Great tit - Parus majorSize
The great tit is large for a tit at 12.5 to 14.0 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length, and has a distinctive appearance that makes it easy to recognise. Habitat The great tit occupies a range of habitats. It is most commonly found in open deciduous woodland, mixed forests, forest edges and gardens. In dense forests, including conifer forests it prefers forest clearings. In northern Siberia it lives in boreal taiga. Diet Its main preference is for insects, and, when feeding young, caterpillars are a key food. It will also eat spiders and small earthworms, then will switch to seeds, nuts, berries and buds as and when needed, and available Breeding Breeding typically begins in March; the incubation period lasts between 13 - 13 days, and there's between 16 - 22 fledge days.. |
Blue tit - Cyanistes caeruleusSize
The Eurasian blue tit is usually 12 cm (4.7 in), long with a wingspan of 18 cm (7.1 in) for both sexes, and weighs about 11 g (0.39 oz). Habitat Though the blue tit's world range extends to North Africa and Turkey, it is considered a European bird, unlike the far more widespread great tit. The blue tit's favoured habitat is broad-leaved woodland, but is sufficiently adaptable to be abundant in a variety of other habitats, including gardens. Diet The Eurasian blue tit is a valuable destroyer of pests, though it is fond of young buds of various trees, especially when insect prey is scarce, and may pull them to bits in the hope of finding insects. It is a well-known predator of many Lepidoptera species including the Wood Tiger moth. No species, however, destroys more coccids and aphids, the worst foes of many plants. Breeding Blue tits breed wherever there are areas of trees with suitable nest holes. They start looking for nesting sites about February, preferring small holes or narrow cracks in trees about 1 - 15 metres from the ground. Nest-boxes in gardens are readily used, especially if there is a shortage of natural sites in an area. |
Black bird - Turdus merulaSize
The common blackbird of the nominate subspecies T. m. merula is 23.5 to 29 centimetres (9.25 to 11.4 in) in length, has a long tail, and weighs 80–125 grams Habitat Blackbirds live in gardens, thickets, hedges and broad-leaved and coniferous forests. Also cultivated land, parks and gardens. They are common in towns and gardens. Blackbirds feed on plants and animals, including fruit, seeds, insects and small molluscs. Diet The Common Blackbird eats insects, earthworms, snails, spiders and a range of seeds and fruit. It mainly forages on the ground, probing and scratching at leaf litter, lawns and soil. Breeding The Common Blackbird builds a cup-shaped nest of dried grass, bound with mud, and lined with fine grasses. It is usually placed in a tree, shrub or low bush, but they will also use tree hollows. |
Coal tit - Periparus aterSize
It is a small bird growing up to 11.5 cm head to tail. Weight: 8 – 10g. Wingspan: 17 – 21 cm. Habitat it can be found in parks and gardens where there are conifer trees. It nests in holes in trees, but is just as happy to use nestboxes. Diet Insects, beech mast and conifer seeds are among the Coal Tit's natural diet. In the garden, they prefer black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts and occasionally suet. When food is plentiful they hoard it by hiding it all over the place so that they food for later when times are harder. Breeding The very small (15mm by 12mm) eggs are speckled with reddish-brown dots and are incubated by the female alone. Both parents help to feed the young. It is common for coal tits to breed in mid-April and for the young to hatch around 18 days later. |
Robin - Erithacus rubeculaSize
The adult European robin is 12.5–14.0 cm (5.0–5.5 in) long and weighs 16–22 g with a wingspan of 20–22 cm (8–9 in). Habitat European robins can be easily found in open woodland areas as well as urban and suburban parks, gardens, and yards. This is one of the most common garden birds in Europe, with year-round populations found in much of western Europe as well as the British Isles. Diet The European Robin feeds mainly on insects and spiders, but also on fruits, berries and seeds during cold winters. It also consumes earth worms. Breeding If the weather is mild, they can breed as early as January, though it is more usual for them to start in March. Robins are prolific breeders, often producing between three and five broods a year, each containing four or five eggs. |
Tree sparrow - Passer montanusSize
The Eurasian tree sparrow is 12.5–14 cm (5–5 1⁄2 in) long, with a wingspan of about 21 cm (8.3 in) and a weight of 24 g (0.85 oz), making it roughly 10% smaller than the house sparrow. Habitat The Eurasian Tree Sparrow occurs around farms, woodlots in agricultural areas, and in small towns, often around small lakes or in wooded parks. Diet The tree sparrow is a predominantly seed and grain eating bird which feeds on the ground in flocks, often with house sparrows, finches, or buntings. It eats weed seeds, such as chickweeds and goosefoot, spilled grain, and it may also visit feeding stations, especially for peanuts. Breeding The Eurasian tree sparrow reaches breeding maturity within a year from hatching, and typically builds its nest in a cavity in an old tree or rock face. Some nests are not in holes as such, but are built among roots of overhanging gorse or similar bush. |
House Sparrow-Passer domesticusSize
The house sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm and a mass of 24–39.5 g. Habitat The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation, and can live in urban or rural settings. Though found in widely varied habitats and climates, it typically avoids extensive woodlands, grasslands, and deserts away from human development. Diet House Sparrows eat mostly grains and seeds, as well as livestock feed and, in cities, discarded food. Among the crops they eat are corn, oats, wheat, and sorghum. Wild foods include ragweed, crabgrass and other grasses, and buckwheat. House Sparrows readily eat birdseed including millet, milo, and sunflower seeds. Breeding Mating occurs throughout the breeding cycle, (March through early August) near the nest site, and may occur several times during the day. Once the birds pair, nesting begins. These birds are monogamous, usually for life. Although lost mates are quickly replaced during the breeding season |
White Stork - Ciconia ciconiaSize
The white stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average 100–115 cm from beak tip to end of tail, with a 155–215 cm wingspan. Habitat The white stork's preferred habitats are riverbanks, marshes, swamps, ditches, grasslands and meadows. White storks tend to avoid areas that are overgrown with tall trees and shrubs. Diet A carnivore, the white stork eats a wide range of animal prey, including insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and small birds. It takes most of its food from the ground, among low vegetation, and from shallow water. Breeding The breeding time of the White Stork is from the beginning of April to the first days of August and lasts 32 to 33 days. They most often lay three to five eggs and both parents share the task of sitting on them. During its first months the young chick is constantly supervised by a parent. |
Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo |
Marsh tit - Poecile palustris |
Size
The Common Buzzard typically measures between 51 – 57 centimetres in length with a 110 to 130 centimetres (48 – 60 inches) wingspan. Habitat The common buzzard is found in a variety of habitats particularly woodland, moorland, scrub, pasture, arable, marsh bog, villages and even in towns and cities. Like other medium to large sized birds of prey, the common buzzard is a generally solitary animal, hunting and feeding alone. Diet The buzzards diet consist mainly of small mammals, such as mice, voles, rats, rabbits and hares. They will also take birds, reptiles, invertebrates and are commonly found eating carrion. They are commonly seen in fields stamping the ground to attract earth worms to the surface to eat. Breeding Buzzards tend to lay 2-4 eggs, but occasionally single egg clutches are produced and in exceptional cases up to 7 eggs have been recorded, though these larger clutches probably involve two females laying in the same nest. Overall breeding success varies from location to location. |
Size
The marsh tit weighs 12 g, is 11.5 to 12 cm long (from bill to tail) and the wingspan is 19 cm. Wing length ranges from 60–70 mm. Habitat Marsh tits breed mostly in lowland areas, but can reach altitudes of up to 1,300 m. They prefer large areas of moist, broadleaved woodland, often oak or beech, though they can occupy wet alder woodland, riverside trees, parks and gardens or orchards. Diet The marsh tit is omnivorous; its food includes caterpillars, spiders and seeds. It nests in tree holes, choosing existing hollows to enlarge, rather than excavating its own. Breeding Breeding begins around mid-April, with an incubation period for eggs of around 13 - 17 days, and then between 16 - 21 fledge days. Once the young have hatched, both parents help to feed. The eggs are smooth, white and glossy and covered in small brown dots and marks. |
Hawfinch - Coccothraustes coccothraustesSize
The hawfinch has an overall length of 18 cm (7.1 in), with a wingspan that ranges from 29 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in). Habitat The hawfinch typically inhabits deciduous forests during the spring to have offspring, often in trees that bear fruit, such as oak trees. They also incur into human areas, such as parks and gardens. They can also be found in pine woods, as long as there's a source of water in the vicinity. Diet Hawfinch feeds mainly on seeds from hornbeam and beech, but it also consumes seeds of other plant species. It can take oak buds, and during summer, it catches insects. It is able to break open the cherry-stones, thanks to its massive bill. Breeding Deciduous or mixed woodland, including parkland, with large trees – especially hornbeam – is favoured for breeding. The hawfinch builds its nest in a bush or tree, and lays 2–7 eggs. The food is mainly seeds and fruit kernels, especially those of cherries, which it cracks with its powerful bill. |
European honey buzzard - Pernis apivorusSize
The 52–60-centimetre (20–24 in)-long honey buzzard is larger and longer winged, with a 135–150-centimetre (53–59 in) wingspan, when compared to the smaller common buzzard (Buteo buteo). It appears longer necked with a small head, and soars on flat wings. Habitat The European honey buzzard is a summer migrant to most of Europe and western Asia, wintering in tropical Africa. It is seen in a wide range of habitats, but generally prefers woodland and exotic plantations. Diet hunts on foot to catch ground insects and small vertebrates. In the spring when the main prey is scarce, honey buzzards will resort to a variety of other food, including other insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, nestlings and eggs of birds, worms, fruit and berries. Breeding Reproduction. Honey buzzards are a migratory species, breeding in Europe and over-wintering in Asia and Africa. They arrive at their breeding grounds in mid May and nest in woods. They prefer deciduous trees and build nests made of twigs and lined with fresh leaves, normally building a new nest each year. |
Common kestrel - Falco tinnunculusSize
Common kestrels measure 32–39 cm (13–15 in) from head to tail, with a wingspan of 65–82 cm (26–32 in). Females are noticeably larger, with the adult male weighing 136–252 g (4.8–8.9 oz), around 155 g (5.5 oz) on average; the adult female weighs 154–314 g (5.4–11.1 oz), around 184 g (6.5 oz) on average. Habitat Kestrels are found in a wide variety of habitats, from moor and heath, to farmland and urban areas. The only places they do not favour are dense forests, vast treeless wetlands and mountains. Diet Common kestrels eat almost exclusively mouse-sized mammals. Voles, shrews and true mice supply up to three-quarters or more of the biomass most individuals ingest. On oceanic islands (where mammals are often scarce), small birds (mainly passerines) may make up the bulk of its diet. Breeding The common kestrel starts breeding in spring (or the start of the dry season in the tropics), i.e. April or May in temperate Eurasia and some time between August and December in the tropics and southern Africa. |
Peregrine falcon - Falco peregrinusSize
The peregrine falcon has a body length of 34 to 58 cm (13–23 in) and a wingspan from 74 to 120 cm (29–47 in). The male and female have similar markings and plumage, but as in many birds of prey the peregrine falcon displays marked sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30% larger than the male. Habitat Peregrine falcons are among the world's most common birds of prey and live on all continents except Antarctica. They prefer wide-open spaces, and thrive near coasts where shorebirds are common, but they can be found everywhere from tundra to deserts. Diet Their typical prey items include shorebirds, ducks, grebes, gulls, pigeons, and songbirds. Peregrine falcons also eat bats, and they occasionally steal prey—including fish and rodents—from other raptors. Breeding Search Results Featured snippet from the web Peregrine falcons are very territorial during breeding season and will vigorously defend their nests. Mating season: Late March through May. Gestation: 29-32 days for egg incubation. Clutch size: 3-4 eggs. |
Eurasian skylark - Alauda arvensisSize
The Eurasian skylark is 18–19 cm (7.1–7.5 in) in length Habitat Eurasian skylarks are more often heard than seen. ... is similarly colored and also occurs in open-country habitats, more usually on stonier and rougher ground. It can be found in cultivated grasslands and crops, wastelands and coastal dunes. Diet The Eurasian skylark walks over the ground searching for food on the soil surface. Its diet consists of insects and plant material such as seeds and young leaves. Unlike a finch (family Fringillidae) it swallows seeds without removing the husk. Insects form an important part of the diet in summer. Breeding Eurasian skylarks first breed when they are one year of age. Nesting may start in late March or early April. The nest is probably built by the female alone and is a shallow depression in the ground lined with grasses. The clutch is 3 to 5 eggs. |
Eurasian bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhulaSize
Size: Length 15.5–17,5 cm, weight 24–38 g. Habitat Bullfinch can be found breeding across Britain and Ireland, with a preference for mixed woodland, parks, large gardens and some coniferous forest. However, they are not found breeding in areas of open space such as upland and coastal habitats. Bullfinches appear to maintain a pair bond throughout the year. Diet Bullfinches are relatively recent users of our garden feeders, having been attracted to feeders by sunflower and other seeds. Seeds make up most of their diet and they favour plants like ash, elm and common nettle, but they do take insects when feeding their young.. Breeding Typically, the bullfinch will produce eggs that are very smooth and light blue. Breeding begins in March/April and eggs usually take between two and three weeks to hatch, and, once hatched, both male and female parents help to feed the young. |
Red backed shrike - Lanius collurioSize
Size: Length 16–18 cm, weight 25–35 g. ... Red-backed Shrikes are not much larger than sparrows, but they have distinctive strong beaks and long tails. Habitat The Red-backed Shrike breeds in a variety of habitats including woodland edges and clearings, open country with scattered trees and bushes, scrubby habitat and heathland, bushy areas with thorny scrub, orchards and olive groves. Diet Eats large insects, small birds, frogs, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a "larder." This practice has earned it the nickname of "butcher bird." Breeding The Red-backed Shrike breeds in spring, with the laying between May and July according to the range. This species usually produces a single brood per year, rarely two. It nests in dense bush or small tree. |
Wood Warbler - Phylloscopus sibilatrixSize
The wood warbler is 11–12.5 cm long, and a typical leaf warbler in appearance, green above and white below with a lemon-yellow breast. Habitat Wood warblers are found in deciduous woodland under closed canopies where there is little or no shrub layer. Much of the population in Europe is found in forested lowlands, though in the UK it is predominantly found in upland western oak woods. You are most likely to see wood warblers between April and August. Diet These birds enjoy a diet made up of insects, flies and spiders which they pick from vegetation with their delicate beaks. Breeding The breeding season begins in May, when the female builds a dome-shaped nest close to the ground, usually in a shady area of scrub. Five to seven eggs are laid, and chicks fledge when they are around 13 days old. |
Yellowhammer - Emberiza citrinellaSize
The yellowhammer is a large bunting, 16–16.5 cm (6.3–6.5 in) long, with a 23–29.5 cm (9.1–11.6 in) wingspan; it weighs 20–36.5 g (0.71–1.29 oz). Habitat Yellowhammers nest on or close to the ground in ditch vegetation or at the base of short, thick hedgerows and scrub. They are most commonly found in hedgerows which have a wide margin or ditch Diet Adults feed mainly on seeds throughout the year, especially cereal grain. They seek places where they can find lots of seed food, such as winter stubbles, root crops, wild bird cover, weeds in the crop margin, areas where grain is spilt or where cereals are fed to cattle. Breeding They often breed until the end of August, so cutting hedges before the end of August can destroy nests. |
European goldfinch - Carduelis carduelisSize
The average goldfinch is 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) long with a wingspan of 21–25 cm (8.3–9.8 in) and a weight of 14 to 19 g (0.49 to 0.67 oz). Habitat European Goldfinch breeds in wooded areas, orchards, parks and gardens, thickets, and close to human habitations in cities and villages. RANGE: European Goldfinch is partially migratory. Diet The European Goldfinch has a finer bill than its relative, the Greenfinch, and eats smaller seeds, especially those of the introduced Scotch Thistle. They also eat insects in summer. Breeding Goldfinch breeding begins in late April and most pairs will attempt two broods, sometimes three, in a given year. Each clutch consists of approximately 3 – 7 chicks whose incubation period lasts between 10 – 14 days, ultimately leading to a fledge period of between 13 – 18 days. |
Corn bunting - Emberiza calandraSize
This large bulky bunting is 16–19 cm long, with a conspicuously dark eye and yellowish mandibles. Males lack any showy colours, especially on the head, which is otherwise typical of genus Emberiza. Habitat The corn bunting prefers open lowland farmland and in winter may be found in stubbles, root crops, weedy fields, cattle yards or stockyards. They will also use grassland including buffer strips and grass margins. Diet Their food source consists of weed and crop seeds, especially ripening barley – giving rise to their country name of “Barley bird”. They will occasionally feed on insects, which their young are reliant upon. Breeding Corn buntings nest on the ground in cereal fields, set-aside, grass field margins or unimproved grassland. They start nesting late in the spring, usually June or July, and can have flightless chicks in August. |
Montagu's harrier - Circus pygargusSize
A slim, medium-sized, long-winged bird of prey. It has a long tail, is smaller than a buzzard and has more pointed wings than the similar hen harrier. Habitat The Montagu's Harrier frequents usually open areas with flat or undulating ground. It can be found in grasslands and meadows, cultivated fields and fallow fields, heath, moors, marshes, wet areas near ponds and lakes and cultivated steppes. Diet The diet consists mainly of small rodents, small birds, bird eggs, reptiles (including snakes) and large insects. Breeding Montagu's harriers breed for the first time when two or three years old, but occasionally one-year-old females may attempt to nest. Pairs form on the territory, when returning from migration. As the birds are tied to their former nesting sites, they probably mate with the same partner every year. |
Song Thrush - Turdus philomelosSize
The song thrush (as represented by the nominate subspecies T. p. philomelos) is 20 to 23.5 centimetres (8 to 9.25 in) in length and weighs 50–107 grammes (1.8 to 3.8 oz). Habitat The song thrush breeds in forests, gardens and parks, and is partially migratory with many birds wintering in southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; it has also been introduced into New Zealand and Australia. Diet Song thrushes mainly eat earthworms, various insects, spiders, snails and slugs found on lawns, under trees, hedges, forests or in woodlands. They also eat the small berries of some shrubs such as coprosma, and can eat ripening fruit in orchards. Breeding Song thrushes establish a breeding territory in the late winter or early spring. The territory is essential for pair formation and nesting, but only a part of the food for the young is obtained from within it. Territory size varies depending on the habitat, from 0.2-6 hectares, or even more. |
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