytes.

Size: one of the smallest birds in Europe. Body length 9-10.5 cm, almost 2 times smaller than a sparrow! Wingspan 15-17 cm, weight 8-12 g.
Where does it live?: Eurasia, North Africa, North America. Mostly a sedentary bird, only northern residents migrate south in winter. They love dense and damp coniferous and dark mixed forests, densely overgrown undergrowth.
What does it eat?: invertebrates: worms, beetles, grasshoppers, larvae, woodlice, etc. Sometimes they can hunt small fish in the water. In autumn they switch to berries.

Garden warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)

The garden warbler differs slightly from other types of warblers - reed or marsh warblers. The male and female look almost identical. The main difference is the birdsong, which you can listen to in the video below. Often imitates the calls of other bird species, but mainly at night.

Size: length from 11 to 17 cm, wing length from 5.8 to 6.5 cm. Weight from 9 to 15 g.
Where does it live?: east of southern Finland and the Baltic states, south of the northernmost point of Ukraine. Winters in India.
What does it eat?: insects.

Corncrake (Crex crex)

A small bird of the rail family. It flies reluctantly, but during winter flights to warm regions it easily covers distances of thousands of kilometers. Lives in tall grasses, from where it rarely appears. A secretive bird, it sings only during the mating season and remains silent the rest of the time. Poultry meat is valued for its good taste.

Size: Slightly larger than a blackbird. Body length 27-30 cm, wingspan 46-53 cm, weight 80-200 g
Where does it live?: in meadows and steppes with tall grasses, in damp thickets, fields. Winters in Africa.
What does it eat?: everything, but mostly invertebrates - worms, insects, beetles, snails. Less commonly, small mice and lizards, plant seeds.

Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

A medium-sized carnivorous migratory bird belonging to the hawk family. It has large wings and a tail, allowing it to hunt quietly and with long hovering above the ground at low speed. Females are noticeably larger than males.

Size: length 46-47 cm, wingspan 97-118 cm. Weight of females 390-600 g, males 290-390 g.
Where does it live?: in open landscapes: fields, lawns, steppes, etc., in the north - in the forest-tundra.
What does it eat?: mainly rodents - hamsters, mice, rats, gophers, voles. Can catch rabbits.

Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

A migratory bird of the swallow family with a long tail with a fork-like fork. Social animals gather in large flocks. Surely many have seen such flocks on power wires.

Size: body length from 14.6 to 19.9 cm, wingspan from 31.8 to 34.3 cm. Weight from 17 to 20 g.
Where does it live?: Almost everywhere, with the exception of Antarctica and Australia. They easily adapt to life in any place where there is food.
What does it eat?: insects that are caught in flight.

City swallow (Delichon urbica)

Originally a rock dweller, this migratory bird of the swallow family is well adapted to life in the concrete jungle. Differs from the rustic in color, which is more black and white, but has a bluish tint on the upper part of the body. In flight, it flaps its wings very quickly: it makes an average of 5.3 flaps per second.

Size: body length from 12 to 17 cm, wingspan from 20 to 33 cm, weight from 18 to 19 g.
Where does it live?: can often be seen under the eaves of residential buildings, high-rise buildings, and on balconies. IN wildlife they settle on rocks, but are found there less and less often, preferring proximity to humans.
What does it eat?: insects caught in flight.

Gray flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

This inconspicuous bird of the flycatcher family is approximately the size of a sparrow, has a long tail, gray or gray-brown plumage, short legs and beak. Characteristic vertical landing on a branch. It knows how to distinguish its own eggs from the eggs of other birds, therefore it never falls victim to the deception of the cuckoo and other birds that place their own eggs in other people's clutches.

Size: body length 15.5 cm, weight 15 g.
Where does it live?: Almost everywhere in Europe and Western Asia. Flies in winter to Africa and southwest Asia.
What does it eat?: insects that it hunts with its typical shaking movements of its tail and wings, after which it flies into the air, trying to catch the insect.

Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

A songbird of the flycatcher family. Males and females differ in color: females are inconspicuous, gray-brown, males are more contrasting, black above, white below. Likes to nest in hollows, crevices, under canopies. Does not build nests in the open air. Females and males pair up to breed and care for their young. The chicks are fed by both parents, making up to 500 flights and returns to the nest.

Size: body length about 16 cm, weight 15-19 g.
Where does it live?: in the forests of Europe, both on the continent and on the islands, in Western Siberia. Flies to North Africa for the winter. Loves deciduous light forests or mixed, not dense ones.
What does it eat?: sawfly larvae, flies, caterpillars, spiders. Moreover, flies make up no more than 1/3 of the flycatcher’s diet. In autumn it also feeds on berries and fruits.

Small flycatcher (Ficedula parva)

Another migratory representative of the flycatcher family, inferior to the others in size. The coloration of the male is almost identical to the Robin, also described in this article. A distinctive feature of males is an orange crop framed by a gray stripe. Young males, after the first molt in their lives, look like females, and only by the second spring they become attractive to females.

Size: 12 cm long, weighs 11 g.
Where does it live?: in almost all types of forests in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe to the western slopes of the Ural Mountains. Flies to the south of Asia for the winter.
What does it eat?: insects, spiders, small mollusks; in the fall it also feeds on berries.

Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniculus)

This species of migratory bird is also called reed bunting, reed grass. Adult males are characterized by black plumage on the head. It moves on the ground by jumping, but prefers to move through the air with impetuous throws, up and down. It is easy to grab and hold with your feet even on very thin stems.

Size: body length up to 16 cm, wingspan reaches 23 cm.
Where does it live?: in coastal thickets of reeds, reeds, bushes near lakes, rivers, swamps and other bodies of water. Europe and western Asia excluding mountainous areas.
What does it eat?: Mainly feeds on seeds, but during the breeding season it switches to insects, snails, and worms.

Warbler (Philloscopus trochilus)

A singing migratory bird of the warbler family of the order Passeriformes. Outwardly, it is difficult to distinguish from the Chiffchaff (below), but once it sings, the differences are immediately audible. Males of this species are no different from females. According to ornithologists' research, willow warblers are the most numerous bird species migrating from Europe to Africa, with 300 million birds making the journey every year.

Size: body length from 11 to 13 cm, wingspan from 17 to 22 cm. Weight - from 8 to 11 g.
Where does it live?: almost all of Europe, flies south of the Sahara for the winter. Prefers deciduous and mixed sparse forests, bushes, wet areas, gardens and parks.
What does it eat?: insects and their larvae, spiders, snails, as well as berries and fruits.

Green warbler (Philloscopus trochiloides)

A distinctive feature, reflected in the name, is the green color of the plumage on the back, head, wings and withers, and a little on the chest. Females and males without significant differences from each other. Nests are built in natural landscape shelters - caves, burrows, spaces under stones, tree hollows not high above the ground.

Size: body length about 10 cm, wingspan from 15 to 21 cm, weight up to 8 g.
Where does it live?: main habitat green warbler- southern and middle taiga, mixed forests, ranging from the east of Central Europe to the Pacific Ocean.
What does it eat?: small insects, spiders, mollusks.

Chiffchaff (Philloscopus collibita)

A tiny bird of the warbler family. It got its name for its style of singing, in which the repeated sounds “ten-tian-tin” are guessed. It differs from the willow warbler in its singing and darker legs. Another difference between these two species is that the chiffchaff sometimes lowers its tail.

Size: length 10-12 cm, weight of males 7-8 g, weight of females 6-7 g.
Where does it live?: in sparse, tall forests with undergrowth, prefers deciduous and mixed ones. Breeds in Eurasia, winters in the south of the continent, as well as in Africa.
What does it eat?: similarly with other members of the family, insects, caterpillars, snails, larvae, as well as berries and fruits. Eats about 1/3 of its body weight per day.

Warbler (Philloscopus sibilatrix)

The top of the warbler is green-tinged, the bottom is white. Males and females do not differ in color. It hides its nest on the ground in dense thickets of bushes. Migratory behavior, direction and duration of flight are determined by nature.

Size: body length from 11 to 13 cm, wingspan 19-24 cm. The weight of the warbler is approximately from 8 to 13 grams.
Where does it live?: in deciduous and mixed forests of Central Europe, beech parks.
What does it eat?: similar to other foams, it feeds on spiders, insects and their larvae, small mollusks, and berries.

Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

This carnivorous bird of the Falcon family is distinguished by its method of hunting - it soars in the air at a height of 10-20 meters behind the ground in search of prey. It is also distinguished by its brown plumage. Prefers to migrate alone. Increasingly, he chooses to be close to a person.

Size: males are up to 34.5 cm in length, have a wingspan of about 75 cm on average with an average weight of 200 grams. Females are 36 cm in length with a wingspan of up to 76 cm, and are heavier than males by an average of 20 grams, but weight varies depending on the season. It is most active during the egg-laying period.
Where does it live?: easily adapts to a wide variety of conditions, which has contributed to their spread in various areas of the Earth. In general, both dense forests and completely bare steppes are avoided.
What does it eat?: small mammals, lizards, large insects.

Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

The quail belongs to the partridge subfamily of the order Galliformes; it is the only migratory bird of this order. In the past, quails were often caged as songbird or arranged fights between them. Nowadays this practice is less common, but... Just like poultry meat. In captivity, quail feels great.

Size: Body length 16-20 cm, weight 80-145 g.
Where does it live?: in Europe, Asia and West Africa, in Russia it is distributed to the East up to Lake Baikal in fields, plains, and mountains.
What does it eat?: plant seeds, young shoots, rarely insects.

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

The fieldfare is a species of thrush abundant in Europe. It differs from most thrushes in its lifestyle - it is more social. Fieldfare gather in flocks of 60-80 birds, although some still prefer to remain solitary. In winter they like to eat rowan, which is why they got their name. They defend themselves from enemies by bombarding them with their droppings. If a flock of fieldfares is attacked by a bird, then it risks its plumage, which will turn out to be glued together and unable to hold the bird in the air.

Size: 24-28 cm in length, wingspan 39-42 cm.
Where does it live?: practically throughout Europe, as well as in Siberia.
What does it eat?: both animal and plant foods, loves rowan, sea buckthorn and other forest berries.

Common nightingale (Luscinia luscinia)

The common nightingale is a well-known migratory songbird, a singer glorified by many Russian fairy tales. His song is a repeating series of trills, clicks, and whistles. Each set is called a knee. Belongs to the flycatcher family. The first nightingales returning from warm countries appear in early May, around the 8th-10th.

Most likely, it is a direct northern descendant of the southern, or western, nightingale. The range of the common nightingale extends from the western borders of Russia to the Yenisei River. The northern border covers the entire strip of southern taiga in the European part of Russia and the Urals, drops somewhat south to subtaiga forests in Western Siberia and goes into the forest-steppe in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The southern border covers the forest-steppe and steppe of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and passes through the territory of dry steppes and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan.

The common nightingale is a moisture-loving bird. It reaches its maximum numbers in floodplain forests. Its favorite habitats are floodplain and lowland wet oak forests of the subzone of coniferous-deciduous forests and oak forests of the European forest-steppe. The main scheme of the nesting microstation of the common nightingale is dense, shady thickets of viburnum, bird cherry, buckthorn and honeysuckle in the floodplain of the river, near a small spring or forest spring. The nightingale also willingly nests in dense thickets of moisture-loving grasses. The only important thing is that under the canopy of grass, which well hides the bird and shades the ground, there remains a bare space free of grass. Better conditions This type occurs in nettle thickets and some umbrella and floodplain shrubs. An excellent example of favorable nesting microstations are elderberry thickets that are shady in damp lowland and ravine areas. In the forest zone, the nightingale widely spreads along the floodplains of forest streams and rivers, and lowland alder forests.

Size: length up to 20 cm, males weigh 22.4-27.5 g, females 23.8-25.2 g.
Where does it live?: where it is humid, it loves coastal forests and low-lying oak groves. Often nests in dense thickets of viburnum and bird cherry near rivers and streams, in thickets of grasses. The range is from western Russia to the Yenisei, and from the north - from the southern Taiga to the semi-deserts of Kazakhstan.
What does it eat?: various insects, worms.

Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin)

A songbird of the warbler family. It nests low above the ground, usually in bushes or low trees. It takes an average of 6-10 days to build a nest. The male and female alternately incubate the offspring and obtain food. Life expectancy is up to 14 years.

Size: body length 13-14.5 cm, weight 16-22 g
Where does it live?: forest edges, clearings, as well as bushes near rivers in Europe, central and southern regions of Western Siberia.
What does it eat?: insects and caterpillars, in the fall switches to a berry diet of blueberries, elderberries, raspberries and other berries.

Gray Warbler (Sylvia communis)

Another small bird of the warbler family, it is distinguished by its gray color. Smaller in size than a sparrow. Often sings in flight, without perching on the branches. It differs from other species of the family in its nest-building habits: in gray warblers, it is deeper, with a higher content of field grasses.

Size: 14-20 cm.
Where does it live?: in Europe, Asia Minor, Western Siberia, winters in North-West Africa, Israel.
What does it eat?: insects and berries.

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

This species of migratory bird is also called the miller's warbler. They have a brownish color, which distinguishes them from other warbler species, along with their size. After arriving from warm countries, males immediately begin to sing and build several nest frames. After the pair is created, one of the nests is completed jointly.

Size: Body length 11.5-13.5 cm, wing length - about 6.5 cm, weight 12-16 g.
Where does it live?: almost everywhere where there are bushes, hedges, including in human gardens. They winter in Africa.
What does it eat?: insects and their larvae, spiders, mollusks, berries.

Black-headed Warbler (Sylvia atricapilla)

A typical migratory warbler, but with black plumage on the head of the males. In females this place is red. Capable of singing from dusk to dawn. The offspring are raised in sloppily assembled nests located in bushes or the lower branches of trees. After the hatching of the first offspring for the season, they begin to build a new nest for the second brood.

Size: body length 13.5-15 cm, wing 7-8 cm; weight 15-22 g.
Where does it live?: in almost all of Europe, except Far North, even Western Siberia. It also breeds in northwestern Africa. They inhabit forests with undergrowth, forest edges, clearings, thickets along river banks, penetrate into mountains, as well as into gardens and city parks.
What does it eat?: In summer it feeds on beetles, insects, caterpillars, butterflies, flies, etc. As the berries ripen in late summer and autumn, the diet changes significantly in their favor.

Black swift (Apus apus)

A relatively small bird of the swift family, owner of one of the most high speeds dive: 111 km/h! The tail is fork-shaped and swallow-like. Males do not differ in color from females. The black swift gradually loses its perfectly black color as its feathers fade under the influence of the sun.

Size: up to 18 cm long, wingspan reaches 40 cm.
Where does it live?: in Europe, Northern and Central Asia. It tends to spend the winter in southern Africa, flying across the entire continent. It nests both in forests and near humans.
What does it eat?: insects that it catches in flight.

Common cricket (Locustella naevia)

A small migratory bird of the passerine order. They got their name from their characteristic singing, similar to the chirping of crickets. They sing even in August-September, when other birds have already stopped. Females do not differ from males in color. It tries to move on the ground, without flying, but easily covers distances during winter migration.

Size: 12 to 14 cm and weighing 14 to 20 grams
Where does it live?: in Europe. Winters in tropical regions of Africa. The cricket can be found in damp meadows, swamps, near rivers, and also on plains.
What does it eat?: insects and their larvae, spiders, mollusks.

River cricket (Locustella fluviatilis)

Monogamous representative of the order Passeriformes. Nests on the ground. Mainly only the female participates in the construction of the nest, but both parents hatch the chicks. Sings while sitting on a tree. More often heard early in the morning or evening. Often, at the beginning of the nest-building period, the female sings at night while the female is working.

Size: length from 14.5 to 16 cm.
Where does it live?: from Western Siberia to eastern Central Europe. Loves underwooded and swampy forests and meadows. He needs cover from above and room to move downwards.
What does it eat?: insects and their larvae.

White wagtail (Motacilla alba)

Bird of the passerine order of the wagtail family. It has a long tail, which it likes to swing and shake, which is why it got its name. It nests in natural and artificial depressions.

Size: 16-19 cm, weight 20-23 g.
Where does it live?: in Europe, Asia, North Africa.
What does it eat?: mainly insects, very rarely - berries and seeds.

Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)

A carnivorous bird of the heron family of the order Storkidae. The long neck, long legs and beak make this bird well suited for hunting in shallow waters. Large bird, but females are not as large as males. There are no more external differences between the sexes. It usually nests in colonies of up to 20 nests, but sometimes more, up to 1000 individuals.

Size: large variation in the sizes of individuals. Body length up to 102 cm. Wingspan from 1.5 to 1.75 m, sometimes up to 1.95 m.
Where does it live?: widespread in Eurasia near suitable bodies of water, where the water is not covered with ice for at least 5 months, there is shallow water and enough food.
What does it eat?: Mainly fish, but also eats rodents, and in general all animals that it can swallow. What the heron was unable to digest, she regurgitates in compressed lumps.

Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

A relatively small bird of the Falcon family, carnivorous. The main version of the origin of the name is from the Old Russian word “chegl”, which means “genuine”. This name ranked the Hobby among the noble falcons, which were used in hunting as opposed to those unsuitable for it.

Size: Length 28-36 cm, wingspan 69-84 cm, weight 130-340 g.
Where does it live?: in forest-steppes and light, sparse forests. Prefers areas where forest alternates with open spaces.
What does it eat?: small birds no larger than a thrush and large insects.

Common lentil (Carpodacus erythrinus)

A bright bird of the finch family. More precisely, only males are bright, while females have less striking colors. They fly away for the winter early - in mid-August. These birds have a route laid out first to Siberia, and only then to the south.

Size: 16.5 cm, weight around 20 g.
Where does it live?: in the forest zone of Eurasia, flies to the southern part of Asia for the winter.
What does it eat?: plant seeds, berries, sometimes insects.

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

The lapwing is a small migratory bird belonging to the plovers family. Males have a distinct feathery crest on the head and a distinct metallic green sheen to the feathers on the sides and top. This is also typical for females, but much less pronounced. When migrating, they gather in large flocks of many hundreds of birds. Nests are built directly on the ground, marked with a small plant arrangement. The eggs are incubated alternately by the male and female.

Size: about 30 cm in length.
Where does it live?: from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean near bodies of water.
What does it eat?: beetles, larvae, worms.

Blackling (Tringa ochropus)

A bird of the snipe family, which bears as its name a popular nickname for dogs. These birds lead an active lifestyle at dusk, constantly swinging their tail. Loves to sit in trees. While searching for food, you can often hear its call, which sounds like something like “tween”. Does not nest on the ground, prefers ready-made housing left by other birds, such as blackbirds.

Size: 21-24 cm, weight ranges from 50 to 80 g, and wingspan ranges from 41 to 46 cm
Where does it live?: in damp, sparse forests, in swamps.
What does it eat?: water-dwelling insects, crustaceans and small fish.

Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)

A predatory bird of the gull family, one of the most common species of gulls on the planet. Social animals gather in large flocks, in which they constantly and actively discuss something, never ceasing to voice. Depending on the habitat, it can be either settled bird, or migratory.

Size: Body length 35-39 cm, wingspan 86-99 cm, weight 200-350 g.
Where does it live?: on the reservoirs of a large part of Eurasia, the coast of the Atlantic Ocean of Canada, can often be found in Russia near reservoirs.
What does it eat?: worms, insects, including large ones, and their larvae, as well as small rodents and fish. They are regulars at landfills and fish processing sites, where they feed on waste.

Lugovoy's mint (Saxicola rubetra)

The stonechat is a songbird of the flycatcher family. They live up to 8 years. Males are distinguished by darker and more contrasting appearance, females are more brown. They are not in a hurry to build nests, but wait for greater growth of meadow grasses closer to June. It sings and hunts by climbing on high stems of bushes or grasses. One activity often leads to another.

Size: length 13-14 cm, weight 15-20 g.
Where does it live?: throughout Europe from April to September, then migrates to sub-Saharan Africa. Loves grassy meadows, pastures, swamps, heaths.
What does it eat?: worms, insects and their larvae, spiders, berries.

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The list of such birds is huge, but you need to clearly know which ones - migratory birds, which can be called conditionally migratory, and which are always sedentary.

Migratory birds:

lapwing;
song thrush;
robin;
lark;
flycatcher;
finch;
dawn;
garden warbler;
kingfisher;
redstart;
hoopoe;
bittern;
wagtail;
oriole;
black-headed warbler;
swan;
goose;
duck;
rook;
crane;
capercaillie;
grouse;
pika;
crossbill.

Pictures with names for children, which depict birds flying south in winter, most often represent cranes. But great amount birds leave their habitat, except for these birds, and they do not do this immediately, but each species at a certain time.

Some migratory birds: pictures with names and order of flight to the south

Birds whose food consists only of insects are the earliest to leave their place of residence. This is logical, because it is the insects that begin to hide or die with the onset of cold weather.

Migratory bird wagtail, photo

Behind them, those birds whose food is flowers, seeds, and fruits rush to the southern regions. They do this somewhat later than insectivores, and this is understandable: fruits and seeds are available for food for a very long time, until it becomes completely cold and there is no solid snow cover on the ground.

At the same time, birds fly away, which have a mixed diet in summer and only plant food in autumn.

For example, this is a siskin - aphids and other small insects are gone in the fall, and it completely switches to seeds.
Migratory bird siskin, photo

And the last to escape the cold are the birds living on reservoirs when the surface of rivers and lakes is covered with ice. Among waterfowl, by the way, there is a tendency towards conditional migratory behavior: if the winter is warm and the water does not freeze, they do not fly anywhere.
Waterfowl migratory birds: pictures

Among birds that feed on plant or “live” food on land, conditional migratory behavior can also be observed. For example, these are jays and waxwings: the further south they live, the less often they leave their habitat in winter.

Famous migratory birds: pictures, names, main wintering places

Common cuckoo. From Central Asia and Siberia, these birds flock to the southern part of the Sahara in Africa. From England and northern Europe, common cuckoos fly to southern Africa, reaching even South Africa.
Starlings Russian, Ukrainian and Scandinavian aircraft fly to the south of Europe. Sometimes they cause great inconvenience to residents of southern European countries in winter. For example, in Italy during the winter months they make so much noise that they drown out the roar of traffic in cities.
If speak about cranes, then their flight range is very wide. The Caucasus, the Nile Valley, northern and western India, Iraq - these are not all the wintering places of cranes.
Nightingales almost everyone flies to Africa for the winter, mainly to the west, but they try to stay in countries south of the equator.
Swan- the largest bird living on water, and the largest migratory bird. For the winter, Russian swans fly to the Mediterranean and Caspian seas, to the south of the Asian coasts.
Swallow and, all their varieties are migratory. From the West they fly to sub-Saharan Africa for the winter, while from the East they fly to China and areas adjacent to the Himalayas.
Rooks, inhabiting almost all of Eurasia from Scandinavia to the Pacific coast, fly away relatively close in winter. Russian rooks flock to Turkey, from Europe - to Italy and France, Volga rooks - mainly to Kazakhstan.
Watch a video about migratory birds.

The world around us is unique; there is life not only on earth, but also in water, and even in the air. A modern child who grew up in an urbanized society and reached an older age preschool age, must know not only the objects surrounding him, but also the living nature of his native land.

Migratory birds - who are they?

It is difficult to tell a child about something that he himself has not seen. That is why it is worth carefully preparing for a story about migratory birds. First of all, you need to find thematic pictures depicting not only migratory birds, but also wintering ones, search on the Internet for the sounds they make and their singing.

Try to collect representatives of migratory birds on one piece of paper, and wintering birds on the other, only each image must be labeled.

For example, migratory birds include:

finch,
wagtail,
song thrush,
redstart,
Chiffchaff,
swallow,
forest pipit,
robin,
lapwing,
lark,
oriole.

And for winterers:

sparrows,
crow,
tits,
bullfinches,
pigeons,
woodpeckers,
fourty.

Thus, the child will not only replenish his vocabulary with new names of birds, but also with images.

To consolidate knowledge, you can make an additional Whatman paper with images of birds, where both migratory and wintering birds will be together. After the baby gets acquainted with all the birds, let him tell himself where each bird is and what it is called.

Conduct the conversation as a dialogue. For example, ask: “Is the tit a migratory bird or not? Where and when did you see this bird?” Remember together what birds you have seen before, and why some are difficult to see during the day.

Migratory birds are flying...

It will be interesting for children to learn the reasons for the flight of birds. Tell us that the birds that live in the field, in swamps and ponds, fly away for the winter, because the reservoirs freeze, and they cannot get enough food, because they cannot get frogs and fish; also in the field, all rodents hide deep in holes . The birds that live in the forest can no longer find insects in winter, which fall into deep sleep or die in the cold season.

Tell your child interesting facts about birds. For example, about the fact that birds fly to distant countries for the winter in the form of figures:

straight front,
crowded flock,
joint,
wedge

Flying with a wedge or other piece has a reason. The wedge is built according to the principle: the strong and adults fly first, followed by the youngest and weakest. By cutting through the air and creating a powerful air flow, the leader of the group helps the weak in flight, and he also shows the way.

Sometimes there are several leaders in a pack. They fly first in line so as not to become completely exhausted and veer off course. Those who close the wedge constantly make sounds, encouraging the leaders and confirming their presence. Don't be lazy and show pictures of birds flying, and then a video. The baby will love to carry out logical chains and absorb new knowledge.

Flying birds - video

You can tell an older child that migratory birds fly away not only during the onset of cold weather, but also in the middle of summer, that each type of bird behaves differently before flying.

Birds learn about the onset of cold weather and the need to fly away not from the newspaper or news; their instinct is more eloquent than representatives of the media. With its help, the bird knows when to start preparing for a long flight, sometimes they even make test flights. Not only does the bird cook, but so does its body. He begins to rebuild so that the bird is ready for difficult times.

Where do migratory birds live?

Don't forget to tell your child about where birds live. Birdhouses, nests made of twigs in trees, made of clay and twigs under the roofs of residential buildings, as well as cages - all these are the apartments of birds. It is easy to see these houses on the street and show them clearly to a child. It will be interesting for a young naturalist not only to see, but also to make a birdhouse himself.

There is an opportunity to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with your children, which takes place on May 8-9. Have a picnic in nature, take the prepared birdhouses with you and hang them on the trees. Tell us which birds can choose this house for themselves and their chicks. Among them there may be not only starlings, but also sparrows, tits, and birds for which the size of the house will suit. The next time you visit this place together, the voices of birds will already be heard there.

Books about birds

Now you can find many books with fairy tales, poems, and riddles about migratory birds.

Here is a small list of children's writers and poets who wrote about flyers:

Mikhail Prishvin,
Korney Chukovsky,
Vitaly Bianchi,
Dmitry Kedrin,
Apollon Maikov,
Boris Pasternak,
Ivan Turgenev.

The child will be interested in listening to interesting poems and stories about birds. Learn a poem with your child. This will help him not only improve his memory, but also remember your story for a long time.

Why do migratory birds return?

Answer the child’s question more broadly about why birds return to their homeland after wintering. After all, the answer is, in fact, simple: in warm countries there is not enough space and food to build a nest and raise offspring. Birds are designed in such a way that if conditions are favorable for raising chicks, the brood becomes larger. Competition among species would destroy entire clans of birds. It is the care of future chicks that pushes the tailed parents to travel thousands of kilometers and return home.

By getting your child interested, you can sow the seed of curiosity and inquisitiveness, which will undoubtedly help the little one study well and learn something new every day.

Video lesson “Birds of Migratory”

Wintering birds are those birds that, with the arrival of winter, do not fly south, but remain to spend the winter in their native land. Those that fly south are called migratory birds. And there are also nomadic birds. They are called nomads who constantly move from place to place in search of food. Nomadic birds can be found both in winter and summer. But most often we see them in winter. Why? Yes, because in winter, in search of food, birds constantly huddle close to human habitation. Therefore, in winter you can see wintering and migrating birds. All of them can be called hibernating.

And what birds stay for the winter? It would seem that the answer to this question is clear. Those who are able to withstand the cold remain. But this is not at all the main reason. Only well-fed birds can tolerate the cold. Therefore, only those birds remain that are able to find food for themselves in winter. Those that feed on insects will not be able to feed themselves in winter. All insects disappear during cold weather. Some hide in warm and secluded places. Most insects simply die, having previously left a sufficient supply of eggs. So the birds are forced to fly away to those regions where there is no winter and there is enough food. Only those who eat seeds, grains, and berries remain to spend the winter. But it’s not easy for them either.

For birds, winter is a very difficult time of year. The poor birds are hungry and cold. Because of the cold, winter birds lose a lot of heat. In order to keep warm, birds need to eat a lot, and in winter they need much more food than in summer. Finding food is the main activity for birds in winter. It gets dark quickly, and in the dark there is no food to be found. Therefore, from dawn to dark, birds search for food in winter. And whoever remains hungry will disappear at night and freeze! “A well-fed person is not afraid of frosts” - this can be said about birds.

And yet in severe frosts winter birds very bad. Especially when the frost is prolonged. Many fairy tales of northern peoples say: “It was so cold that the birds froze in flight.”

Often in frosty conditions birds do not fly, but sit with their feathers ruffled. Why? It turns out that they do not fly in cold weather, because the bird freezes much faster in flight. When a bird sits, it has still air between its feathers. It prevents cold from reaching the bird's body and retains heat. In flight, frosty air rushes towards the bird’s body from all sides, and it freezes in flight.

And you can also see in winter frosts how the bird stands on one leg or the other. Why is she doing this? The bird warms its legs by alternately lifting them from the cold ground.

To keep warm, birds hug each other closely and hide their beaks under their wings. Even those birds in winter that live alone in summer flock together. This makes it easier for them to endure the winter. One bird found food and immediately notified everyone. So everyone is full. It is easier for the flock to notice approaching danger. And the birds keep warm by huddling together.

How else do birds escape the cold?

Black grouse, hazel grouse, wood grouse and partridges escape the cold in deep snow. In the evening, a flock of stones falls from the trees into a snowdrift and hides in it from the wind and frost. And in the morning it takes off to feed on buds and needles again. In severe frosts, a flock can remain in the snow all day. But even in a snowdrift, danger can lurk for birds if a hard crust forms on it, and the birds do not have enough strength to break through it and get out.

The long winter forces some birds to make substantial reserves. This is how the nutcracker stores pine nuts. She makes tens of thousands of 10–20 pieces of nuts in secluded places and remembers them for several months! Of course, some of the reserves are stolen by other inhabitants of the taiga, from chipmunks to bears; sometimes forgotten “treasures” sprout and give rise to new groves of Siberian pine.

There is a bird that has adapted to winter conditions so much that it even hatches chicks in winter. This is a crossbill. The spruce crossbill lives in our country. These birds feed on seeds from cones coniferous trees, deftly removing them from the cones with a crossed beak. In January-February they begin to build warm, two-layer nests. The male brings food to the female sitting on the nest; she incubates the eggs for a little more than two weeks, and then the parents feed the chicks for another three weeks.

Flocks of bright bullfinches and waxwings noisily fly from one tree or small-fruited apple tree to another. A lot of pecked berries remain on the snow under the trees. Overripe berries can ferment during a thaw, and then the birds, having eaten them, behave like drunken people. They become disorientated, hit walls and fall.

Birds need help in winter, make feeders for them and regularly pour food into them.

Feed the birds in winter.

Let it come from all over

They will flock to you like home,

Flocks on the porch.

Their food is not rich.

I need a handful of grain

One handful -

And not scary

It will be winter for them.

It’s impossible to count how many of them die,

It's hard to see.

But in our heart there is

And it's warm for the birds.

How can we forget:

They could fly away

And they stayed for the winter

Together with people.

Train your birds in the cold

To your window

So that you don’t have to go without songs

Let's welcome spring.

Proverbs and sayings about winter birds

The sparrows chirp in unison, which means there will be a thaw.

In which direction the crow sits with its nose, the wind will come from there.

Crows hide their beaks under their wings - to the cold weather.

Birds sit on the treetops - it will be warm.

The titmice squeak in the morning, which means it will be frosty.

Poems about wintering birds

Poems about Crow

The color is greyish,

Habit - a thief,

Hoarse screamer

Famous person.

Hoodie!

Poems about Sparrow

The sparrow jumps and jumps,

Calls out to little children:

Throw crumbs to the sparrow -

I'll sing you a song

Tick-tweet!

Throw in millet and barley -

I'll sing to you all day long

Tick-tweet!

Poems about Soroka

Magpie flew to us

Belogruda, Belobok,

She chattered, she galloped,

I crushed the loose bed,

I dug here and there with my beak,

I wet my tail in a puddle,

Then she shook the feathers,

She ran and flew up!

Poems about tits

Birds jump early in the morning

Along the snow-covered branches -

Yellow-breasted tits

They flew to visit us.

"Tin-shadow, Tili-shadow,

The winter day is getting shorter and shorter -

You won't have time to have lunch,

The sun will set behind the fence.

Not a mosquito, not a fly.

There is just snow and snow everywhere.

It's good that we have feeders

Made by a good man!

Poems about waxwings

Blizzards are blowing outside the window,

But it happens sometimes -

Waxwings arrive

Peck berries in the spring.

The hawthorn bush bends

From the pressure of flocks of birds.

The silver ringing is rushing,

Glorifying the frozen harvest.

They moved to the rowan tree,

We drank scarlet berries,

And trills into the frosty air

They rushed with a thin echo.

Poems about the Bullfinch

Bullfinches are a funny bird,

Not afraid of winter at all,

In winter he comes to visit,

Kholodov doesn’t notice.

This red-breasted bird

Forest winter singer.

The forest is a glorious home for her in winter,

Bullfinches are looking for food there.

The bird is small in size,

Can be an example for many:

How to live in a cold forest,

Live and not bother at all.

Bullfinches fly in a flock,

The gifts of the forest are collected:

Dry flower seeds,

And berries from forest bushes.

Their flocks of red-breasted ones in a row,

It's like a parade for the forest.

Often flocks of bullfinches,

They fly into people's cities.

They eat winter rowan,

Everyone is waiting for spring together.