Brown-headed gaiter - description, habitat, interesting facts

A brown-headed gadget means a bird belonging to the titmouse family. On the territory of our homeland, everyone knows these individuals under the name "puffers". This name came to the birds due to their features to constantly fluff feathers when it is cold outside. Birds prefer to live in European and Asian countries. They do not settle in densely populated areas, they love the wilderness. In today's article, we will consider everything related to these birds. Where they prefer to live, how they nest and eat.

Description

1. According to the format of the body, individuals are rounded, their mass hardly exceeds the figures of 15 g. with a body length of 15 cm. The neck is short, depressed. Feathers are brownish-gray. The head is round and large, the occipital part stands out, is pigmented with black feathers without shine.
2. The back is mostly gray with brown. The same area above the tail, wings, shoulders and lumbar. Cheeks are painted gray with white blotches. The neck in the sides is buffy.
3. The front of the neck has a speck of black. The beak is pigmented in a dark brown color. The lower part of the body is white, dirty. On the sides of the abdominal cavity ocher plumes of plumage were seen. Paws are dark, gray.
4. It is quite difficult for an inexperienced person in the field to distinguish this gadget from the blackhead. The only difference is the dullness of the hat located on the head. Also, the species under discussion has an elongated strip on the wings, which is painted in gray.

Singing

1. A distinctive characteristic of birds of this breed is their beautiful singing. There are no diverse notes in vocals, unlike the blackhead. There are several basic types of songs. The first is songs protecting the territory. The second - a demonstration of their skills in front of females in the mating season.
2. When males attract the opposite sex, they make sounds like “tii” or “ti”. Periodically, one tonality is replaced by another. Singing is carried out all year round, but, as a rule, birds can be heard in spring or summer (closer to autumn).
3. The whistle saying that the territory is occupied is somewhat different. He is not so piercing and loud. Something similar to the sound of a drill alternating with a squeak. Most often, territorial songs are performed by males protecting their possessions.
4. If you follow the data received from ornithologists, then the so-called babbling song is singled out. It is made up of rude sounds like “j” or “tsz”.

Habitat

1. The most commonly discussed family is found in Eurasia. You can find birds in the central part of France, as well as in the east of Great Britain. The area is extended to the Japanese islands and the Pacific Ocean. On the north side, you can find feathered friends in woody vegetation. They like the tundra of Scandinavia and Finland.
2. In the southern part are in the steppe zones. These individuals are also attracted by slopes and flat areas, coniferous and deciduous strips. In mixed forests found where there are pine trees. Settled near wetlands and floodplains. As for Siberia, they are found there next to willows, alder.
3. In Europe, they are found on the edges, among the vast thickets of bushes and groves. They can also live in the mountains, there are individuals living at an altitude of up to 2.5 thousand meters. When the breeding season ends, or it has not yet begun, individuals settle much higher than this mark. In Tibet, puffers live above the sea in height up to 3.5 thousand meters.
4. As for lifestyle, individuals prefer to build nests for future offspring in the middle or end of spring.For nests, a hollow of rotten or dead trees is chosen. Also, construction can be carried out on stumps. Gaiters are somewhat similar to woodpeckers, they drill a place in a tree with their beaks.
5. The considered individuals build dwellings in hollows, the depth of which is 20-25 cm. Moreover, the diameter is only about 7 cm. Such birds often break up in pairs in the fall. After that, they begin to jointly develop the nest.
6. In the first year of puberty, males try to find a mate on their territory. Often such an area does not exceed 5 km. If the males did not succeed, then they begin to fly to other lands in search of a companion.
7. As soon as a full-fledged pair has formed, the birds have been equipping the house for about 10 days. As a building material, individuals use bark, tree bark, branches, feathers and animal hair.
8. The finished dwellings of puffers differ from the nests of other birds of this kind in that they do not insulate the bottom of their house with moss. In addition, birds often make hiding places where they leave the seeds of plants. However, birds often forget about these hiding places.

Food

1. The diet of individuals is based on insect larvae and small invertebrates. As a result of such nutrition, the birds bring great benefits to the forest ecosystem. Individuals regulate the number of insects and small pests. In addition, the seeds and fruits of plants can often be included in the diet of birds.
2. In the summer, the discussed birds equally share their diet. The menu is based on vegetable and animal products. As for the cold season, individuals mainly eat seeds of spruce, pine and juniper.
3. With the advent of offspring, parents begin to feed young growth with caterpillars, spiders and some plant products. At this time, adults often eat mosquitoes, bees, flies, earthworms, ants, snails, weevils and even ticks.
4. As for food of plant origin, in this case, the birds prefer oats, corn, barley and wheat. Also, birds like berries. They often feast on cranberries, dogwood, mountain ash and blueberries. As for the feeders, the birds visit them very rarely.

Breeding

1. During the construction of nests in birds, the mating season also begins. Moreover, after the pair is formed, the partners remain loyal to each other until one of them dies. Under good conditions and without threatening the life of birds, they can live peacefully for up to 10 years.
2. During the mating season, the courtship of males for females is manifested in the form of shaking feathers and accompaniment of songs. Before the formed pair begins to mate, the males defiantly bring their chosen ones food.
3. Before masonry, individuals always re-equip the nest. As a result, the bottom of the dwelling is covered with litter before vysidka. A clutch can have a maximum of 9 eggs. Often they are white with red spots.
4. It takes up to 2 weeks to sit out. All this time, the male protects the home and family, obtains food for himself and the female. Young growth begins to hatch in the light within 2.3 days. After that, parents feed offspring together.

Monogamies under consideration. They are caring for their offspring. On cool nights, the female is constantly next to the chicks, warming them. In the afternoon, the male protects the family and brings them food.

Video: brown-headed gaiter (Poecile montanus)