Weavers are a large group of birds that belong to the passerine order. These birds are united into a separate family, which consists of 272 species. The weaver bird is very bright, beautiful and endowed with many unique “talents”.
In appearance, weavers are very similar to sparrows, finches and buntings, but their lifestyle and behavior differ from their relatives.
Appearance of weavers
As for size, weaver birds can reach a length of up to 30 cm. Moreover, they have the same body structure as sparrows, and the presence of a short thick beak indicates that these birds are granivores.
The color of the plumage depends on the species and can vary from modest gray, black, brown to bright, such as the fire weaver, which has rich red plumage.
Differences between females and males (sexual dimorphism) also depend on the type of weaver. Thus, the male long-tailed velvet weaver has long tail feathers and is brighter colored than the females of this species. While some species do not have sexual dimorphism at all.
Where do weavers live?
The African continent is considered the homeland of weavers. But representatives of some species can be found in Madagascar, Asia, and southern Europe.
They live in savannah and woodland areas, less often on the outskirts of forests and in semi-deserts, but you will never see a weaver in a dense forest or desert.
The characteristics of the habitat directly depend on the lifestyle of weavers. The thing is that they make nests exclusively in trees, and get their food only in open spaces. At the same time, they produce clear, abrupt sounds that are more like the chirping of a sparrow than a melodious chirping.
This tornado over the African savannah is a flock of weaver birds. Millions of suddenly flying birds can scare even an elephant Weaver lifestyle
The weaver is a flocking bird. Moreover, the number of individuals included in a flock can vary from several tens to several million, such as among social or red-billed weavers. When offspring appear in such a flock, its number can number about 40 million individuals. These are the largest simultaneous aggregations of birds known to modern science. (Only passenger pigeons had similar and even more flocks, which at the moment, unfortunately, are considered an extinct species).
Rising into the air, weaver birds stick to a group and fly quite quickly, making sharp turns as they move. Raised up flock, in literally words, covers the sky, and the noise created by the wings during flight spreads to all corners of the savannah, reminiscent of a rumble.
Diet and lifestyle of weavers
The basis of the diet is grains and seeds of wild herbs. And due to the fact that the flocks are very numerous, weavers are capable of consuming up to tens of thousands of tons of seeds per year, which in turn significantly affects the cycle of substances in the wild. But they, in turn, provide a large amount of prey for other animals.
The weavers make their forays early in the morning and late in the evening, preferring to hide in the thickets during the hottest part of the day, where they do their toileting or just sleep.
The buffalo weaver bird is notable for its diet and lifestyle, which can be seen on the backs of buffaloes as they graze across the savannah. In their six, weavers look for larvae, which they feast on.
Nesting and breeding
Weavers can breed throughout the year, but in natural conditions this feature appears only when the year is wet. On the contrary, if there is a dry period, then the weavers suspend the reproduction process.
As for nests, they are built as close as possible to the nest of a neighbor, which greatly contributes to the survival of the offspring.
It is for their ability to build, or rather weave, closed nests that these birds got their name - weavers.
The shape of the nest can be very diverse - from the simplest ball-baskets to the nests of social weavers, which are huge haystacks hanging from the branches of an acacia or aloe. Such nesting sites are designed to last for more than one year and sometimes, after heavy rains, they simply collapse along with the tree under their own weight.
The clutch produced by the female can contain up to 6 eggs of various colors and are certainly speckled. Both parents incubate them and, as well as subsequently raise their offspring, hatch them. Thanks to this, weaver chicks grow quite quickly (about 3 weeks) and leave the nest.
The black-headed weaver is a small and very sociable bird. The male of this species is able to construct a complex-shaped nest from grass and plant fibers.
Habitat. Distributed in Africa.
Habitat.
The black-headed weaver inhabits west-central Africa, as well as large areas in the southeast of this continent. For habitat, he chose savannas, forest edges, palm groves, parks and vegetable gardens. The proximity of human habitation does not bother this bird - as long as there is a source of water nearby. During the day, the weaver spends a lot of time hiding under the cover of foliage.
Species: Black-headed weaver – Ploceus cucullatus.
Family: Weavers.
Order: Passerines.
Class: Birds.
Subphylum: Vertebrates.
Security.
This species is not in danger of extinction today. For some relatives of the black-headed weaver - especially those that live on islands located off the east coast of Africa - life is not so rosy (for example, a small population of Seychelles weaver is now found on only one island). But other representatives of the weaver family, including the most famous of them, the red-billed weaver, are very common and form huge flocks numbering many thousands of individuals. Because weavers feed happily on young rice and wheat, they are considered pests in many agricultural regions; Indeed, a visit to a field by a large flock of these birds can only be compared in terms of consequences to an invasion of locusts. Although farmers in Africa kill millions of red-billed weavers every year, this has little effect on the overall population.
Lifestyle.
The black-headed weaver is by no means accustomed to living alone - on the contrary, it forms flocks of many hundreds of individuals. Leading a sedentary lifestyle, this bird tries not to move too far from familiar places, even in search of food. With the exception of the mating season, when the weaver is concerned with finding a suitable tree to build a nest, the bird is ready to settle in any quiet place where there is enough food and water. The weaver waits out the hot midday hours in the shade of leaves, from time to time flying to a watering hole. At dusk, together with his relatives, he organizes noisy concerts, and with the onset of night he becomes silent and sleeps until dawn. From morning to afternoon, the weaver is busy searching for food. The bird's diet consists of small insects and their larvae, stamens, ovaries and flower nectar; some also feed on scraps found near human habitation. In order not to get caught by a predator, the weaver drinks and eats little by little and very quickly, without stopping for an extra second. Its legs are well adapted for both walking on the ground and moving along branches. Tkachik is an excellent flyer, confident in the air and capable of covering quite long distances. Weavers communicate with each other using high, ringing sounds.
Reproduction.
The mating season for weavers coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. In the expanses of meadows, birds form colonies numbering several dozen pairs and begin building nests. First of all, the male selects a suitable branch (necessarily with a fork), and begins to build a house from green grass, sometimes weaving in fragments of palm leaves. At the first stage, a ring-frame attached to the branch is woven, then “walls” begin to be built around it, and the feathered builder carefully ensures that there are no cracks in them and, if necessary, caulks the latter with pieces of leaves. The nesting chamber and the entrance are connected by a small corridor. After completion of construction, the male begins mating. Sitting on a branch opposite the entrance to the nest, it vigorously shakes its wings and makes characteristic calls. Soon the enchanted darling may enter the nest; If the skill of the builder is appreciated by her, the female will leave the nest and allow the male to approach her. After copulation, the new mistress actively begins setting up the nest, lining the nesting chamber with soft fragments of plants. Meanwhile, the male, having finally completed the weaving of the entrance corridor, begins to build a new nest in order to attract the next female (as a rule, during the mating season he manages to give birth to two broods). The female lays 2-3 eggs at equal intervals and incubates them herself for 12 days. The father helps feed the newborn babies. The basis of the chicks' diet is insects, which are abundant around during the nesting period. The juveniles remain in the nest for 17-21 days, after which they quickly learn to fly and become independent. The end of the mating season is marked by the collapse of the colonies, although their inhabitants never fly far from the nesting sites.
Did you know?
- Not all weavers build nests: there are several species that, during the mating season, occupy the old nests of their relatives.
- Ornithologists distinguish eight subspecies of the black-headed weaver, differing in plumage and habitat. Males of different subspecies have dissimilar shapes of the black “mask” and the number of reddish feathers around it does not match.
- The small anterior section of the weaver's stomach contains small pebbles that help grind food.
- The color of the weaver's iris depends on the sex and age of the individual. During the mating season, the iris of an adult male acquires a rich red or yellow color and becomes noticeably brighter than that of the female.
- Some species of weavers have chosen certain parts of flowers - for example, only the stamens, pistils or ovary.
- In search of food, the weaver can cover up to 60 kilometers in a day.
Black-headed weaverbird - Ploceus cucullatus
Body length: 15-17 cm.
Wingspan: 20 cm.
Weight: male - 41 g.
Number of eggs: 2-3.
Incubation time: 12 days.
Food: insects, grains, stamens and flower ovaries.
Puberty: 1 year
Life expectancy: 5-6 years.
Structure.
Eyes. The black pupil is surrounded by a yellow or red iris.
Beak. The short and strong beak is gray-black.
Body. The body is small and slender.
Wings. Quite short wings do not allow gliding.
Color. The feathers on the head and neck are mostly black, on the back they alternate with yellow, and on the sides and belly they are bright yellow with a reddish tint.
Tail. The medium-length tail has regular yellow feathers.
Legs. Thin legs Pink colour not covered with feathers.
Fingers. Three fingers point forward, one finger points back.
Related species.
The weaver family has about 130 species. Most of them live in Africa, some are found in Asia and the Indian Ocean islands. These are very sociable and noisy birds; many species form colonies with a huge number of simultaneous inhabitants. Weavers build complex nests from blades of grass, plant fibers and branches. Some members of the family are monogamous, others are polygamous. Some species prefer to feed on seeds, others on stamens and ovaries of flowers.
Weavers
Weavers, a family of song passerines of the order Passeriformes. Over 260 species, including buffalo birds (25 species of the largest among T. birds), true sparrows (about 40 species), actually T.(over 100 species), widowbirds (about 10 species) and finches, or wax-billed T.(about 120 species). Widespread in the Eastern Hemisphere (center of origin T., probably Africa, where about 4/5 of all species live). Thanks to humans, some species (house and tree sparrows, scaly finch, great masked weaver, etc.) penetrated into North and South America. T. quite diverse in appearance birds, size from 8 to 30 Look, in some long-tailed species the total length reaches 50×60 cm. The color of the dense, adjacent plumage is brownish with brown, black and white spots (more often in birds living in temperate latitudes) or very bright combination of red with black, blue with green, violet with yellow in tropical species. Males are usually brighter colored than females. For all T. characterized by a relatively large rounded head; the beak is often conical and sharp; the legs are relatively short, strong, with curved claws. Settle in T. in a variety of landscapes, often open (steppes, savannas, deserts), as well as in sparse forests, in dense bushes near water; many species live next to humans (in outbuildings, on plantations, etc.). They nest in separate pairs, small groups or colonies. Nests are always closed, ranging from loose spherical ones to elegant structures in the form of retorts, bottles, etc., suspended from branches, stems, etc. Some T. build nests like honeycombs under common roof. For the art of weaving such complex nests T. and got their name. U T. usually there are 23 clutches (46 eggs) per year; the chicks are fed by the females; After the chicks have fledged, they gather in flocks and flocks and begin to roam. T. mainly granivorous birds, but can also eat various berries, peck young shoots, buds and buds; many willingly eat various insects, snails and other small animals. For many T. The song is characterized by a rather monotonous song, only in some species it can be colored with melodic sounds (for example, murmuring trills, whistles, fights).
For a long time, lovers of cage-keeping birds have bred a wide variety of birds. T. More often than others, among indoor T., contain many species and varieties of finch representatives T. finches and astrilds.
From buffalo birds for keeping in large enclosures they are usually selected white-billed And red-billed buffalo T. These are large (up to 25 cm long birds, with shiny black plumage in males and dark gray with longitudinal streaks in females. The color of the beak varies from light yellow to bright red. In nature, these birds feed on grain, mainly near herds of wild African buffaloes, which are constantly pecked directly from the back by sucking ticks and other insects (hence the name). T. fed with oats, wheat, hemp, canary seed; Be sure to give them mealworms, flies, various beetles, cockroaches, etc.; Fresh fruits and vegetables serve as vitamin supplements for these birds. Since in nature these birds climb tree branches a lot and willingly, the enclosure for them is certainly decorated with tree and shrub decorations.
Among the actual T. most often kept in captivity are fire-billed and red-billed T., Great Masked and Black-bellied Weavers, Bayou and Napoleon. Fiery T.(it is also called the bishop's bird, "scarlet grenadier weaver, Franciscan T., African red finch) one of the brightest and most beautiful birds among T. During the mating season, the male has part of the head, chest and abdomen of a velvety black color, the throat, neck, part of the back, tail coverts (very long) are bright red, the wings and tail are brownish with a golden tint. The female looks like a house sparrow. The beak is black, the legs are pale pink. In Europe, the bird became famous in the 17th century. Usually it is kept in a separate cage, since fiery T. always aggressive towards other birds. Birds are fed mainly with millet and chumiza; you can also give canary seed, from the animal food of mealworm larvae. The fiery ones T. There should always be river sand, crushed shells, eggshells and other spring coal in the cage tray. Loved ones with fiery spirit tolerate captivity well T. napoleon And black-bellied T. In the first, the male wears a black and yellow breeding plumage, in the second, the plumage is red and black. Unlike fiery T. These are quite peaceful birds; even in small cages they get along well with other species. All 3 species reproduce extremely rarely in cells.
Since the middle of the 19th century, large mask weavers; They have become in great demand among bird lovers because of their beautiful coloring, great mobility and fairly simple maintenance. The male has part of the head and neck black, with black stripes running from them to the shoulder blades and chest, the chest, abdomen and rump are yellow-brown, the back and part of the abdomen are lemon yellow, the wings are black with bright yellow edges. Females are brownish-yellow. More often they are kept several in an enclosure; In summer, it is better to keep birds in an open aviary, with bushes and trees with hanging branches. In addition to regular grain feed, they eat fruits, berries, and sprouted grains well. Chicks are often hatched if several family groups live in the same enclosure. Each pair builds a nest on its own (masked weavers never occupy artificial houses or baskets); in addition to the main nest, they build several small ones, which the male uses for overnight stays. The eggs (2 x 4 pieces) are incubated by the female. The chicks leave the nest after 3 weeks and are immediately removed so that they do not interfere with the next clutch.
Cells with T. It is better to install along the wall near the window (at a height of 40 x 50 cm and higher from the floor) so that the sun falls on the birds 2 x 3 hours a day. in winter T. A 10 x 12 hour daylight period is required, so the cage needs additional lighting. Since the majority T. heat-loving birds, they need to be protected from drafts and sudden changes in temperature ( optimal temperature 1820°C). When changing food and water for birds, you should not make sudden movements, you must approach the cage carefully, and it is better to talk in a low voice near the cage. From a sharp noise or sudden switching on of a light, birds become very frightened and may even die. In the room where they live T., there should not be any other animals with predatory habits (for example, cats).
Cages, cages and aviaries T. cleaned at least once a week: clean, dry (preferably calcined) sand is poured into a tray in a layer of 2 Look, the perches are washed hot water with soap. It is better to place new birds in the cage in the morning (the bird gets used to it during the day and spends the night in the cage calmly). Select different T. for joint keeping it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of their behavior and size (even in large enclosures and cages large T. almost always persecute smaller ones). Thus, a bird, finding itself next to a Japanese finch, can grab it by the claw and hold the bird suspended until the claw remains in its beak. Males of fire T. They constantly quarrel and chase each other and continue until one of them kills the other. The bird is carefully removed from the cage by pressing it with your hand against the bars and passing the bird's head between the index and middle fingers; from large enclosures T. caught with nets.
With proper care and feeding, most T. live in captivity for 10 x 12 years.
Animals in the house. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. Grebtsova V.G., Tarshis M.G., Fomenko G.I.. 1994 .
See what “Tkachiki” is in other dictionaries:
WEAVERS- WEACERS, (weaver birds, Ploceidae) family of birds of the order Passeriformes (see PASSERINE BIRDS); includes about 270 species. Body length 7.6 30 cm. Their body is dense, the head is rounded, and the neck is short. The beak is conical. The wings of... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Weavers- see Weavers... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Finch weavers- (Estrildidae), a family of passerine birds (see PASSERINE BIRDS). More than 120 species, grouped into 15–35 genera. Africa is considered to be the center of origin of the family. The brightest among passerines. The plumage may have a combination of bright colors... encyclopedic Dictionary
Finches- Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) ... Wikipedia
Wax-billed Weavers- Wax-billed weavers, the same as finch weavers (see Finch-billed weavers) ... encyclopedic Dictionary
REAL WEAVERS- (Ploceinae), a subfamily of birds of the weaver family (see weavers). More than 100 species. They inhabit mainly Africa south of the Sahara Desert and the island of Madagascar. All species skillfully weave their nests from grass stems and bast strips. The largest... encyclopedic Dictionary
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From the sweltering jungles of the Congo to the scorching sands of the Sahara and Namibia to the savannas and snowy peaks of Kilimanjaro, Africa presents a huge range of climates that harbor a wide variety of Africa's spectacular birds.
The ornithology of this continent provides a close analogy with many species of Europe and South Asia. Thus, on the northern shores of Africa, it is difficult to find at least one bird species that does not also live in other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Many birds live in the Nile region and on the northern shores of Africa, which can also be found in Arabia, Iran and Spain. Species nest in deserts that are adapted to the unfavorable conditions of these inhospitable places. South Africa has a real abundance of different bird species.
Tkachik
Weaver birds, or weaver birds, are a large group of small passerine birds. Weavers form a separate family of weavers, numbering 272 species. Outwardly, they are very similar to sparrows, finches and buntings, which are their closest relatives, but the way of life of weavers is unique.
The size of weavers varies from 7.7 to 30 cm in length. At first glance, the weaver bird can easily be mistaken for a sparrow; they have the same proportions of body, tail and wings, a short and thick beak, which identifies them as granivorous birds. The coloring of most species is very modest, brown, gray, and black tones predominate, and the body of the bird is often dotted with small streaks.
Weavers are typical inhabitants of Africa, although some species are found in Madagascar, South Asia and Southern Europe. These birds inhabit open landscapes - savannas, open forests, less often semi-deserts or the outskirts of forests, but they are never found in the thick of forests and deserts. This is due to the peculiarities of bird biology: they nest only in trees, and look for food only in open spaces. The voice of weavers is abrupt, clear, but not melodious sounds, similar to the chirping of a sparrow.
All species of weavers are flocking birds, and their groups number at least several dozen birds; individual species form huge clusters of thousands and millions of individuals. The largest flocks belong to common social weavers and red-billed weavers, whose nesting colonies number up to 10,000 birds, and the entire flock after breeding - up to 40 million.
Weavers are exclusively granivorous birds; in nature they feed on grains and seeds of wild grasses, and in cultivated landscapes they readily feed on grain fields. Due to the huge size of the flocks and the total number of all species of weavers, they play a significant role in the cycle of substances. In total, billions of weavers destroy thousands of tons of seeds every year, turning them into tons of live mass. In turn, weavers themselves represent the same massive prey for many species of animals. Weavers fly out to feed early in the morning and look for food until noon; during the hot season, they take cover in the thickets and sleep or do the toilet; in the evening they again go in search of food until dark.
African darter
The body length of the African darter reaches 80 cm. This bird is widespread in the humid regions of Africa south of the Sahara. It feeds on fish, frogs and crustaceans. During the hunt, only the bird's head is visible sticking out of the water - its long neck remains below the surface of the water to grab its prey. After the hunt, the darter allows its feathers to dry, sitting in the sun with its wings open.
The African darter often nests with herons and cormorants. On the branches of a tree, the female builds a pile of branches with leaves and bare twigs, which the male carefully brings. The bird usually lays 3-5 whitish-blue eggs and incubates for 28-30 days. The chicks hatch completely naked and are fed by both parents. In case of danger, the chicks deftly crawl out of the nest like young hoatzins and hide in dense grassy vegetation. If the alarm sounded in vain, they return to their home again. Having reached the age of two weeks, the grown chicks often fall out of the nest into the water, but then return back on their own, without the help of their parents. Bird droppings accumulate along the outer edge of the nest, drying under the sun's rays, it takes on the appearance of a white coating and gives the bird's home an unkempt appearance.
Yellow-billed Toko
The yellow-billed toko belongs to the small species of the hornbill family. Tokos are absolutely unpretentious to food and feed mainly on what they come across in the area where the birds nest. Insects are an important element of the hornbill's diet. In addition to them, birds eat berries and fruits, which they pick up from the ground or find on trees. The yellow-billed toko also does not refuse to feast on small lizards and other animals, which, pinned to the ground with their paws, are killed with a blow from their powerful beak. These birds swallow their prey whole and later regurgitate fruit seeds and chitinous insect skeletons that have not been digested by the body.
Yellow-billed Tokos live in areas near bush thickets and forest clearings, usually in pairs or small flocks of up to 12 birds. These birds do not sleep all day, but their peak activity occurs in the morning and later in the afternoon. Toko have amazingly powerful voices that can be heard even from afar. They can whistle, cackle, quack and make trumpet sounds. The toko's beak is not as strong as that of two-horned hornbills, but they are no less impressive, and their shape resembles scimitars.
The color of toko beaks plays a fundamental role in the classification of the species of these birds: they distinguish between red-billed, yellow-billed and black-billed tokos. All hornbills fly well, but they walk rather clumsily on the ground.
After the chicks hatch, the female spends about 10 days in the hollow. By that time, just as during the incubation of eggs, the male feeds her. The male feeds the chicks a mushy mass, which he regurgitates directly into their beaks. As soon as the chicks get a little stronger, the female makes a gap in the wall with her beak and flies out of the nest. Starting from this period, both birds feed the chicks. The chicks create a hole on their own, leaving a gap through which their parents pass food to them. Young Toko birds fly out of the nest only after three weeks. It is interesting that adult birds shout to encourage the chicks as they get out of the nest, but do not help them in this.
Spectacled penguin
Spectacled (donkey, black-footed, African) penguin - reaches a length of 65-70 cm and a weight of 3-5 kg. The spectacled penguin is widespread on the coasts of South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands in the area of the cold Bengal Current. This penguin received one of its names because of its donkey-like voice. He, like all penguins, nests in colonies. These penguins in the water can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h, dive deeper than 100 m and hold their breath for 2-3 minutes; while feeding, they swim 70-120 km in the ocean. This species feeds mainly on small fish (fry of herring, anchovies, sardines, etc.). Donkey penguins begin to breed at the age of 4-5 years. Their clutch consists of two eggs, which are incubated by both parents in turn for about 40 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tint. The breeding season is not clearly defined and varies depending on the location.
Today, the population of donkey penguins is estimated at 140-180 thousand individuals. The species is listed in the International Red Book and the South African Red Book. The number of these penguins declined sharply at the beginning of the 20th century as a result of active egg collection. For example, on the island of Dassen in the 1920s. approximately 1.5 million birds nested. During the period from 1900 to 1930, 450 thousand eggs were collected per year, and in 1919 a record number of 600 thousand eggs were collected. In the 1950s, 100 thousand eggs were collected per year, but already in 1956 the number of donkey penguins numbered only 145 thousand individuals, and in 1978 it dropped to 22.4 thousand.
African marabou
The African marabou is a bird belonging to the stork family. This is the largest representative of the family from the order Acioriformes and the genus Marabou. The body length of the largest representative of the stork order varies from 1.15-1.52 m with a wingspan of 2.25-2.87 m and a body weight of 4.0-8.9 kg. Individual specimens can have a wingspan of up to 3.2 m. In general, males are larger than females of this fairly common stork family.
The appearance features of the African marabou are almost completely absent, and the description is typical for a significant part of feathered scavengers. The head and neck of the bird are covered with relatively sparse hair-like plumage. There is also a well-developed and pronounced downy “collar” on the shoulders. Special attention attracts a large and fairly massive beak, the total length of which often reaches 34-35 cm.
A resting bird is characterized by the position of its beak in the area of the swollen and fleshy neck protuberance or throat pouch, which is called the “cushion.” Skin covering, located on completely unfeathered areas, has a pinkish color, and clearly visible black spots on the front part of the head. The main difference between a young African marabou is the presence of a duller upperpart and a significant number of feathers in the collar area.
Marabou belong to the category of socialized birds that settle in fairly large colonies and are not at all afraid to be close to humans. In some cases, birds of this genus appear near villages and landfills, where there is an opportunity to get enough food for themselves.
In natural conditions, this type of bird performs an extremely important task - as a result of eating corpses, a very effective cleansing of the earth occurs and the development of diseases or large, dangerous epidemics is prevented.
In the wild, the African marabou usually lives no more than a quarter of a century. When kept in captivity, birds of this genus easily live up to the age of 30-33 years. Despite the specifics of their diet, adult birds of this family have a fairly high resistance to the most common bird diseases.
Griffon Vulture
The griffon vulture is a large bird of prey of the hawk family and a scavenger. Distributed in the arid mountain and lowland landscapes of Southern Europe, Asia and North Africa, also nests in the Caucasus Mountains (although at other times it is found far beyond this region); an isolated population has survived in Crimea. The range and total numbers of this species are gradually declining, although the World Conservation Union does not consider it to be at all vulnerable to this day.
A very large vulture with long, wide wings and a wide tail. Body length 93–110 cm, wingspan 234–269 cm. The appearance is characteristic of vultures - a disproportionately small head covered with white down, an elongated hooked beak, a long neck with a collar of elongated feathers, a short rounded tail. The general color of the body is brown, somewhat lighter with a reddish tint below. The flight feathers and tail feathers are dark brown, almost black. The iris is yellowish-brown, the cere is grayish, the legs are dark gray. Males and females do not differ from each other in color. The plumage of young birds is paler and monotonous reddish-brown.
A soaring bird that barely rises into the air from a flat surface. In the air, it draws in its neck, lowers its head and spreads its primary flight feathers wide (they look like “fingers like a fan”). The wing beats are rare, slow and deep. Screams quite rarely, although compared to other vultures it is considered more talkative. Voice - a variety of hissing and hoarse croaking sounds, produced mainly when detecting prey or while resting. Usually found in groups.
Secretary bird
The secretary bird was first described by zoologist Johann Hermann in 1783. It is distributed throughout Africa south of the Sahara Desert, with the exception of the Namib Desert, coasts, and dense equatorial forests.
The preferred habitat for the secretary bird is open meadows and savannas, although they are also found in semi-deserts and areas with sparse forest cover at an altitude of no more than 3,000 above sea level. The bird prefers areas where the grass does not exceed a meter in height, which provides it with a good overview of the area. In a real desert, as well as in dense forests, the secretary bird cannot be found.
An adult individual grows in height from 0.9 to 1.2 meters, while weighing in the range from 2.3 to 4.2 kg. The wingspan varies from 1.2 to 1.35 meters, females are slightly smaller in size than males.
The secretary bird has a rather unusual appearance for a representative of the Falconiformes order. It has a relatively small head, a gray-white beak, a long neck, and an eagle-like body. However, unlike other representatives of the squad, the secretary has extremely long legs ending in short toes with blunt claws. From the outside it seems that the bird is standing on stilts.
It is assumed that secretary birds form pairs for life. Reproduction is possible throughout the year, but its peak occurs from August to March. The mating season is quite stormy, with the male courting the female both in the air and on the ground. Mating usually takes place on the ground, less often in trees.
Both individuals participate in the construction of the nest, which is usually located on the flat top of an acacia or other thorny tree. The secretary bird's nest itself has the shape of a platform with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 meters, made of branches and lined with a thick layer of grass, wool, dung and other materials. The pair returns to the old nest annually to breed, and abandon it only when its mass becomes too large and there is a possibility that the nest will fall to the ground.
The African open stork is a black bird from the stork family, one of two members of the genus of open storks, the second member of the genus is the Indian open stork. Like another member of the gap stork genus, the gongal, the African gap stork has a unique beak with a gap between the mandible and the mandible, well adapted to the feeding behavior of both species. These storks primarily feed on large aquatic snails, and their unusual beak is useful for removing shellfish from their shells. The average height of the African open stork ranges from 80-94 cm, and its weight is 1-1.3 kg. Males are usually larger than females. The plumage is black and has a glossy green, brown or purple shade on the chest. The beak is large, with a brownish tint. The gap between the mandible and mandible is about 5-6 mm. On the almost straight beak, there are several small columnar pads (about 20-30) that help the bird remove mollusks from the shell. The eyes are gray and the legs are dark.
The African gaping stork is found in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, mainly in the western regions of the island. This species of stork regularly migrates to West Africa during the dry season. Migration occurs in flocks, but these flights have not yet been well studied.
African open storks are primarily found in vast freshwater wetlands, lakes and rivers, rice fields and flooded plains. They prefer areas close to tall trees for nesting.
Breeding occurs during the rainy season, from August to May, with a peak in January-March. African open storks form colonies with varying numbers of pairs. They nest in trees, usually above water, and sometimes in reeds. This medium-sized bird builds a relatively small nest, about 50 cm wide. Construction materials twigs and reeds are used for the nest, and the litter consists of aquatic vegetation, sedges, grass and leaves. The female lays 3-4 oval, chalky white eggs. Throughout the entire incubation period, about 25-30 days, both sexes alternately incubate the clutch. When hatching, the chicks have dark down and a beak with a gap, like that of adult African gaping storks. The gap gradually increases over several years. Independence from parents occurs at about 50-55 days after hatching, when the plumage is fully formed.
Crowned Crane
The crowned crane lives in the savannas of Africa, preferring to settle near acacia thickets on water meadows and the shores of freshwater lakes and swamps.
Basically, the crowned crane looks like all members of the crane family. However, this beautiful bird has a number of distinctive features, the main one of which is the lush crest on its head. The crest is formed by stiff golden feathers, from which the crane gets its name. On the chin of the crowned crane there is a bright red earring, which is a throat pouch like that of a turkey or rooster.
Birds use their gular pouch to make flapping sounds during the mating season to attract the opposite sex. These representatives of cranes, unlike their relatives, roost on tree branches for the night. Therefore, birds have a long rear finger, with which the crane is held on thin branches while sleeping. It must be said that the crowned crane reaches a weight of up to 5 kg, and the bird’s height is about 1 m with a wingspan of just under 2 m. Therefore, it is not so easy for such a large bird to stay on a tree. But this is not difficult for the crowned crane.
The crane feeds on almost everything that comes its way. He enjoys eating plant seeds, rice shoots and grains, and does not refuse various kinds of insects, among which flies and grasshoppers predominate. The menu of this crane is complemented by amphibians and reptiles, as well as fish and crabs. The crowned crane is a sedentary bird. Therefore, it migrates in search of food and a partner during the breeding season exclusively within its range.
Interestingly, parents do not have to care for the chicks for long, since newly hatched babies are able to set out on an independent life within a day.
The hoopoe is a small bright bird with a crest and a long narrow beak. The hoopoe lives in the south and center of Europe and Asia, as well as in Africa, in open areas with bushes or trees, in savannas, meadows and pastures. You can also meet hoopoe in orchards or vineyards. The hoopoe is not a shy bird, but still avoids humans.
The body length of the hoopoe is from 25 to 29 cm, the wingspan is 44-48 cm. On the head there is a characteristic crest of feathers, orange-red in color with black feather tips. It is 5 to 10 cm long and is usually folded, but when landing, the hoopoe spreads it into a fan shape. The head, neck and chest vary among subspecies from pink to chestnut color. The wings are wide, rounded, with black and whitish-yellow stripes. The tail is medium length, black with a white stripe. The belly is pinkish-red, with black longitudinal stripes on the sides. The beak is long, about 4-5 cm, thin, curved.
The hoopoe feeds on small invertebrate animals: insects, their larvae and pupae (chafer beetles, dung beetles, carnivores, grasshoppers, butterflies, steppe fillies, flies, ants, termites), spiders, woodlice, centipedes, and small mollusks. Sometimes birds include amphibians and reptiles in their diet, for example, frogs, lizards, and snakes.
The hoopoe looks for food on the surface of the ground, in short grass or on bare ground. The long beak allows the bird to pick through manure, garbage heaps, rotten wood, and make shallow holes in the ground. In addition, the hoopoe can find food near grazing livestock. Due to its short tongue, the hoopoe cannot always swallow prey from the ground, so first it throws it into the air, and then catches and swallows it. The hoopoe breaks large beetles into pieces by hammering them on the ground.
honey guide
Honeyguides are birds that are close relatives of woodpeckers. They live in Southeast Asia and Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia. The name of the birds is consistent with their occupation. In the wild, they find bee nests based on some signs known only to honey guides.
This species of birds is called by many names: honey guide, morok, bee cuckoo, indicator, black-throated honey guide, cuckoo honey guide, large honey guide. Birds lead a sedentary lifestyle and are widely distributed throughout Africa.
The honey guide resembles a sparrow, but is larger in size and has variegated colors. A bird with a dense build, a short brown tail and long wings. The back is covered with grayish-brown feathers, the belly is whitish-gray, the throat is black, and there is one yellow spot on the shoulders.
Numerous streaks are scattered on the wings. The eyes are brown in color, the iris is bordered by a lead-colored ring. The beak is not too massive, yellowish-white in color, and the brownish-gray legs are rather short.
The honey guide is a big gourmand; it eats not only honey, but also wax and the bees themselves. In the absence of such food, it is able to feed on other insects. Not all animals are able to digest wax; these fat-like substances are too complex in structure. But the small African bird copes well with digestive problems.
Not only does the bird destroy bee nests, but it also attracts other animals - baboons, mongooses, badgers - to the robbery. Having found honey, the bird makes special sounds that lure the badger out of its hole. In Africa, this animal is called a ratel. He goes after the honey guide. Baboons also help destroy nests. People are also not averse to using the services of a honey guide; after finding honey, they always leave the bird its share. This is what the Borana tribe does, lacking sweet food, and turns to the indicator for help. The collected honey is stored in ostrich egg shells and serves as a special treat for dear guests.
The honey badger bird leads a secretive lifestyle. The variegated plumage allows the bird to remain invisible against the background of dense foliage of trees. Sometimes the honey guide leaves its home to catch and swallow a gaping insect, but the bird’s behavior changes completely if it is possible to discover a bee’s nest. She twitches her tail, gets excited, and screams incessantly to attract a larger destroyer to her aid.
Song Shrike
The shrike genus, numbering more than a dozen species, is widespread in Eurasia, Africa and North America. These birds are both songbirds and predators, such a rare and memorable combination.
The descriptions of all species of shrikes have common features: the birds are small in size, the length of the tail exceeds the length of the wing, and there is a “mask” of black feathers on the eyes. Their beak is quite large with a hook-shaped upper beak, like most birds of prey, which helps tear apart prey. The predominant colors are black, white, gray and red. Only a few southern species of shrikes are distinguished by brighter and more noticeable plumage. Females are usually a little lighter and more modest in color than males.
Despite their melodiousness and modest size, shrikes are true predators. They feed not only on beetles, butterflies, spiders, caterpillars and other insects, but even small rodents, frogs, lizards, and small birds.
Each species of shrike is distributed in a specific area. In general, their habitat is very wide, and does not only include Australia and South America. In all other parts of the world, one or another species of this bird is found.
The shrike prefers to live in forest-steppe, bushes, groves and generally prefers open spaces with tall trees, which helps it in hunting. The seasonality of shrike migration depends on where the bird species lives. For example, residents of the northern regions, the gray shrike and the common shrike are migratory birds, and migrate south of their usual range for the winter. All other shrikes lead a sedentary lifestyle or are nomadic.
Giant heron or giant heron
The goliath heron, or giant heron, or giant heron is a water bird from the heron family. The goliath heron is the largest member of the heron family. It reaches a height of 155 cm, weighs at least 7 kg, wingspan is 210–230 cm. The head and neck are chestnut-brown, the body is gray-brown, and the chin is white. The beak is medium length, very powerful. The Goliath heron lives throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Occasionally flies and nests in Asia. Adult birds are sedentary, while young birds fly from nesting areas to feeding areas.
Goliath herons live in swamps, in places secluded from people, and never settle in colonies. They feed on fish weighing from 30 g to 3.5 kg. They also eat amphibians, including the largest individuals of the African burrowing frog, rodents weighing up to 1 kg, and reptiles, including mambas and monitor lizards.
brilliant starling
The size of the bird is 30 cm. The main background color of the male is green, the lower back, rump and chest are purple, the wings are brilliant purple-violet with a bluish tint. The wing coverts sparkle under the rays of the sun - each feather has a greenish shiny edge. The tail of the brilliant starling is black with a grayish-blue edge, the top of the head is purple-violet, the cheeks and throat are gray-green, and the neck is brilliant green. In flight, its wings produce a characteristic whistling sound, and its back, thanks to its raised plumage, looks a little humpbacked.
The purple glossy starling is distributed south of the Sahara Desert, from Senegal in the west to Sudan, Kenya and Uganda in the east. Like many starlings, the brilliant purple plumage helps this bird camouflage itself both against foliage and on the ground. Although traditionally these starlings nest in tree hollows, recently they have adapted to use the roofs of buildings and even drainage pipes for this purpose. Only the female incubates and feeds the chicks, although the male stays nearby and guards the nest. At first, the chicks' diet consists exclusively of invertebrate animals - this diet provides the chicks with proteins and helps them grow faster and take wing. Outside the mating season, starlings gather in large flocks, the number of which can reach several thousand individuals. They feed on invertebrates, fruits and berries.
African duck
The African duck is a small bird from the duck family. A small duck, 48–51 cm long, weighing 450–700 grams. In adult males in breeding plumage, the head and upper part of the neck are black, the chin is sometimes grayish. The lower part of the neck, upper part of the chest, lower part of the back and rump are bright chestnut, the sides are light chestnut, the lower part of the chest and belly are silvery-grayish brown. The wings are greyish-brown above with buffy markings. The blackish tail feathers are sharp and narrow. The iris is brown, the legs are slate gray, and the beak is cobalt blue. Females and males outside the breeding season resemble the female American duck, but the alternation of colors on the head is less pronounced. They are greyish-brown above, with brown and dark yellow markings, the sides are ash-brown, with yellow-white stripes and a few markings. The coloring of the unfeathered parts is the same as that of a male in breeding plumage, but the beak becomes slate gray. Juveniles resemble the adult female, but are more uniformly colored, less striped above, and brown rather than greyish on the underparts.
Lives in East Africa from Eritrea, the highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya to eastern Zaire and Uganda and in south africa from Rhodesia and southern Botswana to the Cape of Good Hope.
Breeds in relatively deep fresh water bodies with developed emergent vegetation, both natural and man-made (reservoirs and reservoirs) Wastewater). There must be open areas of water. Outside the breeding season, it is observed in a variety of large and small reservoirs, permanent or drying up, fresh, salty or alkaline, which may have no surface vegetation at all.
Flamingo It is distinguished by its amazingly elegant coloring, from the simplest - white, to the amazing dark pink. Since ancient times, people have considered the flamingo a fabulous bird, a creature from an unrealizable and beautiful dream. There are few such beautiful sights in nature as the simultaneous takeoff of a half-million flock of flamingos.
Flamingo has the longest neck and the longest legs, of course, relative to the size of the body. These birds feed in shallow water. They bend their necks so much that their beaks are upside down.
Flamingo They live mainly in Africa, in Kenya. But they also exist in southern Europe, Asia, on the island of Madagascar and in South America. Flamingos live in huge colonies along the shores of large lakes. Caribbean pink flamingos build very unique nests. These are cones made of clay with the top cut off. They range in height from 7 to 45 centimeters. Each cone has a depression in it, where the female lays one single egg. Both parents incubate it for 28-32 days, and then feed the chick, regurgitating a special bright red liquid. It is not inferior in nutritional value to milk and thanks to it the chicks grow very quickly. Parents always distinguish their chick by its special squeak, even from thousands of exactly the same ones, and will not feed someone else’s, no matter how much it resembles their own.
The lifespan of these birds in natural conditions is not known. But in captivity they live up to 30 years. This longevity, compared to the average lifespan of most birds, looks very impressive. But what is even more striking is that flamingo, seemingly very fragile, have been living on earth for several million years. So, quite recently, the fossil remains of this bird, 30 million years old, were discovered. Scientists claim that these birds were found even earlier and their ancestors saw dinosaurs.
The African ostrich is the largest bird in the world and the only representative of the order Ostrichidae, the ostrich family, the genus Ostrich. Belongs to the class of birds, subclass ratites.
The biological name of the flightless bird, translated from Greek, literally sounds like “camel sparrow.” Such an apt allegory arose due to the characteristic features of the ostrich: it has the same expressive eyes as a camel, framed by long eyelashes, two-fingered limbs and a chest callus. The comparison with a sparrow probably arose due to its small, poorly developed wings. The African ostrich is a bird unique in its nature, which cannot fly, has no keel and has only two toes, which is also an exception in the class of birds.
Being the largest birds on the planet, large specimens of the African ostrich boast a height of 2.7 meters and an impressive weight of up to 156 kg. However, the average weight of an ostrich is about 50 kg, with males being slightly larger than females. The ostrich's plumage is loose and curly, relatively evenly distributed over the surface of the body. There are no feathers on the head, neck and legs: they are covered with soft, short down.
The ostrich is an omnivorous bird, and although the diet of young individuals consists mainly of animal food, adult birds feed on all kinds of vegetation. Their diet consists of grasses, shoots and seeds of plants, flowers, ovaries, as well as fruits, including quite hard ones. However, adult individuals are far from vegetarians and, if possible, will not refuse various insects, for example, locusts, as well as lizards, small rodents and carrion in the form of uneaten prey of large predators.
Ostriches live in Africa. Birds avoid tropical rainforests, preferring open grassy landscapes and semi-deserts located north and south of equatorial forests.
African ostriches live in family groups consisting of a mature male, 4-5 females and their offspring. Often the size of a flock reaches 20-30 individuals, and young ostriches in the south of their range live in groups of up to hundreds of birds.
Nile goose
The Nile goose belongs to the duck family and is the only species in the genus Nile geese. This bird is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. The highest concentration is observed in the Nile Valley. This species was introduced in the 18th century to countries such as Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. They were brought there to make them decorative. But many birds escaped and formed wild populations in areas rich in lakes. These geese are also called Egyptian geese.
Body length is 63-73 cm with a weight of 1.5-2.3 kg. The plumage of females and males is identical, the only thing is that males are on average larger than the weaker sex. Front of the head white, the back of the neck and the front of the chest are pale yellow. The rest of the body is gray. The limbs are red, the beak is also red with a black tip. The wing coverts are brown, the inner part of the wings is white. The white color is clearly visible in flight when the wings are fully extended. The voices of females and males differ. Males have a hoarse, muffled voice. Females are noisier. They make loud, hoarse sounds at the slightest disturbance or in case of aggression.
These birds mate for life. Nests are made in different places, but preference is given to tree hollows. A nest is built from reeds, leaves and grass. The female is engaged in construction, and the male searches for and brings the appropriate material. Eggs are laid at the end of the dry season. There are from 5 to 12 eggs in a clutch.
These birds show aggression towards other people's offspring and can even kill them if there is a question about the survival of their own chicks. Such situations arise when the amount of food resources is reduced. These birds swim beautifully, but in flight they look a bit heavy. You can meet them not only on the ground, but also on trees and buildings. The diet consists of seeds, leaves, plant stems, and grass. From time to time, locusts, worms, and other small animals are eaten.
The bustard bird (or otherwise dudak) is very similar in appearance to an ostrich, only in smaller sizes. Belongs to the crane family. It is an inhabitant of semi-desert and steppe zones of Eurasia. Often settles in pastures and farmland. Previously, the bustard was numerous, but now it is an endangered species.
Bustard is a large-bodied bird, heavy, massive, with a thick neck and wide chest . In terms of weight, males are twice as heavy as smokies: with a body length of about 105 cm, their weight reaches 7-16 kg. That is, they are about the size of a large turkey. Females, with a body length of 75 cm to 80 cm, weigh 4-8 kg. The tail of this bird is long and rounded at the end. The bustard does not have a coccygeal gland.
The wings are wide and long - their span ranges from 190 cm to 260 cm. The bustard is easy to distinguish from other birds not only by its wings and large size, but also on powerful unfeathered paws, ideally adapted for moving along the ground, as well as digging up roots, worms and insect larvae. The legs of the bustard bird are greenish-brown, strong and quite long. The number of fingers is three. There are pads on the bottom of the paws.
The plumage of the bustard is prone to variegation and is a combination of several colors- black, gray, white and red. The neck and head of the bustard bird are ash-gray, with variations in shade depending on populations. The rest of the top has an ocher-red tone with a transverse dark streaky pattern. The underparts of the wings, undertail, belly and chest are white.
Bustard species are so diverse that they inhabit the territories of several continents, differing in size, color, feeding characteristics, and habits.
The food of bustards is varied, but mostly plant-based. They peck seeds, fruits, soft roots, grass leaves, flowers and shoots, choosing a wide variety of plants - aster, legumes, cabbage, bluegrass, road grass, etc. The bustard eats animal food, which mainly includes insects and their larvae. These are grasshoppers, mole crickets, locusts, ground beetles, leaf beetles, weevils, etc. The chicks feed on Formica ants and their larvae. On occasion, adult bustards can also consume lizards, frogs, snails, worms, etc. as food. Interestingly, they do not drink water (most species of bustards).
Eagle buffoon
The buffoon eagle belongs to the order Falconiformes, the family Accipitridae. It received its name for the remarkable aerial acrobatic pirouettes it performs during the breeding season.
The eagle - buffoon or buffoon - is a very beautiful bird of prey. Body length is 56-75 cm, wingspan is 1.7-1.80 m, weight is 2-3 kg. In adult males, the head, neck and ventral side are black; back brown different shades; wings black with white underwings; the shoulder feathers are whitish-grayish or buffy with black markings.
The plumage of female buffalo eagle is similar to the color of the feathers of males, but they have grayish secondary flight feathers with black streaks. The filyar is distinguished from typical snake-eaters by the unfeathered skin of the frenulum, the presence of a short crest on the back of the head, wide wings, and a very short tail with a straight cut.
This predator is easy to spot when flying because it appears tailless due to its short tail feathers. Young birds in the first annual plumage have a grayish-brown back, with pale colored feathers on the head and the ventral side, covered with whitish indistinct variegated spots. The iris of the eye is dark brown.
The wax and bare skin of the face are orange in adult buffalo eagles, blackish or greenish in young birds. The legs are orange-red in adults, bluish in juveniles. The beak and claws are blackish, the legs are orange-red in adults, bluish in juveniles. Age-related changes are significant, and buffoon eagles acquire their final coloration at the age of six years.
The unusual appearance and peculiar behavior of the buffoon eagle gave rise to various superstitious signs. The natives of East Africa claim that the shadow of this bird is fatal. In other areas of the African continent, the buffoon is looked at with a certain reverence, considering him a healer who brings roots that have miraculous properties. healing properties. The Abyssinians nicknamed this bird the “sky monkey.”
The buffoon eagle lives in Africa, south of the Sahara. It is found from southern Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and Guinea to central Sudan, Ethiopia and western Somalia, in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.
African crake
The African Crake is a bird of the rail family. Inhabits a variety of open and semi-open landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa, including cultivated ones. Numerous, sometimes common bird. The abundance and sufficient height of grass cover are one of the key factors in habitat selection. In areas with pronounced seasonal fluctuations in atmospheric precipitation, where grass burns out during the dry season, birds tend to migrate towards the wetter equatorial belt.
It is a small bird, about the size of a starling, with a short reddish beak, red eyes and short rounded wings. The top is black with brown spots, the front of the neck and chest are bluish-gray, the sides and belly are striped in black and white (they act as a marker when communicating). A wide light stripe is developed above the eye. Of the wide vocal repertoire, a series of fast vibrating sounds, transmitted as “crrr”, especially stands out; it is used to mark the area and call the female. The African Crake is active during the day, often at dusk or in cloudy weather. Territorial throughout the year, skirmishes are common between neighboring birds.
Breeds during the rainy season, nesting in the shape of a shallow grass bowl in a depression on the ground, often under the cover of a tuft of grass or a small bush. It feeds on a variety of invertebrates, frogs, fish, and grass seeds. In general, a healthy appearance; the main risk factors are development Agriculture, wetland drainage and urbanization.
The African peafowl was previously considered to be related to the Asian peafowl family. But later a number of differences were discovered, which made it possible to distinguish them into a separate genus. Compared to Asian peacocks, African peacocks show slight differences between males and females, there is no plume of feathers with ocelli in the male, and there are significant differences in the sexual behavior of individuals. The Congo peacock was first described by American zoologist James Chapin in 1936. This is a wild peacock that lives in the forests of Zaire and the Congo River basin.
The male is 64-70 cm long, without feathers on the head, blue-gray, in the throat area orange-red. The neck is covered with short velvety black feathers. On the head is a crest of a bunch of erect feathers. The bird's body is bronze-green on top with large purple edges. The rump, like that of Asian peacocks, is covered with bright oval spots. The tail is black with a greenish-blue border, the undertail is black. On the long legs there is one spur in both the male and female. The beak is gray with a blue tint. The female is 60-63 cm long, has a chestnut-brown crest, the bare parts of the head are gray-brown, and the neck is red. The body is green with a metallic sheen and light brown stripes. African peacocks are a monogamous species. In nature, they build nests on stumps and in the forks of branches. The female lays and incubates 2-4 eggs for 26-27 days. The male is constantly nearby and guards the nest.
martial eagle
The martial eagle is the only species in the genus Polemaetus. This species inhabits mainly open areas of sub-Saharan Africa and is absent only from forested regions in the southernmost part of South Africa. Despite the fact that his only enemy is man, last years There is a constant decline in the number of martial eagle. It is hunted as soon as it approaches human settlements, as many farmers fear for their animals. This rare species is listed in the IUCN Red List with the status of “near threatened”.
The back, neck and wings of the martial eagle are dark brown, the belly is white with brown spots, which are more pronounced in females than in males. This bird's eyes are yellow. A perched martial eagle has an upright posture, with its head approximately in line with its sharp talons. Females are somewhat larger and heavier than males, whose size is on average only 75% of the size of females. The martial eagle's body length ranges from 78 to 96 cm, its wingspan ranges from 188 to 227 cm, and its weight ranges from 3.01 to 5.65 kg.
Martial eagles form permanent pairs, each of which covers an area of more than 1000 km². Pairs nest about 50 km apart, which is the lowest population density of any bird in the world.
The mating season for martial eagles lasts from November to July, depending on the latitude. The female usually builds the nest almost alone in a fork in the branches or on the flat crown of a tree. The diameter of the nest can reach 2 m, height - 1.5 m. The clutch of a martial eagle contains one beige egg with brown spots, which weighs about 190 g.
Martial eagles feed mainly on terrestrial small and medium-sized mammals and birds (Gilniformes, Ciriformes, Anseriformes, etc.); they hunt young impalas, duikers and other antelopes, hyraxes, meerkats; reptiles (snakes, lizards), as well as domestic animals (dogs, goats, sheep).
Bright-breasted Sunbird
This is a rather large sunbird, its body length reaches 15 cm, weight 10-11 g. It has a long beak curved down and pointed at the end and a long, narrow tongue with a longitudinal groove and a tassel at the end. The color of the plumage of the bright red-breasted sunbird varies markedly depending on gender, age and time of year. During the nesting period, the male looks deep black with a contrasting scarlet spot on the chest, which catches the eye from afar and immediately attracts attention; and the top of the head and throat of the male Green colour. But after the end of breeding, the males put on a dull grayish-brown outfit, in which it is quite difficult to distinguish them from females and young birds. The female's plumage is dark brown above and mottled light brown below.
The scarlet-breasted sunbird is distributed in western and eastern Africa from Senegal to Kenya, south to Zimbabwe. Natural habitats include open forests and savannas, river banks, as well as tropical regions, parks and riverine scrub. These birds stay mainly in the treetops, but often descend to the ground. Males are more aggressive and unsociable and make calling calls more often than females. You can often observe males driving away rivals from their territory.
Along with insects, caterpillars, locusts and spiders, the bright red-breasted sunbird feeds on the nectar of flowers (leontis, false pepper nightshade, aloe). She uses her sharp beak to pierce the thick perianths of these flowers, then sucks up the juice with her long, tubular tongue.
The nesting period of the bright red-breasted sunbird lasts from August to March. Within one week, the female builds a cup-shaped nest from leaves, straw, cobwebs and other parts of plants at a height of 2-10 m above the ground. She then lays 2 white or light gray oval eggs with olive gray spots. The female incubates the eggs for 14–15 days, the chicks spend 16–19 days in the nest. Only the female takes care of them.
Weavers belong to the order Passeriformes, a family of songbirds. In nature, they live in steppes and savannas, some species live in mountains and on the edges of forests. In captivity, weavers are quite unpretentious. More than 10 species of these birds are bred and kept in Russia. The most popular of them are discussed below.
Photo: Red-eared astrild (Uraeginthus bengalus)
These birds have a body length of about 12 cm. A distinctive feature of males is red, less often yellowish, cheeks. The blue color of the plumage on the chest of males is brighter than that of females. Lifespan is about 8 years.
Reproduction: in nesting houses or baskets. The duration of incubation of eggs is 12 days.
Photo: Orange-cheeked astrild (Estrilda melpoda).
The body length of these West African birds is only 10 cm. This species is characterized by an orange cheek color, which appears in chicks at the age of 6 weeks, as well as a bright red beak and rump. Females are slightly paler than males and have smaller spots on their cheeks. Life expectancy is about 4 years.
Orange-cheeked astrilds feel best in enclosures with dense vegetation and get along well with other species of weavers (except for species that destroy other people's nests). However, they do not tolerate well subzero temperatures and in winter time years can live only in a warm room. They can be fed a standard weaver dog grain mixture with the addition of live food and greens.
Reproduction in captivity is possible in nests or houses. Egg incubation lasts 12 days.
Photo: Japanese finch (Lonchura domestica).
The body length of these songbirds is about 10 cm. Modern breeds are very numerous and come in a variety of colors. Sexual differences in the plumage of these birds are weakly expressed. At the beginning of the mating season, males sing a lot. Japanese finches live about 5 years.
This species of weaver does not occur in nature. These are one of the most popular indoor birds, however, they can also live in aviaries. The best food for them is a grain mixture for weavers with the addition of greens and soft food.
Japanese finches breed in nesting houses. The duration of incubation of eggs is 12 days.
Photo: Amadina Gouldinae (Chloebia gouldinae).
The body length of representatives of this species is 12 cm. Their wings and back are green, their abdomen is yellow, and their chest is bright purple, lilac or white. The color of the head can be black, red or orange. Females are slightly paler than males. Before nesting, the tip of the male's beak turns red.
Life expectancy is about 7 years.
Amadin Gulda can only be kept in a warm room. As food, you can use a grain mixture for weaver birds with the addition of a small amount of niger.
Representatives of this species breed in nesting houses, but do not incubate and feed their chicks. To breed these birds in captivity, they are kept together with Japanese finches, which look after the offspring of “lazy parents.” Egg incubation lasts 15 days.
Photo: Zebra finch (Poephilia guttata).
These popular indoor birds have a body length of about 10 cm. Distinctive features of the males are a scarlet beak, orange cheeks, black stripes on the chest and chestnut spots on the sides of the body. The plumage and beak of females are paler than those of males, and there are no patterns on the chest and sides. Both male and female zebra finches are beige in color and have a white belly. The males of this breed have retained only one distinctive feature - orange spots on the cheeks. Zebra finches live about 5 years.
These birds can be kept in indoor cages, or in small outdoor enclosures in the summer. Suitable foods include canary seed, millet, greens and soft foods.
Reproduction is possible in houses and baskets. The duration of incubation of eggs is 13 days.
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Japanese finch - All about the bird species |Bird species - Japanese finch
