Bluethroat - description, habitat, interesting facts

One of the most beautiful birds that is found in central Russia and South Asia. Its plumage cannot be confused with other species of birds.

External description of the bird

It is small in size, its length does not exceed 15 centimeters, and its wings - 7-8 centimeters. With such a modest size, it has a rather bright coloring in the area of ​​the breast. The plumage in this part of her body is blue in color. On the edges of this bright spot is a border of black and red color. The tail also has a red color with a black stripe at the end. But the color of the female is different from the males. Blue color in its plumage is absent. Instead, it has a brown and whitish hue. Females do not need to attract too much attention, because they are mainly engaged in hatching offspring. And among the bushes and grass, the gray color is not noticeable.

Habitat

The bird belongs to migratory species. Therefore, her melodious singing can be heard no earlier than April. It was at this time that she flies from the warm countries of Africa or Asia. Bluethroat nests in the grass. Nests twist from the stems, lining them with moss. In such dwellings, she displays offspring. With the onset of cold weather flies to a warmer climate for wintering.

The way birds fly is very interesting. It does not rise high in the sky, but moves along shrubs along ponds. Thus, she can overcome about 100 kilometers per night.

What do they eat

The main food for this bird are various insects. She eats midges, ants, dragonflies, bugs and their larvae. But not only insects determine its diet. She does not mind eating ripe berries and seeds, especially in the autumn. The bluethroat is considered a nurse of the forest due to the fact that it feeds on harmful insects. Therefore, gardeners are not averse to attracting her to their plots. It cleans plants of slugs and other harmful animals.

This bird is under human protection. For this reason, it was even made a 2012 bird.

In summer cottages rarely breeds. This is because terrestrial predators such as cats often bust their nests. Therefore, in the vicinity of cottages, birds are afraid to arrange their nests.

How does a bluethroat breed?

This bird is distinguished by its isolation. They usually do not stray in packs, but live alone. They value family nest and one partner more. With him they can live a lifetime. In spring, males arrive from the south. At this time, their mating games begin. Males entice females with their bright plumage. At this time, they are especially pronounced. Attracting females with their melodious singing, they suggest starting to twist the nest with one of them.

The formed couple begins to create a family nest. It has the shape of a bowl lined with moss on the outside. The inside of the nest is filled with down and soft grass. It is noteworthy that, twisting the nest, they return to it next spring. The male informs everyone around that he is busy with his loud singing.

In it, the female lays 5-7 eggs. The incubation period lasts about 2 weeks. After passing this time, the chicks are born. For 13 days they remain in the nest, and their parents feed them intensely. Father carefully brings caterpillars and insect larvae.

After the chicks get stronger, they begin to jump out of the nest. At the same time, they still do not have flight skills.They jump on the ground, not far from the former home. In the process of communicating with their parents, they learn to fly and get their own food.

At the end of summer, birds fly south, but without a flock. These birds go there on their own, and not in a group. Departure ends by September or October, depending on the region of habitat.

Types of Bluethroat

There are only two species of this bird - red star and white star. They are distinguished by a characteristic spot on the chest in the form of a star. The red-star look is less melodic. The bird's repertoire includes mostly overheard melodies.

Another view is distinguished by its large size and characteristic singing, which is more melodic and varied. Includes rustling and whistling sounds. In their sound, the singing of these birds is very close to nightingale trills. But at the same time, they cannot take such high notes as the nightingale.

Interesting facts about the bird

1. Moving for winter to warm countries, the plumage of birds changes. There it becomes more dull and faded. With the onset of spring, plumage acquires brighter shades. So they fly to their native land in all its glory.
2. When meeting a person, the bird turns its back on him. And since in nature it can be seen too rarely due to the places of its settlement, it merges with the surrounding thickets. It has a gray color on the back, which reliably disguises it among the grass. Relying on it, the bird believes that it becomes invisible to humans.
3. The bird was called the "patriot of Russia" because of its coloring on the chest. The combination of colors of the Russian flag on her body allowed her to get such a nickname.
4. The ability of birds to mimic the voices of other members of the bird family allows them to eliminate competitors. Adapting to other birds, they provide them with false information. So they free the territory for themselves.

Bluethroat Guard

Unfortunately, the population of this bird has been declining recently. This is due to the fact that people arrange arson of old grass. Or abandoned bonfires cause a fire. Bluethroat builds its nests in the grass, almost by the ground. Therefore, often in such fires nests burn with eggs or even chicks. Environmentalists warn that the consequence of these human actions may be the complete loss of the bluethroat songbird, which sings so melodiously all summer.

Video: Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)