She is valued primarily for her excellent singing. Among the granivorous birds, she is considered the best singer. In her sonorous songs there are trills of a lark, and the whistle of a finch, and the chirping of a titmouse. Who is she? Of course, the linnet warbler!
Linnet. Description
This bird belongs to songbirds from the family finch, belonging to the order of passerines. Linnet, or repol, is a typical inhabitant of hedges, gardens, protective shrubs and tree stands. This bird can be found in shoots along the edges of forests and in shrubs in meadows. Repoles inhabit Europe, as well as northwest Africa, Asia Minor, Western and Central Asia.
How does she look?
The body length of this funny bird does not exceed 15 centimeters. Its wings account for about 8 centimeters, and on their wingspan - up to 25 centimeters. Linnet is a light bird, its weight is only 20-23 grams. The males of these birds in the spring are painted in a bright carmine color (forehead, chest and crown). The upper side of their body has a slightly brownish tint, and the sides and abdomen are white. Females are reminiscent of males in color, but there is no red color in their plumage.
Repov lifestyle
Linnet is a mainly migratory bird. Ornithologists note that only the southern species of these birds are predominantly sedentary. Sometimes they turn into nomads. Repoles arrive home early in March. At the same time, they are actively embarking on their nesting.
There is an opinion that the old males fly first, and the young and females - later. It is not always so! Often in the first flocks, females fly. Since replov mostly inhabits the European part of Russia, they practically do not fly beyond the Urals, and even more so in Siberia. Here is such an inverted linnet bird!
Singing repov
Linnet is a songbird. Among their grain-eating relatives they are the best singers! Their musical compositions are complex but melodic. Hemp songs consist of different trills, whistles, twittering, gurgling, randomly following each other. No order is observed in these musical “parts”; they all come in fragments lasting 10-15 seconds. Male repolings sing anywhere: on fences, on wires, on treetops, etc.
Ornithologists say that the singing of males is an amazing sight: they lift their crests on their heads, swing from side to side and sing … Indeed, it is funny! Linnet is not only a songbird, but also a creative bird. During the performance of trills, the males fly high into the sky, circle there several times, after which they plan back to their place. The singing season at these birds lasts from arrival to departure, that is, constantly.
What do Linnet eat?
As already mentioned above, linnet is a granivorous bird. This means that repoles feed on seeds of burdock, herbaceous plants, seeds of horse sorrel, burdock, etc. They practically do not eat animal feed. Only occasionally can they eat one or another insect. However, the newly hatched chicks of the female repolos are fed first with insects, and then with hatched seeds.
Nesting grounds
Linnet is a nesting bird. They make their nests on low forest firs, in bushes and even in hedges, at heights of up to 3 meters. Only females are engaged in construction. They make cup-shaped and small, but solid nests. They fill their "houses" with thin herbs, wool, feathers.
Already in the first half of May, repovs bring eggs. Usually in one clutch there are from 3 to 7 testicles. Again, only females are engaged in hatching. This process takes no more than 2 weeks. The born chicks are already covered with a thick dark gray fluff. About 2 weeks old chicks do not leave their nest. Both parents are already feeding them.
