Bullfinch - description, habitat, interesting facts

The presented bird belongs to the finch family and the family of bullfinches. The individual is distinguished by its melodious and beautiful voice, bright color and miniature dimensions. These birds show originality in absolutely everything, be it habits or feeding. The bullfinch prefers to live in cold climatic regions, it stands out from the snow mass and attracts the attention of a person. As for living in the summer season, birds lose their colorful color and become unremarkable.

Description

1. In terms of their overall characteristics, these feathered creatures are slightly larger than sparrows. Their body is downed, dense, rounded format. Due to the dense plumage, it seems to people that these birds are quite large. In fact, they do not greatly exceed the performance of self-similar. Adult birds grow up to 18 cm in length. With a weight of about 30 g.
2. Earlier it was mentioned that representatives of the species belong to the finch family. Moreover, sexual bullfinches are present in bullfinches, even an inexperienced eye will be able to identify where the female is and where the male is. So, in males, the abdominal region, cheeks, as well as the lower part of the neck and side sections are pigmented in red. The feathers on the wings are black, they have a white stripe. In the head area there is a shiny black “hat”.
3. The fairer sex is not as saturated as males. Females are mainly painted in gray and brown shades. The young growth is the same in color, that is, gray-brown. In the lumbar region, all individuals, regardless of gender, have an elongated strip of white tone. These birds are very beautiful, especially against the background of snow, therefore they attract attention by appearance and singing.
4. Some people like to keep bullfinches at home in a cage; they are suitable for this purpose. Besides aesthetic beauty, one can endlessly listen to the songs of these birds. They live in a forest strip or square. The songs are melodic, pleasant and long. It is also known about these birds that they like to repeat various sounds and even movements. When individuals are in captivity, then literally after 2-3 days they begin to sing.
5. If you hear the singing for the first time, then it may seem strange and not as exquisite as everyone is used to thinking. Birds hone their skills constantly, so the old songs are much better. If a person decided to buy a bullfinch for home maintenance, it is important to put the cage in a cool room.

Lifestyle

1. As a rule, individuals of the family under discussion prefer to live in mixed or coniferous areas. Also bullfinches can be found in squares, residential and to the best of built-up areas, parks. They stand out among other birds, so they cannot be confused with someone else. These birds are distinguished by the fact that they quickly get used to humans. If they don’t have enough food, the birds will fly to the feeder, which people made and hung.
2. These birds in their behavior are calm, unhurried. They are careful and behave quite calmly with other birds. If a stranger approaches, the bird will fly away. Individuals of female gender behave much more accurately, are constantly on the guard. They can observe people for a long time and even copy features of their voice.
3. However, when a person constantly approaches and pours grains into the feeder, the birds no longer react to people with such fear. They begin to recognize their breadwinners, approaching closer and listening to conversations. If the bird lives at home, it can fly up to the owner, sit on the shoulder or arm, and then sing songs for hours.
4. In order for the bullfinch to survive in the cold season, he is forced to stay close to the person. The feathered creature is friendly in nature to the outside world. If you study the lifestyle of a flock of birds, then between individuals there is never a brawl. This cannot be said, for example, about sparrows or other birds. Females can fall into a stressful situation, which is accompanied by tapping a tree with its beak and shaking its head to the sides.
5. These little feathered creatures are very bold. They will guard the brood to the last if they suddenly attack the offspring. For comparison, the same ducks, for example, can escape from predators. But bullfinches are hardy and strong in spirit. As for the number of individuals in the pack, it is usually 4-10 birds. Birds lead a daily lifestyle, at dusk and at night they already live in the bushes and are preparing for rest.
6. As soon as severe frosts occur, the considered individuals significantly reduce their activity. In the first half of winter, you can see that the bullfinches have a beautiful and colorful chest. When the second half of the season comes, plumage begins to lose its former beauty.
7. In mid-spring, the presented birds become barely noticeable in their usual habitat. You are unlikely to be able to discern such individuals until the cold comes again. It is also impossible to say with accuracy whether these birds are migratory or not.
8. Bullfinches can be attributed to both nomadic individuals and sedentary. Birds that live in the forest-tundra and tundra in the winter should migrate to more southern regions. Otherwise, they will not be able to get their own food. The presented individuals, which mainly live in the southern regions, can live there all year round.
9. It is worth noting that birds can hold small flocks, while the female will always be the main one. You can often notice that a female will sit in the feeder and she will not let anyone in. This applies to brothers, as well as tits and sparrows.
10. The characteristic features of these individuals are directly dependent on seasonality. In the warm season, the birds in question give preference to pastime in pairs. After the mating season with the appearance of young animals, adult individuals form in small flocks.
11. Also, with the advent of winter, some couples form in small groups. However, such a phenomenon can be seen quite rarely. Bullfinches also do not form huge flocks. It is worth noting that for many people, the considered individuals are associated with snowy trees, in winter, snow and holidays.

Nutrition

1. The diet of these birds is mainly based on plant-based feed. Often, birds feed on the seeds of shrubs and trees. However, birds will always give preference to berries. Bullfinches are very fond of mountain ash.
2. It remains interesting that individuals do not completely eat the fruits. The fact is that birds peck out the seeds of berries, and throw out the flesh. That is why under the trees you can see a lot of spoiled mountain ash. You can be sure that this is the work of bullfinches.
3. In addition, such birds often eat young shoots, buds and flowers. As for animal food, birds only in some cases regale themselves with various insects. In addition, birds do not limit themselves to food. Therefore, they can endlessly pick up something from the ground and not get fat.
4. Bullfinches go on trips and migrate because of feed. If there is not enough food at their edges, individuals begin to fly over. If there is more than enough food, birds can remain in one place at least all year round. As soon as the babies are born, the female goes in search of food. The male watches the chicks.

Breeding

1. During the mating season, the male begins to sing beautifully. His melodies are unusual and very gentle, unlike ordinary days. At the same time, the female answers the male with his singing.In early spring, couples begin to form. However, the female becomes the head of the family.
2. Among other things, the remaining responsibilities also fall on the shoulders of the female. She is independently engaged in the construction of a nest. The dwelling is located at a low height away from the tree trunk.
3. It is worth noting that the female spends a lot of time on weaving the nest. As a building material, twigs and dry grass are used. The bottom is lined with leaves, moss, feathers and lichen.

In today's article, we looked at cute and beautiful birds, such as bullfinches. They are distinguished by their singing, appearance and ability to live at home. These individuals are easily accustomed to hands, can remember a person. They do not live in huge flocks, prefer to stay in groups of up to 10 birds.

Video: bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)