Nuthatch: description, habitats, reproduction

A coachman, or an ordinary nuthatch - is a small bird of the family of crawling, which is widespread in North Africa, Asia and Europe. You can meet in the middle zone of Russia, as well as in Siberia. There nests in mixed, coniferous and deciduous forests, in gardens and parks of settlements. Nuthatch in search of food with dexterity moves along branches and trunks of trees, often even upside down.

Description

It is a small moving bird, reaching 14.5 cm in length, with a weight of 25 g and a wingspan of 27 cm; With a large head, a dense physique and an almost imperceptible, short neck. Plumage is thick, fluffy. Color varies depending on the habitat, the upper body at the same time always has different shades of gray-blue color. In the Near East, Western Europe, and also in the Caucasus, has a red belly and a white chin with a neck. In the north, its bottom is white with red sides, in addition, a chestnut podhvostem with pestrinami white hue.

Nuthatch, the picture depicted in this article, inhabiting the eastern part of China, has a completely reddish bottom. In the Far Eastern species, white feathers are breast-shaped. On the steering edge feathers there are always white spots. From the beginning of the beak to the back of the neck goes a dark horizontal strip. The beak is sharp, straight and long, gray in color. At its base there are forward-directed rigid bristles. The wings are rounded, short, have ten fly feathers. Short, straight tail. The legs are strong, gray-brown, with tenacious long claws, perfectly adapted to active climbing trees. The females and males are not externally different from each other, only the male is slightly larger.

Areal

In the forest part of the Palearctic (the main part of Asia, Europe, as well as North Africa) , widespread nuthatch is common. The bird, the photo of which is presented in this article, is found almost everywhere in the countries of Europe. On the territory of our country from the north, the range is limited to the White Sea coast, the lower reaches of the Ob River and the village of Ust-Tsilm; From the south - Saratov, Voronezh regions, Kokchetav, South Urals, Barnaul and Omsk. Outside our country dwells in Korea, China, Taiwan and the Japanese islands; In the south lives in Iran, Israel, Indochina and the Himalayan mountains. In Africa you can meet in Morocco.

Habitat

Nuthatch usually lives in forests - coniferous, mixed and deciduous, while choosing territories with a large number of old and high-tree trees, in which they seek food for themselves. Also willingly settles in parks and gardens with woody vegetation. In the southern regions and western Europe, prefers broad-leaved forests dominated by hornbeam, oak, beech.

Nuthatch in the north reaches in the north of the forest-tundra, in the southern part - the zone of the steppes, in which it nests in forest belts and tugai forests. In the Far East and Siberia, where mostly coniferous forests grow, most of them live in the taiga with a lot of larch or cedar. It is known that the fragmentation of forest tracts, leading often to a reduction in the number of different species, does not affect the reproductive nature of nuthatism.

Nuthatch (the photo can be seen in this article) leads a sedentary life, and, as a rule, it adheres to one place, if not to disturb. In the middle taiga and in the northern range, birds migrate to the south in the winter. At this time of the year they can join other birds (mostly tits), but they do not form a flock. A territorial bird, it protects its site all year round.

Reproduction

In the bird, the beginning of the breeding season directly depends on the latitude. For example, in the central zone of Russia they begin to nest already in April, while in the northern regions - only in May. Birds are monogamous (only one female accounts for one male); Couples throughout their lives are preserved.

Crawl your hollow with a clay, while leaving only a small leaflet.

Hatching

Nuthatch ordinary, the photo of which is placed in this article, with the onset of incubation is silent, becoming unobtrusive. Nasizhivaet female, while it leaves the nest only in case of danger, pre-covering the laying litter. Incubation lasts about two weeks. Further hatching chicks, which are covered with a long rare down on their backs, shoulders and head. Both parents take care of them, bringing them food up to 350 times a day. The chicks stand on the wing after 25 days, although for another 1-2 weeks they are fed by their parents and then scattered.

The main number of young birds at the end of summer selects an individual plot, but with the choice of partner and nesting territory is finally determined only next spring. Birds in the wild live about eleven years.

Hollow

Bird nuthatch nests in hollows, but, unlike the same woodpeckers, can not hollow out the hollow independently, therefore, use old nests or occupy natural voids in trees. The hollow is selected at a distance of 4-8 meters above the ground. Also, duplexes created artificially. Often, if a hole is large enough, they cover it with clay to protect it from various predators, periodically mixing it with manure, leaving only a small leaflet with a diameter of up to 35 mm. Periodically clay is covered with both the hollow itself and the surrounding areas.

The hollow is internally lined with small scales of a thin upper layer of the crust, sometimes - pieces of leaves. The litter is magnificent - the eggs in it are almost completely submerged.