Which birds remain to winter in Russia

In a children's song about autumn it is sung:

Birds fly south,
Geese, rooks, cranes.
That's the last flock
Wings waving in the distance.

Even fly ducks, swans, swallows, starlings, larks, nightingales, cuckoos, wagtails and various other species, most of which are familiar to residents of cities only by images. But there are many who remain.

Why are not the frosts terrible?

And which birds remain to winter? Who is not afraid of severe Russian frosts and deep snow? What birds can you see all year in the city and in the forest?

Birds roam not only for warmth, but for food. If there is something to feed in the cold, they do not fly away. A warm plumage, the ability to stray into flocks, the ability to hide in various structures and the help of a man allow the birds to winter. Although prolonged severe frosts can dramatically reduce their numbers. In many fairy tales of northern peoples it is said: "There was such a cold that the birds froze on the fly."

Urban dwellers

On the question of which birds remain to spend the winter in the city, it is easy to answer. At the usual places waiting for feed pigeons. The gray ravens flock every morning and evening from the place of spending the night on large trees in yards and parks outside the city and back. Magpie, a common raven, a jay can be seen near the houses.
In the frosty air, the knocking of a woodpecker along the old tree in the park is far away. In winter it is even easier to find by the sound and lying on the snow crushed bark and to consider among the bare trees.

More often in the big cities of the middle strip you can see ducks and even swans fed by people on the ice-free waters. Although only recently, these wintering birds, whose names and photos are widely represented in special literature, were very rare. Reduction of harmful emissions at enterprises contributes to an increase in the number of bird species in the city, which is an indicator of the well-being of its ecology.

Old friends

They happily whistled at the windows and balconies, where they were already fed, wintering birds, whose names are familiar from childhood: sparrows, chizhi, goldfinches, different types of tits - big and crested, gai and Moscow, long-tailed, and nuthatch.

In the summer, it is difficult to see the tits in the city, and by winter they migrate closer to the human habitation, they can fly to the familiar window for several years in a row.

Flocks of bright bullfinches and waxwings fly noisily from one tree of mountain ash or small-fruited apple-tree to another, leaving a lot of baked berries on the snow. During a thaw the overripe berries can wander, then the birds, having eaten them, behave like drunkards. They lose their orientation, they fight against the walls and fall.

These are wintering birds, names and photos of which are a symbol and decoration of the harsh season of the year. The appearance of bullfinches and waxwings always attracts attention and pleases.

The Science of Kindness

Wintering birds for children are the object of study and care. Together with parents and educators, they master and fill the feeding troughs, they look at who comes to them. Observe how to behave if you have to share food, wintering birds. A kindergarten and a playground with feeders attract sparrows, tits, pigeons from all around. Grain, sunflower seeds, waste from the table, slices of bacon are in great demand in these bird's canteens.

Heavy pigeon can turn the overhead feeder, it is necessary to invent different designs for small birds.

It is always interesting to observe how impudent sparrows snatch crumbs and seeds from under the nose of important pigeons. Little magpies chirp and gallop, great crows walk. Such lessons of communication with wildlife are very memorable for children. To know which birds remain in the city for the winter, prepare for their appearance, and feed them in a harsh time is very important. This is the science of kindness for the child.

Which birds stay in the forest for the winter?

The north and middle belt of Russia are buried in the snow in winter, rivers and lakes freeze. Waterfowl and swamp birds fly south. But there are observing skiers, hunters and lovers of active recreation who know what birds winter in our forests.

In the cold time in the forest you can hear and see tits, woodpeckers, claws, cedar. Some species of thrush fly away, but the mountain ashberries and blackbirds may remain wintering at the latitude of the Leningrad region, especially with a plentiful harvest of mountain ash. Most often remain old males.

It is easy to find food and can hide in the snow from predators such large birds as grouse, black grouse, partridge and hazel grouse.

Predatory hawks, owls, owls, owls, owls, owls hibernate in nesting places, although some species migrate from more northern regions. They can be found not only in the forest, but also in parks, gardens, cemeteries, in cottages where they hunt small birds and rodents.

Taiga game

If someone has seen and heard the flock of large birds flying up from under the feet, he will hardly ever forget the fright and surprise from such a meeting.

The smallest representatives of wild chicken - quail, winter in Africa, South Asia. But their relatives grouse, black grouse, grouse and partridge have always been a welcome winter and spring prey of Russian hunters. Meat of taiga game has a thin resinous taste and is very appreciated.

Deep snow serves for these birds home and bed. In the evening a flock of stones falls into a snowdrift from trees and hides in it from frost and wind. And in the morning he takes off to feed on needles and kidneys again. In severe frosts, the flock can remain in the snow all day.

But the snow can also become a grave for birds, if it forms a strong crust, and grouse or partridge does not have enough strength to break through it and get out.

And when the first thawed patches appear, the time of fascinating taming of wood grouses and black grouses comes. During the marriage songs they do not hear anything, for which they got their names.

Spending a nutcracker

Long winter makes some birds make solid reserves. Among the Siberian fishers there is the expression: "Kedrovka let down the whole bump." The fact that in the year when there are few pine nuts, this bird is almost all the crop. Nutty, rich in delicious and healthy butter nuts help to endure the harsh winter and grow chicks in the spring. Kedrovka makes tens of thousands of nuts stowage for 10-20 pieces in secluded places and remembers them for several months! Some of the stocks, of course, are stolen by other inhabitants of the taiga from chipmunks to bears, forgotten "treasures" sprout, give rise to new groves of Siberian pine.

Winter chicks

What other birds wander to the places where many seeds of coniferous trees were born, and manage to fearlessly display chicks in February?

These are the crossbows. In our country dwells a crooked elovik. Beautiful colorful birds with tenacious paws and crossed beaks deftly remove and bite the seeds, then they throw the cones to the ground.

In January-February they begin to wool warm two-layered nests. The male brings food sitting on the nest of the female, for more than two weeks she hatches eggs, and then three weeks the parents feed the chicks. Sometimes the nematodes lay their nest until the spring, they take the chicks out only in May.

Life does not freeze

For a curious observer, it's not a secret that not only the tits, pigeons and sparrows that are familiar to us are wintering next to us, but also tap-baits, oatmeal, squint, koroloks and three or four dozen other species. During trips and walks you can get acquainted with the most diverse representatives of birds, learn to distinguish their voices and traces on the snow. There were even mobile applications, allowing in the field to identify birds by voice.

Hanging a feeder from a plastic bottle or pouring crumbs off the table on the windowsill is not at all difficult, but it's so interesting to watch the birds and understand that in winter life in nature does not freeze.