Collared Flycatcher - description, habitat

Under the collar refers to a migratory songbird character. She ranks among the passer-group and the family of fly-catchers. As the name implies, the species of feathered tribe has a distinctive feature. Birds hunt winged insects that buzz and poison human life.

Description

1. Representatives of the male half who have reached puberty, look quite contrasting. Their plumage is pigmented in black with white markings. The female stands out against the background of the male, since her coloring is not so contrasting.
2. If we compare the discussed pedigree group with pestlets, which are also flycatchers, then our family members have a whitish spot on the frontal part. There are light markings on the lumbar region, the tail is pure black, white fields develop on the wings.
3. Females that have crossed the threshold of maturity are distinguished by a grayish shade of plumage with brown markings. The lower part is pure white, there is no deposit of ocherous or brown pigment in the chest.
4. The young, dressed in the autumn plumage, looks rather gloomy and is somewhat similar to females. The young individuals on the brisket present ocher and brownish shades.
5. The main distinguishing characteristic of these birds is that there is a strip painted white on the wings. It is formed at the expense of opaque, as well as flying feathers.
6. As for the singing of these birds, their melodies are slow, short, consisting of whistles and a certain amount of trills. Pestlets, on the contrary, are talkative and fast-drinking. When white-hats are worried, they switch to a desperate whistle. The individuals of this species sing sad melodies, but they do not necessarily feel sad.

Lifestyle

1. Distribution affects European countries, as well as the Urals region. Birds stretch to the Italian coast, are found in Africa, on the Balkan Peninsula. They prefer taiga, mixed, steppe zones.
2. In the process of dwelling combined with pestrus, common in all parts of Europe.In the vastness of our country, the population cannot be called huge, the changing climate does not always suit the birds.
3. The discussed family loves forests with broad-leaved trees, feels great among the stickwood and oak forests. Slightly less often lives in forests of mixed type. Birds prefer to settle in park areas, gardens, squares.

Nutrition

1. If you pay attention to the name of the individuals, it is easy to guess what is the basis of the diet of such birds. It is worth noting that flycatchers are gambling and excellent hunters for various insects.
2. Presented birds often feed on flies, dragonflies and butterflies. It is interesting to observe how such birds hunt. The individual hides in dense foliage on the trees and at the most opportune moment it suddenly jumps out.
3. As a result, the individual grabs an insect with a tenacious beak that flies past. After that, the bird immediately returns to ambush. Often the birds hide under the foliage of trees in the rain. At such moments, the flycatchers try to find various bugs that live on the bark and branches.They also eat spiders and ants.

Breeding

1. Males return to their usual nesting sites after wintering. Frequently individuals make the flight in April. In most cases, birds live in hollows in the trees. The distance between the dwellings can be up to 50 m. After 1 week the females arrive. So begins the mating season in birds.
2. As soon as males notice females, they in every possible way begin to flaunt themselves. In addition, individuals of the male sex begin to show their homes to the chosen ones. Males widely open wings and tail. You can see them dancing in front of the females. Males beautifully sing and constantly fly into the nest, then fly out of it.
3. There are often cases when more successful males immediately manage to occupy 2 nests. As a result, they are inviting females there, and in a certain sense they get grief. In this case, the distance between the dwellings will not exceed 20 m. During nesting, the males must have time to feed the family.
4. At the same time, the nest is located 8 m above the ground. However, indicators may vary depending on the forest and some surrounding factors.Inside the individual the bottom is covered with dry grass, wool and roots. At this time, the female can lay up to 6 eggs of a bluish color. The second clutch is extremely rare.

Considered individuals have a unique appearance. They do not belong to monogamous birds, so in the nesting season they can immediately have two families. Males do an excellent job with their duties, feeding females and offspring.

Video: beefy flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis)