The order of departure of migratory birds. Birds. What makes a bird, a bird

The analysis of the order of flight during the migration of adult and young birds in different groups passerines. Three main types of migration were identified: in the first, adult birds fly away earlier than young ones; second, both age groups start migration at the same time, but adults in general migrate faster; the third - before leaving, the birds flock into large flocks and fly together throughout the route.

Introduction

Currently, most authors point out that during migration, adult birds cover the distance to wintering places much faster than young ones. This is typical for different types As granivorous example: finch Fringilla coelebs, ordinary lentils Carpodacus erythrinus, and carnivorous: Savi cricket Locustella luscinioides, river warbler Locustella fluviatilis, marsh warbler Acrocephalus palustris, reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus, warbler warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, drozdovidnaya warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, bluethroat Luscinia svecica.
The aim of the work was to compare the flight order of young and adult individuals different groups passerines at the biological station of the KemSU "Azhendarovo" and the comparison of our data with the literature, which determined the choice of research objects.

Material and methods

The work is based on the results of the capture of small passerine birds in the Krapivinsky district of the Kemerovo region at the biological station of the KemSU "Azhendarovo" (54о45` N; 87о02` E) in 2011. In total, 13091 individuals were caught during this time, of which 108 - song crickets Locustella certhiola; 2668 - garden warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum; 289 - common nightingales Luscinia luscinia; 414 - red-necked nightingale Luscinia calliope; 242 - bluethroats Luscinia svecica; 381 - Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs; 266 - Fringilla montifringilla finches; 402 - Carpodacus erythrinus common lentils; 23 - Emberiza pusilla crumbled oatmeal; 53 - Reed Buntings Emberiza schoeniclus. The catching of birds was carried out with spider nets installed in thickets of willow trees used by birds as migration corridors on the banks of the river. Tom and its left tributary r. Ajendarka, as well as on the adjacent nettle heath, which is used by birds as a feeding station. The networks were checked at intervals of at least once every 2 hours from dawn to dusk.
An important feature of the Azhendarovo biological station is its location. Most migratory birds fly along large rivers, in our region this role is played by the river. Ob, therefore, in the middle reaches of the river. Tom, we record only the passage of local nesting birds, almost without the background of northern populations, which allows us to more clearly trace the initial stages of migrations.

Main part

Research at the Azhendarovo biological station of the KemSU showed that in a number of species, adults and young individuals begin to behave differently at the initial stages of migration. Based on the research and analysis of the literature, three main types of migrations were identified, differing in the order of flight of both adults and juveniles.
The most striking representatives of the first type of migration from insectivores is the garden warbler, and from the granivores - common lentils. The garden warbler hatches one brood per season, and immediately after the young birds emerge, the adult birds leave the nesting territory (Fig. 1) without stopping. At the same time, they molt in the intermediate part of the range or in wintering places.

According to the data of repeated catches of ringed birds at the biological station, several stages can be conditionally distinguished during migration. After the end of the nesting period, post-nesting migrations begin, which turn into mass migration. Similar behavior in the garden warbler is described by A.S. Malchevsky in the Leningrad Region, and, according to our data, the first wave is formed by adults, and only then the young ones fly.
Most of the garden warblers caught during the nesting period, by the beginning of the mass migration, cease to be recorded, only a few individuals are recaptured after the peak of migration, after which predominantly “transit” or possibly late emerging young are recorded. At the end of the passage, a long train of juveniles flying late in flight is recorded. This behavior is noted by N.S. Cherentsov in the badger warbler, reed and marsh warbler on the Curonian Spit (Kaliningrad region) and V.M. Chernyshov - in the badger warbler and the Indian warbler Acrocephalus agricola on the lake. Maly Chan (Novosibirsk region), he also notes that the badger warbler, like the garden warbler, does not molt before migration.
In addition to warblers, a similar pattern of movements during autumn migrations is also characteristic of some granivores - common lentils.
This species, as well as the garden warbler, hatches chicks only once per season and does not molt in the breeding grounds. During the departure of birds, two peaks can be distinguished, the first is formed mainly from adults, less often mixed; in the second, the absolute majority of flying birds are underyearlings; a trail of late flying juveniles is also formed (Fig. 2). As studies at Chokpak Pass (Kazakhstan) show, adults are the first to appear; over time, their share decreases, and the share of young birds increases.
Nightingales can be attributed to the second type of migration. Of these, the most widespread at the biological station are: common nightingale, red-necked nightingale, bluethroat. In our region, these species, under favorable conditions, are capable of two clutches per season. In the vicinity of the station, they are common nesting species; the common and ruby-necked nightingale are recorded throughout the summer.
The departure of adult and juvenile birds usually coincides (Fig. 3), however, in the process of migration, the disconnection between adults and juveniles increases. Adult individuals of the common nightingale disappear from the net catches after the end of the nesting period and reappear already during the mass flight (which is confirmed by recaptures more than a month later). A similar picture is observed in the ruby-necked nightingale, with the only difference that it did not show recaptures of adults during the migration of ringed ones during nesting. Although the bluethroat nests in the vicinity of the biological station, it is rare in net catches during the nesting time and is recorded mainly during migration; the departure of adult birds ends before the mass migration of young birds (Fig. 4).

Young individuals use a wider range of habitats than adults, which is interpreted as evidence that their ability to choose the right biotope is less perfect than that of adults, so they are constantly recorded in different biotopes. I.N. Panov, using the bluethroat as an example, notes that young birds accumulate fat very slowly, after each night throw, they stop for 4 - 5 days, while adults, although they stop for about the same period, but as a result of more efficient fat accumulation can do several night throws in a row, with stops between them only for one day. As a result, the speed of movement of adult birds is much higher than that of young ones.
This is confirmed by the data based on the analysis of the finds of ringed birds in wintering grounds, where in autumn adult bluethroats are found much earlier than juveniles.
The third type of migration is characteristic of late flying away granivorous species. Of these, the most abundant at the biological station are two closely related species: finch and finch. Before leaving, both of these species make post-nesting migrations, during which they flock into large flocks, where both adults and young individuals are present (Fig. 5).

Mass departure, as a rule, takes place in a rather short period, after which a trail of late flying individuals is almost never recorded, or it is rather small. At Chokpak Pass (Kazakhstan), adult and young finches appear simultaneously, and the relative number of adult birds increases towards the end of migration; however V.A. Paevsky writes that in Europe, in finches, adult birds migrate faster than young ones.
Finches on the territory of the biological station are recorded only during the flight; no differences in the timing of migration between adults and juveniles have been revealed (Fig. 6).
There is also a scenario when, for distant migrants, adults and young people fly the entire route together.
Buntings, which predominantly nest north of the Kemerovo Region and are recorded only during migration, for example: little bunting, reed bunting, juveniles and adults are always caught together (Fig. 7), and adults, as a rule, are recorded at the peak of migration, and not before / after the appearance of the young. Studies of the flight of reed bunting at Chokpak Pass (Kazakhstan) show that adults and young migrate simultaneously, but the middle period of migration of underyearlings falls on the 3rd five-day period of October, and adults - on IV.

Conclusion

As our observations and analysis of literature sources have shown, there are 3 main types of correlation between the flight of birds of different ages during autumn migration. The first type corresponds to species in which adults immediately after the nesting period fly away for wintering, and only then the young start. Such species, as a rule, nest only once per season, many of them molt in wintering grounds or in the intermediate part of the range, they do not form large flocks. In addition to the warblers and common lentils described, the song cricket also belongs to this type. Probably other crickets behave in a similar way. According to the second type, birds fly, which try to produce several broods per season, however, they do not form large flocks, although they often start at the same time or with small differences in timing between young and adults, in the process of autumn migration, adults migrate due to more experience in general. faster. The third type includes species that, as a rule, nest at least twice a season, and before departure they huddle in large flocks that start at the same time, and after them a trail of late flying birds does not form or it is rather small, usually these are the most late flying granivorous species.
The change in the type of migration of birds of different ages reflects the development of the adaptation of distant migrants to maintaining the stability of the population, which is expressed first in an increase in fertility during the nesting period, and then in joint flights of adults and juveniles, which reduce the mortality of young inexperienced individuals during autumn migration.

A. V. Kovalevsky, V. B. Ilyashenko

Source
Bulletin of the KemSU No. 3 (51) 2012

Winged Wanderers

Time of arrival and departure of birds

Arrival and departure times different types birds have not only cognitive, but also some practical interest. This is especially true of the arrival time. The timing of field work and, in many respects, the fate of the harvest depend on the course of spring. There are many signs among the people that predict the weather in spring and summer. Many of them are associated with birds during the spring phenomena in the life of birds, you can determine the speed of snow melting, plowing and sowing conditions, feed yield and much more. A friendly flight of birds speaks of the upcoming friendly spring; flight of flocks at high altitude - about the upcoming abundant flood; early arrival of cranes - about a friendly dispute in the spring; larks - about a warm spring. It was believed that if the waterfowl arrived fat, unwashed, the spring would be cold and long.

The arrival of some common bird species determined the start of many agricultural works more precisely than calendar dates. For example, rooks have arrived - it's time for gardeners to repair greenhouses, prepare seeds; there are larks - get out the hives. Forty days after the arrival of the starlings, they began to sow buckwheat, and with the appearance of lapwings, turnip seeds were selected for sowing. After the arrival of the swifts at the end of May, it was supposed to sow flax. The return of the birds was a sign of important changes in nature for the farmer. The arrival of larks meant the beginning of clearing the fields from snow, the appearance of numerous thawed patches. It coincided with the annunciation (April 7), when it was supposed to let the birds out of their cages and bake the "larks". After the arrival of finches, a slight cold snap usually sets in. With the arrival of wagtails, rivers open up. The appearance of gulls means the imminent end of the ice drift, and the return of flocks of lapwings is associated with the beginning of an abundant flood.

At the beginning of this century, the famous Russian phenologist and naturalist D.N.Kaigorodov organized a whole network of correspondent observers who collected data on the course of the spring arrival of common known bird species from the forest belt of Russia. Based on the analysis and generalization of more than 25 thousand observations, he marked on the map the places of the simultaneous appearance of rooks, storks, cuckoos and other birds in spring. The lines connecting these places - isochrones - show the peculiarities of the spring flight, its speed, direction, connection with changes in air temperature and other meteorological conditions. For example, rooks return to all nesting sites in the European part of the USSR in just 5 weeks. They move from southwest to northeast at an average speed of 55 km per day. The cuckoo flies about 80 km per day, the white stork - 60 km. The more observations form the basis of such calculations, the more accurate they will be. Unfortunately, the number of volunteer correspondents providing accurate phenological data to birdwatchers has now dropped dramatically. But they could bring invaluable benefits to both bird watchers and specialists. Agriculture, to provide significant practical assistance in assessing changes in the natural conditions of large territories over a number of years, in predicting the timing of sowing and harvesting in various regions, etc. harvest. In the 1920s, the calendar of the arrival of birds was carefully kept at the Biostation of Young Naturalists in Sokolniki (Moscow) and transferred to the Agromet Service Department of the USSR Ministry of Agriculture.

Information about the onset of various seasonal phenomena in nature, including the arrival and departure of mass bird species, received from institutions and individual correspondents, is regularly published by Gidrometeoizdat for periods of 10-12 years.

Each specific year, the dates of arrival of birds slightly differ from the average perennial ones: some more, others less. We can recommend a task for members of the biological circle: to trace when they first met a particular bird in a year, and compare this number with the average date of arrival indicated in the table, and then think about how it can explain its shift. Arrival usually occurs in several "waves", and between them there are periods of relative calm.

Dates of arrival of mass bird species in the European part of the USSR, signs of spring and the timing of the main agricultural work. Table 2.

Arrival wave	Bird species	Arrival date (long-term average)	Signs of spring or type of agricultural work
I	Rook	18-19.III	Preparatory work
II	Starling	30.III	Preparatory work
	Finch	30.III	Short term cold snap
	Lark	1.IV	The appearance of thawed patches in the fields
III	White wagtail	5.IV	The beginning of the ice drift
	Lapwing	5-7.IV	Preparing seeds for the garden
	Lake seagull	8.IV	End of ice drift
	Zaryanka	8.IV	End of ice drift
IV	Redstart	17.IV
	Mallard duck	18.IV
	Crane gray	18.IV
	Chiffchaff warbler	18.IV
	Pied flycatcher	19.IV	Plowing start
V	Cuckoo	27-30.IV	Noticeable warming
	Ratchet warbler	27-30.IV	Starting sowing vegetables (carrots, beets)
	Willow warbler	27-30.IV
	Wryneck	29.IV
	Killer whale	30.IV	Sowing
VI	Slavka-chernogolovka	5.V	The height of the sowing season
	Gray flycatcher	8.V	The height of the sowing season
	Nightingale	8-10.V	The height of the sowing season
	Mockery	11.V	The height of the sowing season
Vii	Oriole	16.V	Planting cucumbers, cabbage, peas
	Shrike-shrike	21.V	Sowing barley and flax
	Lentils	21.V	Sowing barley and flax
	Landrail	21.V	Sowing barley and flax
	Quail	21.V	Sowing barley and flax
	Swift	21.V	Sowing barley and flax

Observations of the flight of birds can be carried out at any point in the middle lane, but it is better on one of the small or large flyways - on the coast of a reservoir, a strip of forest among open spaces, in a valley, at the edge of a forest. You can watch the flight just on the outskirts of the city, and in the midst of it - and from the window of a multi-storey building. It would be nice to have binoculars, at least theatrical. At a certain hour (preferably early in the morning) for several days in a row it is interesting to calculate how many and what birds have been seen flying by. Such observations make it possible to follow the dynamics of the passage of several species (beginning, height, end), the replacement of some birds during the passage by others, and the general end of an intensive passage. Of course, one must observe every day, patiently and at the same time be able to distinguish common species of birds from a distance (Fig. 13).

Rice. 13. Silhouettes of birds in flight (after Sungurov, 1960):
1 - swift; 2- barn swallow; 3 - seagull; 4 - a sparrow; 5 - crested lark; 6 - wagtail; 7 - bee-eater; 8 - starling; 9 - thrush; 10 - owl; 11 - sparrowhawk; 12 - partridge; 13 - jackdaw; 14 - pheasant; 15 - great curlew; 16 - rook; 17 - city swallow; 18 - snipe; 19 - kestrel; 20 - forty; 21 - lapwing; 22 - woodcock. "Observing the behavior of birds in the fall"

Pedagogical goal: Continue to form a generalized idea of ​​wintering and migratory birds; learn to distinguish between birds by the way they feed; foster a love for birds, a desire to help them in the cold season; exercise in the correct use of adverbs and tense; develop dexterity, speed of reactions; the ability to act on a signal.

Education targets I: shows interest in birds, the peculiarities of their life; distinguishes birds by appearance; pronounces words and sounds correctly; initiative in conversation; capable of targeted observation behind objects; shows interest in job assignments; creativity in independent play and motor activity.

Mastered educational areas :

Social and communicative development ";

"Cognitive Development";

"Speech development";

"Artistic and aesthetic development";

"Physical development".

Types of children's activities : play, motor, communicative, work, cognitive.

Means of implementation : sport equipment; attributes for games; rakes.

Organizational structure walks

1. Observation of the behavior of birds.

Birds fly to the south:

Geese, rooks, cranes.

This is the last flock

Flapping its wings in the distance.

M. Ivensen

Chatting with children

To draw the attention of children to the fact that there are fewer and fewer birds. Mark which birds are more common and which ones are not visible at all. Name migratory and wintering birds, tell about the reasons for their departure. Continuing the story about birds, explain that in the evening the voices of birds become quieter and quieter, because they are getting ready for bed (some find secluded places to spend the night, others hide in nests or on tree branches).

Questions

How the life of birds changed with the arrival of autumn ? (There is less and less food for birds, it starts to get colder - birds gather in flocks, try their hand and train chicks, prepare them for departure)

Tell us about your observations of bird behavior in summer and autumn. In summer, there is enough food for the birds, they breed and feed their chicks. In autumn, birds gather in flocks and fly away to warm regions.

What happens to bird feed in the fall? There is less and less food for birds: first insects disappear, then plants wither, the number of fruits and seeds decreases.

What is the timing of the departure of insectivorous and granivorous birds in autumn? Insectivores fly away earlier. Since insects disappear, and the birds have nothing to eat. Then the granivores fly away. Birds that eat fruits, seeds, grains.

Why are there fewer birds in the fall? From the end of August, birds begin to fly south, as it gets colder, and insects begin to disappear.

How do birds prepare for departure? Gathering in flocks, they rapidly rush in the air, exercising before long-distance flight.

What is the first sign of the approaching autumn flight of birds? The hubbub of birds intensifies, they gather in flocks.

Which birds fly south the last? Ducks, geese - waterfowl, fly away last, until the reservoirs are frozen, they have something to eat.

Do you know how birds line up when flying south? The cranes fly like a wedge - an angle. Herons and geese - in a line. Ducks line up (one after the other.) Some flocks of ducks fly in the form of a gentle arc, and small - insectivorous birds - fly in a crowded flock.

Invite children to get together for a "flight"; line up with a wedge, a straight line, etc.

Tell about the departure of the cranes in the fall. They fly in an angle, in two rows diverging backward, with long, elongated necks, loudly croaking. Sometimes it is possible to see how the leading crane - the leader - changes places with its neighbor. One of them flies under the other and takes his place.

The cranes are flying, curling.

They send their last goodbye

They call summer behind them,

Taken to a warm region

Research activities.

Invite the children to consider cards - diagrams, which depict: an angle, a straight line, a school, chaotically, crowded birds. Give an answer to what kind of bird each card belongs to - a diagram.

Labor activity

Collection of seeds of various plants for feeding birds in winter.

Target : foster compassion, empathy for the birds.

Play activity

Didactic game "Earth, water, fire"

Game progress:

Children stand in a circle, in the middle - the leader. He throws the ball to one of the players, while saying one of four words: earth, water, fire, air. If the host says "land," the one who caught should quickly name the one who lives in this environment. On the word "fire" - discard. The one who made a mistake is out of the game.

Outdoor games

"Swan geese"

Target: Exercise in running with dodging, in catching. Strengthen the ability to perform the actions taken on the role. Coordinate words with game actions. To develop in children agility, ingenuity, speed of reaction. To cultivate a sense of purpose, a positive emotional attitude.

"Entertainers"

Target: Teach children to coordinate their actions with the actions of their comrades, develop resourcefulness, imagination.

Outdoor games at the choice of children.

Independent games for children.

The term "migration" comes from the Latin word "migratus" which means "to change". This word has special meaning when it refers to. Migration is the movement of animals from one region (or) to another. It takes place in certain periods time or seasons of the year. Animals migrate to reproduce, grow, seek food, or avoid cold weather... For many, migration occurs twice a year. They fly away in the fall and return again in the spring.

What makes a bird a bird?

All bird species have feathers. There are other characteristics common to the bird class, but feathers are the only trait completely unique to these animals. Many might say that flying makes birds special, but did you know that not all birds fly? Emus, cassowaries, and rhea are birds that do not fly. Flightless birds such as penguins swim great underwater.

Birds have many interesting devices that allow them to fly. Lightweight but strong bones and beaks are adaptations for weight loss during flight. Birds have unique eyes, ears, legs, and can build nests. Some species are capable of making beautiful sounds.

Why do birds migrate?

Many birds look for places in which it is warm, there is an abundance of food, as well as the opportunity to breed and protect themselves from predators. In, especially in, the climate is warm enough, so birds can find a sufficient amount of food throughout the year. The steady daylight gives them plenty of time to eat every day, so they don't need to fly somewhere to find food.

How do birds navigate?

Navigation is difficult because it requires birds to understand three things: their current location, their destination, and the direction they must follow to get to their destination.

Some birds use the sun and stars to navigate. Others are guided by features such as rivers, mountains, or coastlines. Some birds may even use their sense of smell. Though birds are also able to move on cloudy days and fly through where there are no clear landmarks. So how do they do it?

Scientists have come to the conclusion that birds sense the earth's magnetic field through magnetoreception. The birds' beaks contain so-called magnetite, an iron-containing mineral that acts like a compass. Other scientists believe that birds can see the magnetic field with their own eyes. Science is not yet fully aware of the orientation of birds, but they probably use several ways to navigate.

Why do birds fly in a wedge?

A flock of birds does not fly like a wedge by accident. Big birds such as geese and ducks form a wedge to reduce air resistance. The wedge allows flocking birds to fly farther and more efficiently than birds flying alone.

When flying in a wedge, efficiency is increased by 70%. The lead bird and the trailing wedge are the hardest, while the birds in between benefit from the flapping of other birds.

Besides improving flight, this technique is also useful for bird-to-bird communication. Wedge flight allows birds to fly close to each other, as well as hear and see their relatives. They transmit information to each other (through sounds) and can stick together.

The danger of migration

Sometimes birds must fly through harsh habitats such as deserts where water is scarce or oceans where there is no place to rest or feed.

Even if they find food and water, the birds need to land on the ground, where they risk becoming someone's prey.

There can be many predators on the migration path. Depending on their size, migratory birds become prey, foxes, wolves, humans and other animals. Some birds may be attacked by larger bird species while flying. Sometimes difficult weather conditions make it difficult to fly and even lead to death. It happens that birds collide with planes, which is dangerous both for themselves and for the planes.

How do bird watchers study birds and their migration?

Ringing birds is one of the methods used to study them. Scientists put a small, individually numbered metal or plastic ring on the bird's leg or wing. They also use special nets known as mystical nets as a way of capturing wild birds for research.

Thus, bird watchers can capture the same bird several times, measure and weigh it, and collect other important information over time. Scientists sometimes use satellite data to track bird migration routes.

Fascinating facts

• Arctic tern has the longest known migration route. It flies about 70,000 km a year between breeding grounds in the Arctic and winter sites in.
• Birds can fly at speeds ranging from 30 to 80 km / h.
• Large birds fly faster than small species.
• For 10 hours of flight, some birds cover about 650 km.
• Radar surveys show that most flights take place at altitudes less than 3 km, but some birds have been recorded at altitudes over 8 km.
• Birds flying long distances fly at higher altitudes than those flying short distances.

When the cold season comes in Russia, many birds fly away to winter in warm regions. The main reasons for this are that it gets too cold and there is no food.

In general, birds migrate between late August and mid November. Each bird species has its own dates of departure to warmer regions.

When birds fly away: timing of migration

• At the end of August, it is already getting colder in Russia for cuckoos - they are the first to leave our region.
• Swifts and swallows are next in line. They usually fly away in the very first days of September.
• Thrushes, finches, wagtails, starlings also fly away in early September. They prefer to survive the winter in Italy, Spain and Portugal. Ducks, cranes and waders, also flying away during this period, live near the Nile; hoopoes, flycatchers, corncrake and great snipe go to Africa; snipe prefer Transcaucasia.
• The middle of September is the time of departure of mallard ducks. They like the south of the Caspian Sea, the Black, Azov and Mediterranean Seas, Transcaucasia, Iran and the British Isles.
• Geese begin to leave their homeland in mid-September, but the massive migration takes place at the end of this month. They like to spend the winter in the Crimea, the Sivash and the Caspian Sea.

The flight of birds to warmer regions is a gradual process, the timing is always determined approximately. The birds migrate in flocks, often wandering, since the path is not short and there are many obstacles to overcome. For landmarks, birds use large geographical features: mountains, rivers, sea coasts, etc.