Did you forget to congratulate? Today is Bullfinch Day.
The staff told us about these birds with bright red breasts. Kronotsky Nature Reserve, located in Kamchatka.
Bullfinches were quite common in Kamchatka settlements until about the 1980s. Then, tree sparrows arrived on the peninsula, along with house sparrows, which drove the bullfinches into the forested areas.
"What can we say about Kamchatka's bullfinches? Bullfinches nest in various forest types, preferring coniferous forests. They build nests in trees or shrubs. They feed primarily on berries and the seeds of various shrubs, and occasionally on insects." says about these birds in the monograph "Nesting Birds of Kamchatka" Evgeniya Lobkova.
In winter, bullfinches form flocks and migrate. Their movements are linked to the availability of food in particular areas. The birds naturally appear where their favorite shrubs (such as rowan, rose hips, and hawthorn) have been most fertile in a given year, and fly from one feeding site to another.
Males and females differ markedly in plumage coloration. Males have a bright red breast, while females have a grayish-brown coloration.
In the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, bullfinches have a field day, while residents of megacities complain: There are no bullfinches in sight at all, they've disappeared! Ornithologist Anna Evseeva assuresThey haven't disappeared. Firstly, the sparrowhawk population has recovered, and bullfinches have to be much more cautious. Secondly, feeding grounds are shifting, and bullfinches are looking specifically for their edible berries. And thirdly, people have stopped noticing them because they're always rushing about. After all, the grass was greener, the trees were taller, and there were more bullfinches only when they were young.
Photos and videos by Sergey Krasnoshchekov and Maria Kaysina
