Wintering and migratory birds - pictures with names for children

Bird species

All birds are divided into three types:

sedentary - such birds live in one territory permanently, without changing their place of residence, usually they are representatives of the tropics and subtropics; in the northern regions and central part of Russia these are those urban birds that are accustomed to living close to humans,
nomadic - they constantly move somewhere, and regardless of the weather and time of year, they fly from one place to another, but within their habitat, they do this in order to find more food,
migratory - these, when the seasons change, regularly make long flights from north to south and back, these include the majority of those living in the northern and temperate zones.

You won’t see migratory birds in winter; they fly away and return to us when it gets warmer. But the sedentary and nomadic ones - wintering ones, they will be with us throughout the cold season.

The most interesting facts

The V-shape of the flock allows you to fly 70% faster . This can be explained by the fact that in a flock of birds, the heart beats slower.
Before a long flight, they accumulate fat reserves . On the road, the chances of finding food are minimal.
The wedge angle is 55 degrees .
The standard flight altitude is 1.5 kilometers . But geese can rise to a height of 8 kilometers (above sea level).
The pulse of birds while in the air is 1000 beats per minute . At rest the value is 400 beats per minute .
With the help of the earth's magnetic field, birds orient themselves during flight. This is what helps you stay on track.
The black migratory bird is called the coot . Weight is 0.5 kilograms. It flies to warmer climes after the first frost arrives (when ice appears on water bodies).
The maximum acceleration speed of swifts is 160 kilometers per hour .
Some species fly distances throughout their lives that can be compared to the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
The first to return from warm countries are, as a rule, rooks . They are considered a symbol of the coming of spring.
Birds do not change their routes . Scientists have tracked that they move along the same path from year to year. Birds are able to recognize different places thanks to their memory.
Aristotle wrote about the first migratory birds (2300 years ago).
Curlews fly in a line. This method allows them to conserve energy and observe their surroundings.
Female finches fly first. They are more resilient.
Seagulls use wind currents to make fast flights. Thus, they significantly save their energy.
Fieldfare has white armpits . As a rule, it flies to northern Africa and Asia Minor.
It happens that there are several leaders in a flock . They take turns flying first. Individuals that close the wedge constantly make sounds to encourage the leaders.
Birds return when spring arrives in their nesting areas.
The bar-headed goose easily climbs Mount Everest due to its large lungs. They are 2 times larger than those of ordinary geese. The bird has conservation status.
Robins fly alone at an altitude of 1 kilometer . They do not migrate in flocks.
The swallow is a migratory bird. The maximum altitude at which the flock flies is 4000 meters . They are not capable of developing high speeds, the maximum value is 10 kilometers per hour .
The Wood Accentor belongs to the passerine order . Refuses to fly if he lives in regions with a warm climate. In the northern regions there is a shortage of food of plant origin. This forces the birds to migrate.
The cuckoo flies to the Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia or Indochina. The flight altitude depends on the time of day. At night the bird flies at a distance of 1 kilometer from the ground , during the day - at a distance of several hundred meters . Birds practically do not stop along the way.

Who flies away from their homeland and why?

Migratory birds include swallows, wild geese, starlings, rooks and many others. When cold weather sets in, they fly away to where it is warm, returning back to their native places, which they left in the fall.

Why do birds leave their native lands?

Among the main reasons are cold and lack of food. Winter time is not as scary for them as a lack of food. Birds are warm-blooded creatures, their average body temperature is about 41 degrees. In addition, the down under the plumage helps prevent hypothermia. Therefore, they are able to maintain their vital functions in harsh winters, which cannot be said about their activity without a sufficient amount of food.

What do birds eat in summer?

Mainly insects. All their living prey - bugs and worms - either die with the cold or go to sleep, hiding deep in the ground. Therefore, those who do not have grain or plant roots on their menu are forced to fly to warm countries where there are many insects.

Among the inhabitants of forests and populated areas, half of the birds are migratory. Almost everything that lives in swamps and reservoirs flies to where it is warmer. So, storks and herons get ready for a long journey when ponds and rivers freeze. It is difficult to get frogs and fish out from under the ice, and small rodents have long since hidden in their burrows.

Did you know?! The rook is the last to fly away. But he is among the first to return from wintering to his native land, somewhere between March 4 and March 23. That’s why there is an expression: “Rooks have opened spring.” After them, starlings and larks fly home.

Migratory birds. Names for children. Rook as the most famous inhabitant of the sky of this group

Of the huge variety of migratory birds, the rook occupies a special place. That is why people call him the harbinger of winter. This inhabitant of the sky arrives in mid-March, and leaves their native land only in late autumn (late October or early November).

An interesting feature of rooks is the ability to imitate human speech, and this is one of the reasons why they are so revered in society. The length of an adult bird is approximately 45 centimeters, but its weight varies from 310 to 490 grams. Visually, the rook resembles a crow, but its difference is in the relative slenderness and surface of the feathers, which are endowed not only with a black color, but also with a purple tint.

The bird's beak is very thin, but at the same time straight. This arrangement allows them to freely obtain food from all sorts of places (for example, they can easily afford to get food from underground). Rooks are not at all picky about their diet; they eat earthworms, rodents, and so on.

As for the benefit to society that the birds in question bring, it is undoubtedly great, because rooks are active eaters of flora pests. These include caterpillars, bedbugs, rodents and others. And this is another reason why people are crazy about rooks.

How do birds know when and where to fly?

When autumn approaches, migratory birds gather in flocks, arranging training, so that they can then fly for several hours, covering enormous distances, without losing their course. How do they do it?

Migratory birds can determine the road without a compass. Scientists have proven that they absolutely accurately determine their geographical location, flying long distances every year, perfectly oriented in time and space.

Ornithologists believe that the sun at noon above the horizon can serve as a guide for them.
Some experts are confident that for their path, birds use magnetic lines surrounding the Earth, which are located in the direction from the north to the south pole.
There is also a version that birds know how to use the stars, determining their location by constellations.

Be that as it may, many experiments have already been carried out when birds were taken long distances, and they returned to their native nests over and over again.

Many people prepare for the flight in advance, when it is still warm. The instinct laid down by nature, like a bell, gives them the order to fly south to survive the winter and return back to hatch chicks. Scientists call this the migratory impulse, which serves as the start for the flight. Also, the trigger that calls for flight is the changed length of the day. By the beginning of autumn, daylight hours become shorter.

When flying, some species reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, rising to a height of 3 thousand meters. Bird travel is associated with difficulties and dangers. The smaller the bird, the shorter its path in one flight. Birds are capable of not stopping for 80 hours or more! They interrupt their flight to gain strength and feed, so long-distance flights can last up to three months.

Did you know?! The migratory bird cuckoo flies to Africa. But unlike other birds, no one has yet observed these birds in flocks. They strangely disappear in the fall, with the older ones earlier than the younger generations. And they usually fly at night and, probably, alone.

Migratory birds in spring

Oh, how nice it is in the forest! Smells like spring. The snow is melting, the first insects appear. Trills, chirping and birdsong can be heard. After all, the birds that flew to warmer regions in the fall return to their homeland. They enjoy the warmth and sunshine.

Rooks are among the first to arrive. This usually happens in March.

In the old days they said: “If you see a rook, welcome spring!”

The rook is a large black bird with a purple tint. It looks like a carrion crow, but the rook's beak is lighter and the skin around the beak is devoid of feathers. The rook can be up to fifty centimeters in length. Rooks usually live in large colonies, with several dozen nests on one tree.

Rooks build their nests from twigs, lumps of clay, moss, and dry grass.

Rooks communicate with their relatives by cawing loudly.

Starlings follow the rooks. Among the people there was such a sign: “If you see a starling, you know spring is at the porch.”

The starling is a small but very beautiful bird. Its black feathers have a metallic reddish, purple, greenish sheen. There are also white spots scattered here and there.

Everyone knows that starlings are useful birds. They walk on the ground with their heads down, looking for food. With their long beaks they grab beetles, weevils, caterpillars and other insects.

When starlings arrive, people make houses for them - birdhouses. But starlings can also settle in tree hollows and in the voids of outbuildings.

The starling's spring song is good. What sounds can you hear in his song! Starlings can imitate the voices of many birds and animals. In the singing of a starling you can hear the ringing trill of a nightingale, the quack of a wild duck, and the croaking of frogs.

In the old days in Rus' it was believed that birds brought spring on their wings. There was a custom in March to sculpt and bake lark birds from dough. They were attached to long sticks, the children ran out onto the hills with them and sang Russian folk songs:

Larks, come, take away the cold winter, bring the warmth of spring: We are tired of winter, we have eaten all our bread!

A lark is a bird slightly larger than a sparrow. The lark's feathers are grayish-brown, with dark stripes and spots. And the tummy is light. There is a small crest on the head, and the tail is edged with white feathers.

This coloring makes the lark invisible among tufts of grass and plant stems. After all, larks build their nests right on the ground, among the grass.

Larks arrive at the end of March - beginning of April, when the snow begins to melt.

The fields have not yet turned green, but the larks in the blue sky are already fluttering their wings and singing joyfully. Their song sometimes resembles a trill, sometimes like the ringing of bells.

In April, another small bird arrives - the wagtail.

Why did the wagtail get such a strange name? Running on the ground, she constantly shakes her tail with a long tail. The tail is the back part of the body of birds. There is a popular saying: “a wagtail breaks the ice with its tail.” After all, these restless birds arrive when the ice on the rivers begins to break. That is why the wagtail is called an icebreaker.

The song of wagtails is melodic, but simple. Male wagtails sometimes chirp quietly, sometimes squeak quietly, sometimes chirp loudly.

But this brightly colored bird is a finch. The top of his head is bluish-blue, and his chest is light red. But why was the chaffinch called a chaffinch? Maybe because he is freezing, that is, chilly? Not at all. The finch simply flies away in late autumn and arrives in early spring, when it is still very cold and chilly outside.

Finches are not afraid of anything. They can look for food right under a person's feet. And when they sing their wonderful songs, they don’t notice anything or anyone around them. There is a Russian saying that the lark sings for warmth, and the finch sings for frost.

Blackbirds also arrive in April.

Blackbirds usually make their nests on small spruce trees or on juniper bushes. And sometimes even on the ground, in piles of brushwood. There the female lays from three to six bright blue eggs with sparse dark specks.

Song thrushes are considered remarkable singers. Their singing resembles the trills of a nightingale.

In April, other migratory birds also arrive: kites, swans, geese, ducks, herons, cranes, and little warblers.

But in May, swallows, flycatchers, nightingales, orioles, and swifts arrive from warm countries.

For a long time, people have had a special attitude towards the swallow. There are many beliefs associated with it. People say: “An early swallow means a happy year.” A house with a swallow's nest is considered lucky.

Urban white-breasted swallows make their nests under the eaves of stone and wooden houses. Killer whale swallows nest under the roofs of village barns and houses. Shore swallows are found in burrows, which they dig with their sharp claws in the steep slopes of the river bank. Swallows spend almost their entire lives in flight. They very rarely fall to the ground, because their short legs are not adapted to walking on the ground.

The swallow has an elongated body, narrow long wings and a long forked tail.

The chirping of swallows is difficult to hear in the city. Her voice is quiet. And from time to time the chirping is replaced by crackling.

But the nightingale is rightly called one of the best singers. Looking at this small, inconspicuous bird, it is difficult to believe that such wonderful sounds can be produced from such a fragile body. The nightingale is small, but the voice is great.

The nightingale is a very slender, graceful bird, painted in uniform reddish-brown tones. He has rather high legs and a graceful figure. The nightingale has very large dark, almost black eyes.

But this bird is slightly larger than a starling. Look how bright the yellow plumage is! And the wings and tail are black. Moreover, there is a black stripe from the beak to the eyes. And the beak is reddish. This is a male oriole.

But the female oriole looks more modest. Her feathers are not bright yellow, but greenish.

Orioles are wonderful singers. Their singing resembles the sounds of a flute. But sometimes an oriole, worried about something, makes unpleasant sounds reminiscent of a cat meowing.

The swifts arrive later than everyone else. Swifts can be seen in almost every corner of the earth, except Antarctica and several islands. These birds are very similar to swallows. Sometimes they are even confused. But distinguishing a swift from a swallow is quite simple. Swallows have a white breast, while swifts have only a white spot under the beak. The wings of a swift are longer and narrower than those of a swallow. But the tail is wider and shorter.

The swift is the champion among all birds in terms of flight speed. It can reach speeds of up to one hundred and seventy kilometers per hour. But on the ground, these incomparable flyers waddle with difficulty on their short legs, helping themselves with the ends of their wings.

Swifts fly over houses with loud, piercing screams. They seem to tell everyone that warm summer weather has arrived.

Yes, what wonderful creatures birds are!

To which countries do migratory birds fly?

Many of them love Africa. Birds even fly there from the Arctic and Siberia. Most waterfowl, such as ducks and swans, winter in western Europe. From Russia, blackbirds and starlings move to the French or Spanish south, but cranes are lovers of the banks of the river called the Nile. Among the long-distance marathon runners are windbreakers from Eastern Siberia. They chose the shores of New Zealand for wintering.

However, among migratory birds there are patriots who move within our country closer to the warm domestic south. Among them are the hooded crow and the black rook.

Did you know?! Some species of ducks called “mallards” cross more than one country on their way to their wintering grounds. They fly over Belarus, Ukraine, through Germany and Holland, through Denmark and Great Britain, as well as across northern Italy and, ultimately, stop in western Europe.

More information about migratory birds

Storks can sleep during flight for 10 minutes . To do this, a tired individual moves to the middle of the flock and falls asleep. Enhanced hearing helps you stay in the air and maintain altitude.
It is the most difficult thing for a leader to fly . When he gets tired, he moves to the middle of the pack, at which time another individual takes his place.
A hummingbird can fly continuously for 26 hours .
The Arctic tern travels a distance of 71,000 kilometers .
The speed of returning to their native lands significantly exceeds the speed of departure.
It is no coincidence that the albatross bird received such a name. She spends almost her entire life in the air, only raising her chicks on the ground. The wingspan of the individual is about 3.5 meters.
Some species are able to spend 24 hours .
The little sandpiper can increase oxygen metabolism in its muscles by 90% thanks to diet. It is necessary to eat food that is rich in Omega-3 acids.
Blue jays only partially migrate to warmer countries. Part of the population remains to spend the winter in cold conditions.
A tailwind helps the flock move faster.
Polar pitchers are record holders. They can cover 22,000 kilometers when migrating for the winter.
Birds always find their nests.
Woodcocks can fly non-stop for 36 hours.
Before flying, some species gather in flocks and then fly away into the moonlit night.
Quails fly only at night, geese and ducks are able to move at any time.
Birds develop the highest speed in warm weather. In such conditions they are able to fly 200 kilometers .
Mallards typically winter in Spain . The long neck (25 vertebrae) helps to overcome the road. The maximum flight altitude is 6500 meters .
Larks have fast flight. They stay at an altitude of 1900 meters . The main assistance in flight is provided by the short tail. They are among the first to return from warm countries. They are the harbingers of spring.
Redstarts fly away in flocks . In autumn they go to the Arabian Islands. It is there that birds find suitable food (insects).
Petrels travel considerable distances ( up to 25,000 kilometers ).

The first migratory birds to fly away are those that feed on insects. Then comes the turn of individuals who eat herbs and seeds. Large birds are the last to leave their nests.