It's about the look BombycillagarrulusL. , which in Russian literature is simply called waxwing. Dictionary Ozhegova indicates the masculine gender of this word. English name - Bohemian Waxwing.
The bird itself has enough characteristic features, and identifying the species is not difficult. Most bird lovers know it. Determining the sex and age of a bird is a more delicate task for amateurs, but in many cases it can be solved when four external specific signs are available for observation.
However, the task of identifying gender and age is nevertheless complicated by the following circumstance: these external signs in four groups (adult males and females, young males and first-year females) they partially overlap. And yet, knowledge of these signs in many cases can help with “fine identification.”
Indications of the personal characteristics of each sex and age group in waxwings are rarely found in the domestic literature for bird lovers, which prompts us to compile a review on this topic based on available foreign literary sources.
First, let's turn to such an authoritative source as Lars Svensson et. al. COLLINS BIRD GUIDE, 2nd Edition. “The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe.” 2010, p .448. The differences inherent in males, females and young birds in waxwings, according to Svensson, can be represented in the following Russified fragment of a drawing from this guide.
The picture shows from left to right a young female (first winter plumage), an adult female and an adult male. By clicking on the picture, you can view it in best quality. As can be seen from the above fragment, 4 areas with one or another external identification feature are indicated on the bird.
- Dark spot on the throat under the beak.
- Red leathery plates at the ends of the secondary and tertiary flight feathers of the wing
- V
- Yellow stripe along the edge of the tail
Let's consider them in order with the involvement of another source.
- A dark spot on the throat under the beak (“beard”).
According to Svensson:
Gender, age | Adult male | Adult female | Bird in first winter plumage* |
Sign | Black "beard with a clear lower border) | The lower border of the beard is “blurred” | The beard is smaller in size |
*) The figure shows a female in her first winter plumage, but the differences in young males and females are not discussed in the text.
The same sign in Kieran Foster's article on the websitehttp://www.davidnorman.org.uk/MRG/Waxwings.htm presented as follows: A) b) Comparative Features
a) adult male: "beard" larger size, black color is more contrasting, distinct lower border; b) adult female: "beard" smaller in size, in the lower half there is a transition from black at the top to gray tones at the bottom, the lower border is blurred.
2. Red leathery plates at the ends of the secondary wing feathers
According to Svensson:
Gender, age | Adult male | Adult female | Bird in first winter plumage |
Sign | There are red endings of the secondary flight feathers, which form on the folded wing wide red stripe. | There are red ends of the secondary flight feathers, which form a red stripe on the folded wing narrower. | There is no red stripe |
A) | b) |
Figures (a) and (b) show the open wings of an adult and a young bird (first winter), respectively. Both wings show red tips on the secondary and tertiary feathers. It can be seen that there are differences in their number and length. This data can be summarized in the following table:
Data on the number and length of red endings
Adult male | Adult female | Young male | Young female |
6-8 pcs. , 6-9.5 mm | 5-7 pcs., 3-7.5 mm | 4-8 pcs., 3.5-5.5mm | 0-5 pcs. , 0- 3.5 mm |
From the above data, only one obvious sign follows: if the bird does not have a red stripe on its folded wing, then this is a young female in her first winter plumage. All other cases are characterized by parameter overlap.
On a folded wing, a red stripe (ribbon) is located across the wing.On average, the red stripe on the folded wing of an adult male is slightly longer and wider than that of a female, and noticeably b o longer than in young birds (I repeat that a young female may not have it at all).
3.V -shaped markings at the ends of the primary flight feathers
This sign, perhaps, can be considered the most noticeable in waxwings. The folded wing of a waxwing has, as it were, a set of V -shaped signs, nested one inside the other and forming a chain along the wing. The right “wing” of the sign is yellow, the left is white. And they may have varying degrees manifestation.
As follows from the first drawing with birds, young birds have a chain of V -marks looks like a yellow line with a broken thickness, because the left wing is white V - there is no sign. This can be seen in Kieran Foster's open wing. In an adult male V -shaped sign is “bold”, in an adult female it is thin, especially the left white part.
4. Yellow stripe along the edge of the tail
Qualitatively, the situation with the yellow transverse stripe at the end of the tail feathers can be described as follows: the widest stripe is in an adult male, narrower in an adult female, and the narrowest in young birds.
An article by Kieran Foster gives the following numerical data on the height (width) of the yellow stripe at the end of the tail:
Adult male | Adult female |
||
At the center of the tail, mm | Outer steering, mm | At the center of the tail, mm | Outer steering, mm |
5,5-8,5 | 7-11 | 4-6 | 5-8 |
The yellow stripe on the tail is characterized by bò greater width at the edges of the tail compared to its width at the center tail feather. And these data confirm the above qualitative relationship between the size of the yellow stripe in a male, female and young bird.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the presence of overlap of the named characteristics in the considered groups makes identification more reliable when all 4 characteristics coincide, and a single characteristic may not work.
The world of birds is huge. They all differ from each other in various respects, but there are two large groups of birds - migratory and sedentary. In this article we will try to figure it out: waxwings - or not?
Who is this?
So, who is the waxwing, why is it called that and what does this bird look like? It is worth saying that this is the closest relative of the well-known sparrow, but has much more beautiful plumage and a bright appearance. And the bird got its name because of its special singing, similar to a whistle: “Svi-ri-ri.”
Appearance
Waxwings are small birds, up to about 20 cm, and weighing about 70 g. It will be very difficult to confuse this bird with another, because it has a beautiful crest on its head and a bright, memorable color. The color of the body is predominantly gray-pink, but the wings are multi-colored, “painted”. They can intertwine colors such as black, yellow, orange, white. The crest of waxwings is also gray-pink, and there will definitely be colored stripes at the tip of the tail. There are three species of these birds. And females and males are practically indistinguishable in appearance. However, as usual, there are some nuances: there is a species where the male waxwings are completely black, and the females are gray.
Location
Information about where the waxwing lives will be interesting. So, its main place of residence is the tundra and taiga of Eurasia. However, these birds can also be found in North America. They prefer coniferous forests, but flocks can also be seen in mixed forests, where there are birch and spruce trees. Many may be interested in the question: is the waxwing a migratory bird or not? But it is difficult to give an exact answer. She is neither migratory nor sedentary. But you can definitely call her nomadic. It is during movements that scientists study it; when birds do not fly from place to place, they lead a very secretive lifestyle, and it is almost impossible to observe them. Having figured out whether waxwings are migratory or not, it is also worth saying that they prefer colder places to hot ones, so if they fly away, it is not to warm regions, but to cool areas.
About life
Having understood whether the waxwing is a migratory bird or not, it is worth talking about how the life of these birds works. So, they begin to build nests in early spring, but they use soft feathers rather than hard branches for bedding. It is here that the female will hatch the eggs, and the male will carefully feed his offspring. These birds feed mainly on berries in winter; they especially love rowan, barberry, mistletoe, raspberries, rose hips (most). As for the summer period, at this time waxwings eat the shoots of young animals, seeds, ripened berries. An interesting fact will be that with their small beak in flight these birds can capture small midges, mosquitoes and even small butterflies. As for food, waxwings eat a lot, trying to fill their stomachs with any food as much as possible. It is easy to recognize the place of their feast, because under the branches of trees you can always find incompletely digested berries However, this also has its own benefit, in this way the birds spread the young by scattering seeds throughout the area where they live.
Having figured out whether the waxwing is a migratory bird or not, it is also worth telling a few fun facts about them. So, the behavior of these birds in autumn period. This is due to the fact that in given time the berries begin to ferment a little, and the voracious waxwings, having eaten such fruits, feel something similar to intoxication. However, this will not always seem fun, because in this state the birds often crash into various obstacles that appear in their way. Birds experience the same condition in the spring when they drink fermented maple sap. As for winter, there is another danger: waxwings can eat frozen berries and fall under the trees frozen. After some time, the bird may move away, but often this also ends in the death of the birds. The mating season of waxwings is associated not with dancing, but with food. Thus, the male, as a sign of favor, will carry berries to his lady, later helping to feed, but not hatch, the offspring.
Enemies
The first enemies of these birds are martens and squirrels, which eat not only eggs, but also newly hatched chicks. Among the birds dangerous to waxwings are owls, hawks and even crows. Having figured out whether the waxwing is a migratory bird or not, people try to feed these beauties. As for communication, these birds are reluctant to contact people, but with great desire they fly to various feeders that are hung in parks and other recreation areas.
With the onset of cold weather, unusually interesting songbirds appear in Russian cities. They have gray-pink plumage and a crest on their head. These are waxwings. The singing of these birds is a trill of repeated sounds. The bird got its name precisely because of its singing, which is somewhat similar to the sounds of a pipe.
Waxwing: description and photo
Common waxwing is a small bird about 20 cm in size. It stands out for its unusual color: gray-pink plumage, black and white wings, a black spot on the chin, a red spot under the tail, black arrows on the eyes, yellow edging of the tail. Distinctive feature The waxwing has a gray-pink crest on its head.
The small waxwing family includes only 8 species and three subfamilies. Despite the widespread occurrence of the bird, it has not been fully studied. In their total mass, males and females differ little from each other, with the exception of the black waxwing. Males are solid black with a long tail and red eyes (see picture below), females are gray.
Waxwings are not shy birds, without caution they allow a person to approach them. In winter you can often see a bird on a rowan branch; it is impossible to pass by this sight. Waxwings attract passers-by not only with their bright colors appearance, but also with loud chirping.
Where does it live and winter?
Habitat: coniferous and mixed forests North America and Eurasia. In Russia, the summer habitat of birds is the taiga zone in Siberia. They can be found in the forest-tundra. Favorite places for waxwings: clearings, coniferous forests, mixed forests. Most often, birds choose places where spruce, pine and birch trees predominantly grow.
Many people do not know whether a bird is migratory or not. Birds cannot definitely be called migratory. They are more likely nomadic. With the onset of winter, birds move to more southern regions of the continent in search of berries and fruits. During nomadic times, birds can reach the Crimea, the seaside coast, and the territory of the Caucasus. However, waxwings more often prefer middle lane. Therefore, at the beginning of winter they can often be seen in Moscow and the Moscow region.
IN natural conditions a habitat some predators hunt birds, such as:
- marten;
- squirrel;
- hawk;
- owl.
The prey of these predators can be not only laid eggs, but also adult birds.
What does it eat?
In their native habitat, waxwings feed on:
- tree buds;
- insects (dragonflies, butterflies, mosquitoes);
- fruits and berries of plants.
Birds catch insects on the fly. Birds can feed not only on the insects themselves, but also on their larvae.
With the coming of winter, birds, moving to more southern areas, begin to eat only plant foods. The berries of viburnum, hawthorn, rowan, bird cherry, mulberry, and barberry make up the entire diet of birds. Waxwings love white mistletoe berries most of all, which is why local residents nicknamed them “mistletoe.”
The birds deftly peck the berries, peeling them with their beaks. Sometimes they have to hang upside down on a branch. If peeled fruit peels are brightly colored under berry bushes or trees, this means that waxwings have been there. Birds peck at some berries so quickly that they swallow them whole, and their bodies simply cannot cope with the digestion of such food. The seeds leave the body undigested, making waxwings excellent carriers of fruit plants.
Eating waxwings very different from the food intake of other birds. For example, blackbirds drop berries on the ground and then go down to search for them. Waxwings, on the other hand, peck food directly from the branch and almost never descend to the ground.
The gluttony of these birds often leads to sad consequences for themselves. Fermented berries can cause the death of birds. Having gorged themselves on such food, intoxicated waxwings cease to distinguish between surrounding objects, cannot fly, fall, crash into barriers and die. Sometimes a bird crashes against a window pane, which is considered a bad omen.
How does it reproduce
Waxwings begin nesting in May or June in their usual habitat. The formed pair follows each other everywhere, and their mating season begins even before departure. At such times, waxwings become very cautious and secretive.
The best nesting place for birds: a tall spruce next to a lake in a woodland. Waxwings prefer to build a nest at a height of 10-15 meters in the dense crown of trees, so that they cannot be seen by prying eyes.
Suitable for nest building everything nearby:
- small twigs;
- moss and lichen;
- grass stems;
- feathers and down;
- needles.
The result is a ball-shaped nest where the female lays her eggs. The female incubates the darkly speckled purple eggs for about 13 days. . During this period, the male takes care of her, bringing her food. The parents feed the chicks together. At first, the chicks feed on larvae and insects, then switch to plant food.
For two and a half weeks, the chicks become independent and can fly on a par with adults. Birds become sexually mature by the time they are one year old. Pairs are formed anew every year. Average duration The lifespan of a waxwing is from 10 to 13 years.
The waxwing is a bright bird with thick, fluffy plumage, a large crest on its head and similar in size to a starling.
Habitat
The main habitat of pipes is birch, coniferous and mixed forests of North America and Eurasia.
Appearance
The birds are small in size and have an expressive appearance. Body length 21 cm, wingspan 30 - 38 cm, weight 80 grams.
The plumage of the waxwing is gray-pink. The wings are black with white and bright yellow stripes and red splashes. The throat and tail of the bird are black.
There is a wide yellow stripe running along the tip of the tail, and narrow black arrows near the eyes. The head of the birds is decorated with a pink crest. The beak is short with a small tooth.
Lifestyle and nutrition
The waxwing is a migratory bird. Gathering in small flocks (from 5 to 30 representatives) most They spend their days searching for food. Birds live in small families. Bird songs resemble a trill.
The following representatives of predators actively hunt waxwings: hawks, martens, owls and squirrels. Predators hunt eggs, small chicks, and adult birds.
waxwing in flight photo
With the onset of autumn, crested birds leave their settled nests in search of food. During these flights, birds lead a vegetarian way of life. Waxwings are voracious birds, and their diet usually consists of:
- small fruits;
- berries;
- kidney;
- feed on young shoots;
- insects (mosquitoes, butterflies, dragonflies);
- larvae
Reproduction
Pipes usually nest in their main habitat. They return there after wintering. The mating season for crested birds begins just before departure. The united couple always flies together everywhere.
At the beginning of summer, construction of the family nest begins. It is most often arranged on coniferous trees. During this period, birds are cautious and hidden, they become almost invisible. For nests he uses whatever he can find. The built bird nests are strong and spherical in shape.
waxwings in winter photo
Typically, a female piper lays 4 to 6 eggs. Crested eggs blue color covered with dark spots. The incubation period is approximately 2 weeks. During the egg-laying period, the male takes care of the female and brings her food. The couple feeds the chicks together. After 2.5 weeks, the chicks become independent.
- Birds can sometimes behave strangely: they cease to navigate in space and cannot fly in a straight line, crash into various obstacles, fall and get injured, and in some cases die. Their “drunk” state can be caused by the spring sap of trees or the autumn sap of berries. After all, the waxwing, due to its gluttony, swallows everything, even fermented berries.
- Thanks to their very beautiful and bright plumage, bird connoisseurs are trying to tame waxwings. This bird very quickly gets used to humans and keeping it in captivity does not cause any problems. However, the crested cat does not like loneliness; it becomes inactive, lethargic, and stops singing. It is recommended to keep waxwings in flocks to maintain their activity and cheerful noisiness, which will bring joy to others.
Who are waxwings? There is a popular belief that the Waxwing bird, a drunkard, having pecked at fermented berries, tumbles in the snowdrifts or, like a drunken man, flies, staggering from side to side, sometimes not noticing barriers and obstacles in its path. And someone will say waxwings - bright whistles, like New Year's toys-bells hung on rowan branches in city parks and squares amuse passers-by with their ringing.
Waxwing habitat
The waxwing mainly lives in mixed, birch and coniferous forests in the north of the Eurasian part of Russia or Europe and North America. In our open spaces, the waxwing lives in taiga forests and forest-tundra.
Some people have a question: is the waxwing a wintering bird or not? Most consider these birds to be nomads, but it would be more accurate to say that the waxwing is a conditionally nomadic bird. If in its habitat there is a mild winter and there will be sufficient quantity food, waxwings can stay and overwinter. Otherwise, the flocks leave their range and move to southwestern areas, such as:
- Caucasus and Crimean Peninsula in Russia,
- Poland, France, Italy in Europe,
- flying all the way to Mexico in North America.
In search of food (various fruits and berries), waxwings make short stops along the way, the so-called nomads, and then fly further. With the arrival of spring, the flocks return to the north, their native land.
Description of the waxwing
The description of the waxwing bird is simple; our hero resembles a sparrow in size. The bird measures from 18 to 23 cm and weighs from 60 to 70 g. The most major representatives The species sometimes reaches a weight of 100 g. The color is not so bright, but varied. The bird's body has a gray-pink tint, like a cloudy sky at sunset. The wings are black, interspersed with white and yellow stripes, as well as faint red colors.
On the head there is a pointed crest like a cap. From the body to the tail, the color scheme goes from gray to black, ending with a bright yellow stripe, as if a brush had been dipped in paint. From the beak to the chest the color is black in the form of a spot, around the eyes there is also a black color, reminiscent of a carnival mask.
The European female and male do not differ in color, but the Black Waxwing lives in America. It is jet black in males and gray in females. Red eyes and a long, pointed tail. Some scholars classify black birds as a separate subspecies of birds.
Our hero's singing is similar to the sounds of a pipe, so children's toys - bird whistles - are associated with this bird. When conceived, the waxwing is a fast and nimble bird; only at the time of nesting does it behave secretly and practically not catch the eye. But during winter flights, our hero can be found everywhere in parks, squares, and gardens.
Waxwing nutrition
Most of the time, the waxwing is busy searching for food, gathering in flocks of 5 to 30 or more individuals. In its native places of “permanent residence,” the waxwing’s diet is varied. Various larvae, dragonflies, midges, butterflies, mosquitoes, caught in flight, feed the chicks with them. Among plant foods, they prefer tree buds, young shoots of plants, mistletoe, mulberries and other berries. And in the autumn they can profit from the fruits of garden trees left over from the unharvested harvest.
With the onset of cold weather and the lack of available food, waxwings, heading for a nomadic migration, stop in places with an abundant harvest of various berries. Almost all berries are eaten:
- dog-rose fruit,
- barberry,
- juniper,
- viburnum,
- bird cherry,
- hawthorn,
- mistletoe,
- rowan,
- lingonberries,
- privet,
- lilac and mulberry.
They, akin to locusts, completely sweep away all the berries hanging on the branches, greedily stuffing their crops, often hanging upside down. The waxwing will never go down to the ground and snow, unlike bullfinches, to pick up a fallen berry. Mistletoe - this is how they were called in some places where mistletoe grows, for their love for the white, juicy fruits of this plant.
Eating greedily a large number of bright and juicy berries, the body of a rather small bird cannot cope with such an amount of food, and removes excess berries from the body. After this, characteristic red spots from pecked and undigested berries form on the snow. From these tracks one can judge the arrival of waxwings. This feature of birds can be attributed to the original method of transferring and distributing plant seeds.
Often, when eating everything possible, fermented berries left on the branches end up in food. Intoxicated birds lose the ability to fly, do not orient themselves in space, and crash into various obstacles. The sad, frightening sight has long been interpreted as a bad omen. Most often, drunken waxwings are found in the spring after the birds have consumed fermented maple sap.
Classification
On this moment exist different kinds waxwings, only 9 species of birds have been described, forming two families previously belonging to one:
- Silk waxwings;
- Waxwings
Silky waxwings form 2 genera and 6 species of birds; due to their greater openness, the black silky waxwing is best described.
Waxwings include one genus and 3 species, which include the most common common waxwing. There are two of them in Russia.
- American waxwing, another name for cedar waxwing, is common in the northern United States and Canada. This individual is distinguished from all waxwings by its yellow belly. Of all the individuals have the average size with a body length of about 20 cm.
- The Amur waxwing is one of all its relatives included in the Red Book. It is the smallest bird of the entire species, reaching only 16 centimeters in length. Individuals of this species are widespread not only in the Far Eastern region of Russia, but also beyond its borders in the countries of Asia and Japan.
- The common waxwing lives in our Siberian taiga. The birds reach a length of up to 25 cm.
- The black waxwing is the only species of all birds whose colors differ among different sexes. The female is gray in color, and the male is black, with a bluish tint. They have an elongated tail and a pointed crest on the head. Habitat in America, mainly in the south of the continent.
- Silk waxwing - lives in the tropics and subtropics of America. The main part is distributed in Mexico and is distinguished by the absence of a crest in comparison with other brothers.
The differences between the ordinary waxwing and the silk waxwing are only in the color and shape of the elongated tail. In all other characteristics: the size of the wings, legs, beak, they are similar.
Reproduction and lifespan
IN spring period Last year's partners do not always stay together; some waxwings form new pairs. Therefore, this bird cannot be called monogamous. Pairs create nests in the vicinity of other pairs. At this time, during early May to early June, the birds become quiet. Neither the singing nor themselves can be heard. Mating games involve the male feeding the female the berries he has obtained. After which begins the process of mating and construction of housing for future offspring.
Waxwings try to build nests on coniferous trees, in sparsely located plantings, near water, at an altitude of about 10-12 m. The shape of the nest resembles a bowl. To build a strong nest use:
- feathers,
- spruce branches,
- grass,
- lichen,
- tufts of fur from various animals.
The female lays up to 6 bluish-purple eggs and incubates for 14-15 days. Meanwhile, the male is busy collecting and delivering food to the female.
The newly hatched chicks are fed insects, which promotes their rapid growth; after 2-3 weeks, the chicks are ready to fly out of the nest, preparing for independent life. At the age of one year, waxwings are already ready to create offspring. Life cycle these birds are about 10-13 years old, although some die even in early age from predators.
Waxwing in captivity
What to feed a waxwing at home
- insects,
- meat,
- cottage cheese,
- carrot,
- pieces of fruit or dried fruit,
- vegetables and greens.
The floor of the cage or enclosure must be dry and clean; sawdust is used to maintain cleanliness and cleaning is carried out in a timely manner.
Breeding in captivity
The process of breeding these birds in captivity is similar to their behavior in natural environment. For birds that have created a pair, it is necessary to bring the diet as close as possible to what the birds would receive in their natural habitat. You should increase the amount of protein foods and introduce into your diet:
- insects,
- insect larvae,
- ant eggs.
Future parents should also be isolated from outside interference and anxiety from others
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