Martins are medium-sized birds that live in flocks. They build nests and migrate. Because of the peculiar color, ornithologists call these birds black-headed gulls. Another name for the species is Larus Ridibundus. True, from Latin this beautiful phrase is translated quite prosaically: “garbage gull” (with a lack of food, Martins are interested in landfills).
Appearance
Martyn is a bird from the gull family. It is better known as tern river. She has a slender physique, long sharp wings and a deeply carved tail. The weight of males is 150 g, which is slightly less than that of females (175 g). In mature individuals, the crown of the head is black. Wings, back bluish or ashen. Throat, chest, belly - gray. Young birds are distinguished by white feathers on their foreheads, brown backs and wings. The body length of individuals of both sexes does not exceed 40 cm. The wingspan ranges from 70 cm to 1 m.
Lifestyle
Martyn produces food in water. The diet is small fish. From the height of its flight, the martin bird sees its prey well. Having looked at the victim, the tern circles over it, choosing a convenient moment, then dives from a height, completely immersed in water, grabs the victim with its beak or paws. Despite the aquatic habitat, it also feasts on terrestrial insects and small rodents.
The construction of birds nests begin in the spring. Breeds both in colonies and in separate pairs. Places for nests are chosen less visited with a more open overview. This allows visual contact with each other. The nest looks like a shallow indentation in sand or pebbles. Most often, the bottom is lined with dry feathers. There is one brood in a year.
One female lays no more than three eggs. The duration of hatching lasts about 20 days from the moment of deposition of the first egg. Both male and female take part in this process. Protecting their nests from danger, terns often kill alien cubs of their own species. Parents feed hatched chicks in the nest. Two weeks later, the kids know how to swim well, run well, and they are partially covered with feathers. Despite this, parents will patronize their child for a long time. A month later, the younger generation learns to fly, leaving their nests on their own in search of food. Nomadic terns gradually gather in flocks for autumn migration. It begins in late August and ends in mid-September.
