Oatmeal bird … A small representative of birds with a rather unusual name. What is she like? Where and how often can you meet her? It is about this beauty that we will talk today.
Section 1. Bird oatmeal. general description
First of all, it should be noted that this is a rather small representative of birds with a thin beak and a slender body. But the wings can be of different lengths and shapes. Feathers are thick and soft; some species may have a crest on their heads.
Buntings, belonging to the family of the same name, live in fairly open spaces. In principle, they can be found in the steppe, and in the tundra, and on the forest edges, and clearings.
Scientists claim that in nature there are several types of oatmeal: migratory, nomadic and settled. Oatmeal is a bird whose singing is mostly monotonous: it tends to repeat the same sounds.
It should be noted that their oatmeal nests practically do not hide their nests, but they fly them directly on the ground, and only very rarely in any secluded place.
In Russia today there are 34 species of oatmeal, while on the planet there are about 200 species.
Section 2. Bird oatmeal. Early birds
Buntings are representatives of early birds. They can also be called the most nonchalant: they are one of the very first to return usually from warm countries.
At first, however, the males arrive, because even night frosts do not scare them. In anticipation of the females, they give their first concerts when the snow has not yet melted. By their singing, males show to other individuals that this territory is occupied.
At the end of April, oatmeal in most cases find couples to take offspring a little later, in May.
In the diet, these birds are not capricious. Oatmeal feeds on plant seeds and insects. At the end of summer, in the fields you can find large flocks of young birds that have already grown up and are looking for food.
Section 3. Bird Bunting at Home
These little animals are wonderful singers, it is for this talent that people like to keep them in the house. Previously, it was believed that oatmeal is categorically not suitable for home maintenance, as it is impossible to tame it. But this is not true. The main thing is to have patience, and then from the wild you can get a real songbird.
Oatmeal is most often caught in the spring, when they begin to sing, and you can choose the best singer. You can catch a bird you like for feeding or decoying female. Here, as in war, all means are good.
In conditions of keeping oatmeal, there are many nuances. For example, after catching, a bird of the oatmeal genus Dubrovnik is placed in a kuteik for at least two weeks, or its cage is covered with dense tissue. During this time, the bird should chant with all its might. Rearrange the "house" or change it at this time is strictly prohibited, oatmeal can be silent and this spring will not sing.
You can contain oatmeal one at a time, in pairs or even whole flocks. These birds need a spacious cage, in tight places they either do not sing, or they sing, but not in full voice.
In order for oatmeal to please with its voice, it must be properly fed. In the summer, various insects should predominate in her diet. But from seeds containing fat, for example from sunflower seeds, it is better to completely refuse - they can cause obesity of the bird. The most useful for oatmeal are millet and canola.
We can say that oatmeal is unpretentious and hardy in content. But in order to enjoy their heavenly singing, they still need to create comfortable conditions, like real artists.
