Korolek - description, habitat, interesting facts

Korolek is a small mobile bird, whose body weight is only 8 g. In length, it does not exceed 10 cm. The bird belongs to the order Passeriformes. There are fewer birds than koroleks in the territory of the former USSR. Its size is similar except for a hummingbird.

In shape, his body resembles a ball. It ends with a short tail, and in front of it is a large head. The upper body has a greenish-olive hue. The wings are characterized by the presence of two white stripes. The most widespread is the species represented by the yellow-headed king. On the head is a characteristic hat with a black frame. The cap of the male is orange, and in females it is bright yellow in color.

If the bird experiences great excitement, then feathers rise with the formation of a small crest. The young individual in comparison with the adult representative has differences. She has no bright plumage on her head. It is on this basis that it is customary to distinguish kings. The bird lives on the European and Asian continent, North Africa and North America.

The plumage has a fluffy character. For this reason, when viewed externally, an individual resembles a small ball.

Korolkov is usually referred to as a songbird. But they do not always show excellent vocal data. This is noted only in males of the second or third year of life. With this voice, the male lures the female. It can also serve as a signal of impending danger. When the breeding season begins, you can regularly hear the singing of the king. The rest of the time, his voice characterizes the emotional state of the bird. Sometimes you can just hear the singing, and the bird itself is very difficult to discern due to its small size. Luxembourg is the place where this bird is a national treasure.

Lifestyle characteristics

Being upside down is their habitual state. Hiding in the crown of a tree, the bird is practically invisible from below. Prefers to form nests exclusively on tall fir trees. But they can also settle in a pine forest. In the forests with deciduous trees it can not be found. Even if for some reason she flies into the deciduous forest, she will certainly try to find a coniferous tree, which she will choose for her location. The king can choose a tall spruce in the city park for his home.

Kings are distinguished by good adaptation to the surrounding reality. They behave relatively calmly when people are nearby. This representative is characterized by a sedentary lifestyle. Only wander in the winter during each year. The movement of birds occurs in different ways. In some cases, this phenomenon acquires a mass character, in others it occurs almost imperceptibly. In winter, kings can form flocks joint with titmouse. But this never happens during the nesting period, when pronounced secrecy is noted in the behavior of birds. Kings return to their former places only by the end of spring.

During severe frosts, birds are engaged in collective heating. At the same time, they take root with each other, which is why they are saved from freezing.However, if the winter is too frosty, many kings may die. But this does not affect their numbers. The reason lies in their high fecundity. It is very difficult to keep a bird at home. Only an experienced specialist can do this.

Nature of nutrition

The bird is very playful, but most of the time it is busy searching for food. In search of food, she can literally climb into every crack in a tree. Korolek is a real hunter. Having examined the prey, it hangs over it, and then rushes. She grabs prey with a sharp beak. The body of the bird is designed in such a way that it needs a large amount of protein food. During the day, the bird should consume as much food as almost weighs itself.

The king does not break the food with its beak, but simply swallows it. Therefore, she can only swallow small ones. In the summer, the bird often eats insects, but can also enjoy berries. In winter, she feeds on spruce seeds or insects, which she blows off trees with gusts of wind. Korolek is able to find an insect in the thickness of the moss. If there are severe frosts with heavy snowfalls, the city park or square becomes the location of the birds.

Interesting Facts

1. If the bird does not eat for 12 minutes, then it will lose one third.
2. The hour of hunger strike ends for the king death.
3. During the year, the bird is able to eat up to several million insects.

Propagation Features

The beginning of the mating season is the middle of spring. At this time, the flock splits into pairs. The bird forms nests in the shape of a ball. The nest on the tree is almost invisible from below.

The male builds a nest. Dry grass, pieces of moss, and willow are used. Inside the nest is laid out with feathers and down. It is very cramped and the chicks cling to each other all the time or are generally located in it in two tiers.

The construction of the nest, as described above, is mainly done by the male. He takes about three weeks to do this work. Material for building a nest for strength is glued with cobwebs.

Every year, the female lays 6-10 eggs. It is she who is engaged in their incubation. The eggs are white, have a small size. Their surface is covered with small brown dots. After 14 days, chicks appear. They are completely naked and only in the head area is there a slight gun. The female does not leave the nest for a minute. She warms the chicks, and the male is involved in the delivery of food. A little later, the female joins the feeding of the chicks. After 21 days, the babies can already be seen sitting on neighboring branches. Parents feed their chicks until they become completely independent.

The average age of kings is 2-3 years. Such a short period of life is explained by the fact that the bird is extremely unfavorable to frosts. Fierce cold is often the cause of the death of this feathered representative. The oldest ringed representative of this species was 8 years old.

When you hear the king singing, in your head immediately there are associations associated with the Russian boron. Living in the forest, the bird is of great benefit. It massively destroys harmful insects.

If someone decides to raise a bird at home, he should know that this is not an easy task. Only a person with great experience can cope with such a task. If this is not the case, you should not start a bird, anyway it will not survive in captivity.

Video: Korolek (Regulus)