BULLFINCHES ARRIVED

Bullfinch , Common snegir- well-known member of the genus Pyrrhula. Thanks to its characteristic color of this bird is easily recognizable.

Most often you can see bullfinches in winter - they love to feast on berries of mountain ash.

But the question arises - where bullfinches spend the summer? Where to fly?

In any such warmer climes?

The area of ​​this small bird is extensive.

Bullfinch dwells in Europe, the front and East Asia, Siberia, Japan.

Can live in highland and lowland forests in avoiding a treeless areas.

In Russia, the bird lives in the forest and steppe zones, where you can meet coniferous trees in large quantities.

Most popular Bullfinch spruce forests in the river valleys.

Bullfinch - a small bird, the size of a sparrow, and although visually seems larger. Males have a distinctive coloring, at which they are readily distinguishable from other birds.

Cheeks, neck, abdomen and hips had a bright red color.

The color intensity may vary depending on species and bullfinch each individual.

Back and shoulders gray birds, and on his head there is a black "cap".

Female bullfinch looks much more modest. Neck, cheeks, stomach and hips in her gray-brown.

Shoulders and nape - gray, and brown-brown back.

The head on, around the eyes and beaks, as well as males black.

Surely you've seen bullfinches in winter, but they are nowhere to be seen in the summer.

However, from the middle zone of the former USSR bullfinches usually do not fly away.

Bullfinches are sedentary birds.

That is, they adhere to their small area and do not fly away.

And we see them in the winter near their homes sometimes because if the snow and frosty winters, how, and other birds, bullfinches have nothing to eat, because they fly in search of food to us, and even then not for long.

In the summer they live in coniferous forests, feeding on tree buds, berries, fruits, seeds.

Birds behave quietly hiding in the trees, so to find them is very difficult.

In winter, find food becomes much more difficult, so bullfinches and go to town.

Birds living in northern latitudes, the winter fly to warmer climes, sometimes flew over vast distances.

Bullfinches can meet wintering in the Mediterranean countries,

as well as in North Africa and even Alaska. Birds return to the usual breeding grounds around the end of March - early April, and the female almost immediately starts tinkering nest.

By the way, in the summer of bullfinches can be found in the Caucasus, where it nests smaller Caucasian subspecies.

Ussuri bullfinch found in the south of the Far East and Sakhalin, gray bullfinch - on the southern edge of Central and Eastern Siberia.

But from ordinary bullfinches all these subtypes differ by less bright color.

Distant Relatives usually Bullfinches - nest in the Mongolian Altai bullfinch and long-tailed Finch (Uragus) living in Southern Siberia.

Related species
Common rosefinch nests in Eastern Europe and across Siberia, meets regularly in Italy.

Close Schoor widespread in Eurasia and North America, in Italy marked Vagrants.

In southern Siberia nest gray bullfinch, featuring a gray-bellied males (winter may Vagrants in the European part).

Table Of Contents

Bullfinches live well in captivity, the life expectancy of 10-12 years, and more. Keep bullfinches better pair (male-female), in a large cage, measuring at least L80-H50-Lg40.

Cell must be greater in length than in height.

In the cage be sure to put a spacious kupalku (for budgies), 2-3 feeders, a container with a mineral block, water bottle, perch, tree branches, foliage and fruit clip-on or special holders.

Perches should be done from a tree with bark, preferably of different diameters ranging from 1.5 cm.

Plastic and "wrong" perch lead to diseases of paws and claws.

The cage should be in a well-lit place with no drafts.

For all domestic songbirds is very important duration of daylight - it must be the same as in nature.Therefore, after dark cell must be obscure.

Violation of light conditions lead to hormonal problems, premature molting, behavior disorders.

Feeding

Feeding birds should be very diverse.

Bullfinches are granivorous birds, so their main food - cereal mixture. In the mixture can be added to cereals, grass seeds, tree seeds, watermelon and melon seeds.

Must be present berries (especially mountain ash), fruit (many birds are very fond of apples), herbs (chicory, chickweed, groundsel, knotweed, shepherd's purse, salad).

In the period from spring to late autumn green fodder should be plenty.

Tree branches with buds and leaves, seeds in the milk-wax ripeness - needed a treat.

Kidney conifers, needles and bark bullfinches also willingly eat.

The volume of grain mixture for one bullfinch - about 3 tablespoons.

Herbs and fruits indefinitely.

In the spring and summer in the diet should be present protein food: egg mixture ("nightingale mash"), insects (aphids colonies, grasshoppers, Muchnik), decapsulated Artemia.

It is particularly important varied diet during molting (late summer - early autumn). To preserve and enhance the red males during molting can be added to the feed ksantaktinom.

Many useful fertilizing can be purchased at the pharmacy: rowan berries, juniper, barberry, kidneys pine, birch, spruce, arborvitae, mint, lemon balm, etc ... Dried berries should be filled with boiling water, and after swelling to feed the birds.

In autumn and winter should be harvested branches of trees (willow, cherry, apple, cranberry, birch, pine, etc.) - Bullfinches love to gnaw the bark and buds.

Bark helps to normalize digestion.

Throughout the year, you can make sprouted grain.

In the cell, the birds have to be mineral dressing needed for digestion.

It consists of sand, limestone, egg shells, coal, clay.

Better to buy ready-mix producers known to avoid infections (eg salmonellosis).

In the dressing can add dried seaweed, feed sulfur, activated charcoal or chalk.

Water birds is better to give the filtered or boiled, or intended for baby food.

In kupalku need to pour the same water as a water bottle - as the birds drink from kupalki.

Western European bullfinch ordinary eggs.

In April, the female socket vёt fairly simple design and lays 4-5 eggs, which hatched 12-14 days.

The young leave the nest at 12-18 days after birth.Each year, two broods.

Features of behavior

Bullfinches have a strong personality.

The most common view that bullfinches calm and phlegmatic, but this is not always the case.

Bullfinches are very curious, active, often dominatnymi and may offend other birds.

Females bullfinches are aggressive towards males, but males are not afraid. These birds quickly become accustomed to humans and the environment, capable of learning.

Sometimes it is desirable to let them out of the cage for walking around the room - then the birds will keep a good tone, and you will bring a lot of pleasant moments of your games.

If you are going to release birds for a walk - it is first necessary to prepare well the room, eliminate all danger: poisonous flowers, chemicals, thread, needles, close the gap, lock the doors (not to accidentally press the bird), close the window curtains, hang the mirror.

In no case can not drive out the birds out of the cage violently!

It should just open the cage door and move on.

Sometimes birds for several days did not come out of the cell.

They should not be rushed - they are not yet ready.

Gradually, the birds are comfortable and go for a walk.

Bullfinches find their way home on their own.

Very rarely happens that they need help, for example, put the feeder on the cage to bird saw her.

Walking birds better done under the supervision of: not known where to start can bullfinch his curiosity and mischievous.

Interesting fact:
Communication couple that possible lasts a lifetime, supported by courting each other, caring and mutual plumage shuffling of feeding. The male shows a reddish breast and white plumage of the lower back, lower a little wings and tail moves.