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FAMILY: FINCHES |
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Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Chaffinches are numerous birds. The male chaffinch is small, only a little larger than the sparrow, with a bluish-grey head, reddish-brown breast, with strips on the wings — and fervently singing. It is really an ornament to forests and parks! Since April-May and all summer long — it can be seen very often. Its song is a ringing couplet repeated over and over again; it ends with a characteristic stroke, distinguishing this song from a similar song of the warbler-willow. And also — its sonorous and joyful “ping-ping"! In afternoon and toward evening, one can hear how it sometimes makes another sound — "rue-rue-rue". These sounds infuse perfectly in the harmony and quietness of the evening forest, fill it with a special state of pacification and calm. A chaffinch’s nest is a small dense deep basket embellished with thin strips of epidermis of birch bark and lichens. From within, it is lined with plumelets and hairs.
Sometimes one can see a female chaffinch constructing a
nest. She builds the nest with her beak, presses new material to the nest with her breast, and then stamps it with her claws. For all birds the rule is following: the more the plumage of the male differs from that of the female, the less the male participates in taking care of the brood: because for brooding it is desirable to have "camouflage clothing". On the other hand, in those species of birds where males and females look equally, parents usually participate in this activity fifty-fifty. Common Rosefinch (Scarlet Grosbeak) (Carpodacus erythrinus Pallas)
The male of the common rosefinch is brown-grey, with bright red head and neck. Females and young birds are green-grey; the wings and tail are dark; the belly is white. This birdie can be found on damp meadows with trees or bushes, on borders of forests and in orchards.
(Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
The bullfinch is hardly larger in size than the chaffinch, with bluish-grey upper parts, with black cap, chin, wings and tail, and with a white strip on the wings. Males have a red-pink breast and cheeks. Females and young birds have red-pink color replaced with reddish-grey, the latter do not have a black cap. Bullfinches build nests on trees in woods, mainly coniferous; in winter they widely wander. Eating berries, they eat only seeds, and throw away the pulp. In February, young males start to draw the attention of females by singing. In this way couples form, which do not break up the entire life. But they start nesting only in May. The nest is usually located at the height from 2 up to 5 m on the lateral parts of fir-tree branches. The wife incubates the eggs, and the husband feeds her. After fledglings leave the nest, all formed families do not break up till the next breeding season. These birds are very nice; they are capable of doing graceful bows and other beautiful movements. When they are brought up by people, they are fine as well. Instances when bullfinches even imitate people in movements are known. For example, if a familiar person approaches it and, tenderly addressing by name, makes bows — the bullfinch repeats bows and starts singing joyfully its song! |
