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Dubrovnik is a small pretty bird of medium size, in appearance somewhat resembling a sparrow. This species of birds is found preferably in the European part of Russia. To date, Dubrovnik is officially considered an endangered species and is even listed in the Red Book of rare animals.
The appearance of Dubrovnik
This bird has a rather interesting and pretty appearance. The standard body size of Dubrovnik is about the same as that of sparrows, and in terms of composition they are very similar to each other. According to the classification, Dubrovnik belongs to the oatmeal family, which includes a large group of varieties, including oatmeal. The body composition of Dubrovnik is quite dense and knocked down, and the shape is round.
In relation to such a chubby and rounded body, the length of which is preferably 14-18 cm, the head looks relatively small and slightly flattened on the sides. An adult Dubrovnik can weigh in the range of 18 to 30 grams. Such a body structure is perfectly complemented by a very short neck, which at first glance is hard to notice. On the muzzle there is a neat small beak of a round shape, closer to the muzzle it is swollen and densely covered with small plumage, and closer to the edge they are slightly flattened on the sides. The tip itself is straight and pointed. The upper and lower parts of the beak fit tightly against each other, thus, the inter-beak gap is almost imperceptible.
The wingspan of a small radius is from 20 to 25 cm, since their size in itself is small. Thanks to its excellent aerodynamic properties, such as light dense plumage and thin pointed tips of the wings, combined with the light weight of Dubrovnik, it allows it to move quickly and deftly in flight. Due to the direct wedge-shaped tail, which in relation to the body of the bird has an average length, it maneuvers perfectly during flight in any weather.
Dubrovnik has medium and thin, but at the same time very strong nails, and therefore can carry on the fly various objects that exceed its own weight several times. Four-fingered paws with long fingers have a wide grip, and therefore individuals can carry not only heavy, but also dimensional objects, which can exceed the volume of their own body.
The color of the plumage of the male Dubrovnik is quite bright and noticeable, consists of several shades, and the females are painted more inconspicuously. In the chest, throat and abdomen, both females and males, an exceptionally bright yellow saturated color prevails, but their head color is somewhat different. In females, it is gray, but in the opposite sex, depending on the time of year, the color of plumage on the head can change its shades. From dark gray - in the winter, to very light, almost white - in the summer.
What does Dubrovnik eat?
The diet of Dubrovnik is about the same as that of the rest of the oatmeal group. Basically, it includes various small insects and insects, beetles, spiders and butterflies.Since this species of birds is migratory, in winter, during migration, they can also feed on the seeds of various crops. Dubrovnik cannot be called a hunter, this bird is more likely a search engine, and therefore it prefers to find its prey on the surface of the earth. Since Dubrovnik itself is small and light, its ventricle is small. Thanks to this, the bird can eat every few days and at the same time feel quite normal.
Mating season and reproduction
Dubrovniks are considered monogamous birds, and therefore, having found their life partner, they try to keep a couple forever. They arrange their nests preferably in small pits and indentations on the ground. On hills and trees they nest quite rarely. The construction and improvement of the nest is the direct responsibility of the female, all responsibility for the offspring is exclusively on her. The male, for the whole of this period, is exclusively occupied with singing songs and competitions with other males. For the construction of nests, Dubrovniks preferably use straws, grass and moss. In terms of size, it turns out to be relatively small, in the region of 15 cm in diameter, this is quite enough for a laying of 4-5 eggs. A characteristic feature in the creation of nests by this breed is that only horse hair is used for lining the bottom with birds. The eggs of Dubrovnik themselves are quite large for birds of this size, have a gray-green color. The process of hatching offspring lasts two weeks, of course, the female acts as a brood hen.
All the time the hatching takes place, the male takes care of his mate and regularly brings her various insects or larvae so that she can feed. The offspring hatch rather weak and helpless, the skin of the babies is covered with barely noticeable white fluff, but they quickly grow stronger and develop, and after 10 days they begin to appear full plumage. Throughout this period, both parents are close to the offspring, taking care and feeding their child. Then the chicks quickly learn to fly and leave their parents. The life expectancy of Dubrovnik is approximately 11-13 years. Since they are migratory birds, they leave the harsh winter climate and fly away to visit the countries of Southeast Asia or southern China. The population of Dubrovniks usually begins to return to their homeland from mid-May to early June.
Dubrovnik habitat
Since Dubrovniks are not particularly aggressive, but rather very calm and peaceful birds, most often they create grouped settlements with about 5-7 pairs per hectare of their preferred habitats. However, over the past few decades, very sad statistics have been seen that indicate a gradual decline in the number of Dubrovnik in Russia. Every year there are more and more areas in which the population of these birds simply disappears. Presumably, this is due to the reduction of places where Dubrovniks could safely nest and reproduce offspring. Also affected by such factors as dysfunctional migration due to bad weather conditions. Based on all these factors and a significant decline in the population, Dubrovnik is officially listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Video: Oatmeal Dubrovnik (Emberiza aureola)
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