Common Finch - a small bird of the family finch no larger than a sparrow. It features a surprisingly sonorous, pleasant voice and an unusual color.
Dimensions and structure
Not only in size, but also in constitution, the finch resembles a sparrow. The weight of an adult does not exceed 40 grams, and the body length is 14–16 cm. The long and sharp beak has a regular conical shape. Its upper part is slightly lowered to the tip. The nostrils are slightly covered with feathers.
The fin span of wings can reach 28 cm. The tail is medium in size, with a notch in the middle. Weak-looking toes, the birds are armed with strong and sharp claws. The natural finch has a lifespan of approximately 12 years.
Color plumage male
The look of the common finch deserves special attention. The older the bird, the brighter its plumage. Black forehead, neck bright blue, turning into a reddish-brown, the same brick color and chest. The brown back closer to the tail acquires a greenish color, and the lower body has a contrasting white color. Those of the integumentary feathers that are the smallest are of a beautiful dark blue color. Black wings with wide and narrow white stripes and a yellow trim stand out very effectively. The lower covering tail feathers are pale white, with black scales at the edges. The gray tail feathers located in the middle have a yellow border, all the rest are black, covered with large white spots on the inside.
Around light brown eyes - rings of brown color. The beak of a male changes hue depending on the time of year. In spring, during the mating season, it is bluish in color, and in winter it becomes completely brown.
The color of the plumage of a female
Adult females, unlike males, cannot boast of such a bright plumage. It is very important for them to be less noticeable during the period of hatching of the chicks, so the color scheme of females is more calm and restrained. The plumage of the upper part of the body has a dark brown color, the lower - a little lighter, without sharp transitions.
Head and nape of a greenish tint. The finch common in the first weeks of its life is quite a bit different in color from an adult female. The peculiarity of the plumage of the chick is only a small white spot on the back of the head.
origin of name
Where did this cheerful and lively bird get such an interesting name from? The Russian people very accurately gave names to various birds, noting the peculiarities of their behavior. The common finch, being a migratory bird, sometimes remained to winter in its native land. Perhaps, his scruffy appearance during the period of severe frosts caused compassion among the locals, for which they gave him such a name. According to another version, the finch was so named because of its peculiarity in the fall and spring to gather in flocks on the chaff.
Distribution area
This bird can often be found in most of Europe, in North Africa and almost throughout Russia. In New Zealand, this is the most common passerine species.
The common finch lives in a wide variety of forest landscapes - broad-leaved and coniferous. He prefers to settle in mature and cool forests, in shrubs, on forest edges, in birch groves and pine forests. The only exception is damp and swampy terrain, as well as dark areas of the forest. Often it can be seen near people's homes - in gardens, kitchen gardens, parks, cemeteries. Some birds winter in Central Europe, while others migrate to the Mediterranean and to the foothills of the Caucasus.
Chaffinch singing
In the old days, there was such an ordinary finch: it was highly valued for singing and a lot of money was paid for the bird. In captivity, birds can begin to sing in January. In natural habitat, songs are played from spring to mid-summer. Since July, finch singing can be heard less and less.
The voice of this little bird sounds like a loud rolling trill. She is preceded by a subtle whistle. Usually a song consists of one or two tribes, which persistently repeat one after another and end with a peculiar “stroke” - a short sharp note. Lovers know how to accurately distinguish these tribes, giving them specific names. The duration of one song lasts about three seconds, followed by a short pause and everything repeats. With the help of sounds, the finch is capable of transmitting various signals, meaning anxiety, courtship, aggression, etc. In its own language, it can give a signal to take off or express fright.
The common ornamental finch is now much less common in urban apartments than before.
Behavior features
Birds live in pairs, trying to settle close to each other, at the same time very zealously guarding their territory from neighbors. After the end of the nesting period, when the chicks grow up, finches gather in large flocks, connecting with other representatives of the finch family, and disappear from our area for the winter period. Only some males remain wintering.
An ordinary finch, the description of the appearance of which is given above, is a bird very energetic, dexterous, intelligent and unusually agile. For almost the entire daylight hours, it is in continuous motion, only in the afternoon heat hiding in the branches of trees. The finch moves along the branches a little sideways, while on the ground it jumps or runs rather quickly. Its flight resembles wave-like lines, while it flies large distances at a considerable height. Before landing, the finch hovering above the ground for some time.
Food
As for all representatives of the finch family, insects serve as the main food for finch. During the breeding season, from May to July, the feed is 100% composed of them. Small bugs, butterflies, various two-winged insects, including those that cause great harm to agricultural plants, predominate in food. Sometimes the common finch eats and products of plant origin - weed seeds, fruits, berries, etc.
Nesting
In the northern regions finches appear in mid-April, in the central regions - almost a month earlier. Having become accustomed a little, a married pair of finches sets about building a nest. It is located most often in the crown of a deciduous tree, at the base of one of the side branches. Birds so skillfully mask the nest that it is almost impossible to see it from the ground. For construction, small twigs, grass, moss are used. The walls of the nest outside are covered with pieces of bark, lichens. The bottom is covered with feathers and wool. All building material is held together with cobwebs. In the clutch, usually 4 to 7 bluish-green eggs, covered with pink spots.
The female incubates them for two weeks, occasionally flying out of the nest just to warm up or find food. The male feeds her infrequently, more carried away by singing or quarreling with neighbors who have flown to his site. For one season, an ordinary finch (a photo and a detailed description of how these birds look are given in this article) can make two masonry. The second lasts from June to August.
What do finch chicks look like?
The chicks that were born are much more furry than their many relatives of the number of songbirds. Their body is almost completely covered with a long cannon of gray color, only insignificant areas remain bare. The fluffs located on the babies' head stick out very amiably to the sides, resembling a hat.
After about two weeks, the chicks fledge, while not much different in color from their mother, and begin their first flight from the nest. As a rule, both parents are engaged in feeding their offspring. As a feed, common chaffinch brings mainly various insects to the chicks, among which the most part is caterpillars.
