The most powerful factor that changes natural landscapes is human labor. The use of natural resources is sometimes unsystematic and accidental, but under our socialist forms of economy it always changes the character of the country in a planned and deliberate way, creates new types of landscapes in place of former ones.

1 Portenko L.A., Outline of the bird fauna of Western Transcarpathia. Memorial in memory of Academician P. P. Sushkin. Ed. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, M.-L., 1950.

Deforestation, plowing virgin steppes, artificial irrigation, draining swamps, laying roads, highways and graders, building cities and towns, planting artificial forests and creating plantings to strengthen the sands - all this changes environmental factors beyond recognition.

The change from the virgin steppe to the cultural landscape does not have any significant effect on representatives of songbirds. The song passerines, belonging to the most perfect groups of the class of birds, fully possess the ecological plasticity that allows animals to widely adapt to changing environmental conditions and spread in them. The species composition of birds, characteristic of the steppe landscape, will remain unchanged. Larks, buntings, coinage, yellow puffins will remain just as numerous here. Plots of perennial grasses, collective farm crops, hedges and groups of trees planted near the fields will also attract a variety of warblers, gray warblers, shrikes and other birds that are not characteristic of the open steppe.

Tree plantations, produced in order to fix the shifting sands in a number of southeastern regions of our country, will create convenient places for the settlement of songbirds. We had to examine such plantations - "forest dachas" of the Stavropol Territory, surrounded by sagebrush steppe and outcrops of loose sands. When approaching these "forest dachas", a very special bird life immediately catches the eye, bubbling up in them. The monotonous composition of the steppe larks, chasers, rare black-headed buntings is replaced by numerous ones associated with trees and shrubs, great tits, warblers, black-headed shrikes, shrikes-shrikes, marsh warblers, pale robins, field sparrows and flycatchers. Pine plantations in the central part of our country are somewhat different. We had occasion to observe the life of songbirds in such forests 10-50 years old in the Bryansk region. More or less extensive areas are occupied by dense pine forests. The absence of light in them hinders the development of not only shrubs, but also herbaceous vegetation and does not create favorable conditions for the settlement of birds in them. Rare pairs of finches and gray flycatchers, even rarer great tits, and misshapen thrushes that accidentally fly here - these are, perhaps, all the songbirds of these new forests.

The biggest changes, however, in the natural landscapes are brought by the settlements and cities that arise among them. Many of them have existed for more than one hundred years, others have arisen in our time. Some songbirds, over hundreds of years of living in settlements, have completely adapted to living near human habitations and have lost direct links with natural landscapes. Other birds, preferring to settle near humans, still live in natural conditions, while others, finally, before our eyes, following the development of culture, penetrate into cities and towns from the surrounding forests and fields.

We have to meet the songbirds of cities and villages most often: we can observe them, they are closer to us, regardless of our specialty and inclination, and therefore we will dwell on these “companions” of ours in somewhat more detail.

There are no cities in our country devoid of a bird population (regardless of the size of the city and its geographical location). Even in such a huge city as Moscow, there are relatively many songbirds. We met garden redstarts, gray flycatchers, great tits, finches in Moscow for nesting, on the outskirts of the city - white wagtails and starlings, to which we must add numerous house and field sparrows, less often city and village swallows. During the autumn and spring migrations, the number of species, of course, increases. When listing the species of Moscow city birds, we "talked only about those that nest inside the city limits - on boulevards, in squares, in small gardens of quiet streets and in the city buildings themselves. In large gardens and parks surrounding Moscow (Sokolnichesky, Leninsky Gory and others), there are many more bird species.

In cities smaller than Moscow, especially in more southern latitudes, there are even more nesting songbirds and their number can reach up to 25-30 species (in the city of Ordzhonikidze of the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic - 26 species).

Songbirds inhabiting cities can be divided into three groups. The first should include those species that are not found without humans and outside human settlements. These are specific birds of the city, relatively few,. lost their characteristic features and "habits" of "wild" birds. These include house sparrows, city and village swallows and jackdaws. However, urban swallows, or funnels, in the Caucasus, and especially in the Central Asian Soviet republics, also nest in natural mountain landscapes.

The second group of urban songbirds includes species that are quite adapted to the conditions of existence in the cultural landscape of the city, mainly settling in it, not avoiding the proximity of humans, but also nesting in natural landscapes. These birds are called "preferents" ("companions") of human culture. Of the birds of the cities, these include starlings (settling in our specially made birdhouses), white wagtails, garden redstarts, gray flycatchers and field sparrows. These four species often make their nests in the crevices of houses and fences, under the roofs, under the rafters of barns and warehouses. For the Carpathians, one more species must be added to these birds - the canary finch, a bird that is currently spreading to the east and has reached the Soviet republics of the Baltic states and the Dnieper. A. B. Kistyakovsky writes that the canary finch is an ordinary nesting bird in the parks and gardens of the villages of Transcarpathia and large cities. It breeds in Uzhgorod, Mukhachev, Ture-Remet, Rakhiv, Yesen and other cities. Between settlements, this bird is rare and especially often settles in small gardens, arranging its nests on spruces planted in them.

The first two groups of birds - specific urban birds and "companions of culture" - are the main "core" of the urban fauna of songbirds (understanding the term "urban" in the broad sense of the word). For the most part, these are widespread forms, and they can be found in many cities of the USSR, from Vologda and Kirov in the north to Tbilisi and Yerevan in the south. The third group of birds that settle in our cities includes species that are most often confined to the forest landscape. Our modern cities, with their green spaces, with their boulevards, parks, squares, reproduce forest and park landscapes in miniature. It is quite clear that songbirds easily adapt to living in new conditions created by man. These birds do not retreat before human culture, but on the contrary, more and more adapt to it. In the course of the historical process of adaptation, due to the growth in the number of human satellites, the bird population of cities and towns will increase. The songbirds of this category include blackbirds, tits - great and blue tit, shrike-shrikes, garden and black-headed warblers, goldfinches, greenfinches, finches, gray flycatchers and many others.

We can find data that make it possible to understand the moments of adaptation of birds of this group to life with humans from the very beginning of their appearance by studying the behavior of songbirds in sparsely populated areas. The first step in approaching man will be the use of human structures as nesting sites and settlements close to man in order to obtain food. Let us present some data of our observations.

Pink starlings are not ordinary human companions. They always settle in significant colonies in natural crevices and potholes of steep slopes of ravines, steep cliffs of mountain cliffs and gullies. We also had to observe large colonies of pink starlings nesting in a completely different environment. In 1926-1927, in the eastern part of the Caspian steppes, the steppes of Stavropol and the Grozny region, mass reproduction of locusts was noted. It attracted masses of pink starlings, for which locusts are the main food. Driving around the steppes of Stavropol in May-June 1927, we found nests of pink starlings in stacks of dung and in pyramids of adobe bricks stacked in a checkerboard pattern near most farms and settlements in the Achi-Kulak district of the Stavropol Territory.

Adobe bricks, made from clay and finely chopped straw, coolly mixed, are made here in the southeast in the spring, then dried under the sun in the first summer months, and only after that they are used for buildings. Starling nests were placed in holes between adobe bricks and in crevices between layers of dung. They contained eggs of varying degrees of incubation and newly hatched chicks.

Black redstarts, stone sparrows, alpine finches, mountain buntings and mountain wagtails are common birds of the middle and high mountain zone of the Central and Eastern Caucasus. All these birds, belonging to various systematic groups, usually arrange their nests in rock crevices, in mountain caves, under bushes of plants growing on cliffs. But in a number of cases, in the highland zone of the Caucasus, one can observe the listed birds nesting also close to humans. Here they build their nests in the voids that are in the loosely built and not fastened stone slabs of the fences surrounding the saklis and auls of the highlanders, in the walls of watchtowers and residential buildings. Birds settle near people, as there are many insects near barns and cattle pens, and small home gardens along their edges are densely overgrown with nettles, thistles and other weeds. These plants always have a lot of early ripening seeds.

A particularly interesting mountain bird, showing the first timid attempts to approach humans, is the white-throated thrush,

White-throated thrushes are cautious and timid birds. As mentioned above, they inhabit the thickets of rhododendrons and the upper border (chops) of birch forests of the subalpine meadows of the Caucasus. Very close in their systematic features to blackbirds, but in contrast to the latter, more and more approaching a person, white-throated thrushes clearly prefer a deserted area. However, several times we had to observe in the high-mountain villages of Georgia and Dagestan how, during the period of feeding chicks, white-throated thrushes regularly flew into the yards of the outer houses of auls to search for various insects there, most often large larvae of dung beetles.

From the above examples, the following conclusions can be drawn: mountain buntings, finches, stone sparrows and other songbirds are gradually becoming such cultural preferences for cultivated mountain landscapes as the previously noted birds are in non-mountainous conditions.

White-throated thrushes make weak attempts to approach humans. After a number of generations, these birds will probably acquire the qualities of their black relatives, turning into more common inhabitants of the cultural landscapes of the high-mountainous human settlements of the Caucasus.

The example of pink starlings and white-throated thrushes convincingly testifies to the presence of high ecological plasticity in songbirds, which easily adapt to new and completely unusual conditions of existence for them.

The composition of the bird population of any landscape, as well as of any organisms inhabiting this landscape, is never in a state of immobility or any balance, always changing both quantitatively and qualitatively. This continuous dynamics of the bird population is especially noticeable when studying the fauna of the cultural landscape, in particular the fauna of cities. Before our eyes, Soviet cities are growing and changing their appearance. Gardens and parks appear in them, green spaces grow around. At the same time, new conditions for the existence of birds are being created.

The bird population of cities in our Soviet conditions, as a rule, with very few exceptions, tends to increase. A well-known fact - a decrease in the number of house sparrows in cities following the development of mechanized transport - is explained by the impossibility for sparrows to eat undigested grains, previously collected by birds in horse excrement. This fact, however, is not absolute. House sparrows, which have decreased in numbers in recent years in the large cities of our country, over the same period of time have inhabited and inhabit more and more new settlements that arise in previously uninhabited places - the Far North, along the Pechora River, in the semi-desert regions of the southeast of the RSFSR, and so on. Further.

Consequently, the total number of sparrows living in the USSR is constantly in motion, and fluctuations in their numbers in total (but not in individual cases) apparently have the same progressive character.

We had to study in some detail the qualitative and, in part, the quantitative composition of the bird population of the city of Ordzhonikidze in the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Observations were made for decades and gave very revealing results.

Let us briefly present some data relating only to the group of songbirds, and the conclusions arising from these data.

During the period from 1917 to 1920, the total number of songbird species nesting within the city of Ordzhonikidze was 26. In 1929-1932, this figure dropped to 18.

Finally, the data for 1946-1948 again show an increase in the number of nesting species, almost reaching the 1920 figure of 24 species.

How can such a fluctuation in the number of nesting species in the same urban cultural landscape be explained? Upon careful analysis, it turned out that the number of birds characteristic of the city - house sparrows (for Ordzhonikidze and field ones), urban and rural swallows remained almost unchanged. However, shrike-shrikes, lentils, blackbirds, wrens, forest convoluters, gray warblers and swamp warblers have ceased to nest in the city.

A number of species also decreased in the number of nesting pairs, namely greenfinches, goldfinches, finches, tits, black-headed warblers and others.

The main reason for this disappearance and quantitative decrease of songbirds nesting in Ordzhonikidze was the change in the appearance of the city. The period of the civil war, economic devastation during it and the period immediately following it, led to the destruction "for firewood" and for strategic purposes of protective plantings (trees and shrubs) in the gardens (often the gardens themselves) and in the parks of the city. The cemeteries located within the city limits were completely bare of bushes and old hollow trees, which provided shelter for numerous birds. The difficulty of restoring the "green" economy, which requires several years for its development, the inability to find suitable places for nesting, did not allow all the listed bird species to continue to live in the city. And, on the contrary, birds that are typical for cities and villages, not being associated with tree and shrub vegetation, but building nests on buildings and under the roofs of houses, did not suffer from the change in the “image of the city”.

The fact of a new rise in the number of birds by 1946-1948 fully confirms our conclusions. Concern for the "green" economy of the city was one of the most important concerns of the Soviet urban economy. Thanks to this, the number of green spaces in Ordzhonikidze not only recovered, but also exceeded the number of the pre-revolutionary period. “The trees that have grown over two decades have again made it possible for songbirds to settle in the city, which we can see from the figures for 1946-1948.

The species that did not return to the city after the forced “leaving” of it include three: lentils, forest hawthorn and wren. These birds usually build their nests in thorny and other bushes, that is, in just such plantations, which have not been restored in Ordzhonikidze. Compared with 1917-1920, in 1929-1932 and in 1946-1948, the appearance of one "new" species - mountain wagtails was also stated.

The destruction of tree and shrub vegetation was not the only reason for the decrease in birds in the city of Ordzhonikidze, but we think it was one of the main ones.

The dynamic state of bird populations of one species and the totality of species inhabiting the landscape can be traced under any other conditions, but observations in the city, where this dynamics is expressed more clearly, are especially convenient.

The value of songbirds in nature and in the human economy.

Songbirds, which, as can be seen from the previous presentation, occupy a significant place both in natural and cultural landscapes, are not only “witnesses” (it is impossible to say about birds “dumb”!) of the ongoing processes, but actively participate in them.

The importance of birds in nature, and, consequently, in forestry and agriculture, connected by inextricable ties with nature, has been and is being given much attention. At present, especially as a result of a number of experimental works by Soviet Michurin ornithologists, one can speak about the significance of birds not only on the basis of speculative conclusions, but on the basis of strictly verified experimental, digital, factual material.

In this question, as in any phenomenon arising from the activity of organisms, one must always proceed from certain specific data, relating not only to a certain species of bird, but also to those conditions of existence of a given species in which it is located in a certain place and in a certain time. One and the same species of songbirds can be exceptionally useful under certain conditions, but relatively harmful under others.

A. B. Kistyakovsky, who studied many stomachs of great tits and blue tit, writes: “The blue tit and the great tit are undoubtedly very useful birds. Their main food is beetles and bugs, which include a number of pests. The remains of cultivated plants in the stomachs were not found at all.

KN Blagoeklonov gives a long series of examples of the colossal work that insectivorous birds do "for humans", feeding mainly on pests of agriculture and forestry. For example, one yellow-headed kinglet destroys from 8 to 10 million small insects a year. One swallow during the summer catches from 500 thousand to 1 million flies, mosquitoes and aphids.

1 Kistyakovsky A. B., Birds of the gardens of the lower reaches of the Kuban. Proceedings on the protection of plants. Series IV, no. 2, L., 1932.

In the ravine oak forests of the Rostov region (Kalitvinsky forestry enterprise), attracted birds completely eliminated the centers of sawflies. As a result of attracting birds on the Podcherkovsky collective farm (Dmitrovsky district of the Moscow region) in the garden of the collective farm, “it was not necessary to specially remove the nests of hawthorns or golden tails, to fight against suckers and silkworms, since all this was done by birds”1.

VI Osmolovskaya and AN Formozov,2 who give the most complete summary of the significance of birds as destroyers of forest pests, report a number of verified facts characterizing this significance. The main food of finches, for example (not exclusively insectivorous birds), from May to August are small beetles (80% of all insects they eat), of which 66% are harmful species.

According to observations on the nutrition of oriole chicks in the Kamyshin forest nursery in June 1949, it turned out that 97.5% of the food eaten by birds falls on the share of harmful insects (butterfly caterpillars, small beetles, adult orthoptera) and only 2.5% of the food is berries (cherries ).

Limiting ourselves to the indication of these data given in the literature devoted to the question of the importance of birds (for more details, see the above reports by K.N. Blagosklonov, A.N. Formozov and others), we present some materials from our observations.

In the summer of 1921, during the mass reproduction of mouse-like rodents, which covered a vast area of ​​almost the entire south-east of the RSFSR, social voles and other small rodents were the main food of the rooks, feeding their chicks in June-July. Birds flew in flocks from their nesting sites to the nearest rodent colonies and actively hunted for animals, lying in wait and grabbing voles that ran out of their holes. In the crop and esophagus of one rook, we found four half-adult voles at the same time. When the corn beetle-kuzka reproduces on grain crops in the Stavropol Territory, the same rooks, larks, black-fronted shrikes and shrike pass almost exclusively to this pest.

1 Blagosklonov K. N., Protection and attraction of birds useful in agriculture. Uchpedgiz, M., 1949. 2. A. N. Formozov, V. I. Osmolovskaya, and K. N. Blagosklonov, Birds and pests of the forest. ATOIP, M., 1950.

During outbreaks of mass reproduction of locusts, especially migratory locusts and prusik (Italian locust), birds living in areas covered by locusts completely switch to feeding on locusts and feeding their chicks with locusts. Of the song passerines that ate locusts, larks (of all kinds), field pipits, house and field sparrows, coined-heathens, yellow pliska and a number of others were noted.

However, undoubtedly, the first place as the main enemy and destroyer of locusts belongs to the pink starling. From what has been said, one should not conclude that songbirds are always and everywhere only useful.

Far from it. In a number of cases, their activity can take on a negative character for the human economy.

For example, starlings, thrushes, grosbeaks and other songbirds can harm berries and orchards by eating berries and fruits. Warblers, warblers and other small, mostly insectivorous, birds at stops during the autumn migration willingly peck ripening, sweet fruits of pears and grapes in the orchards of our south, which causes them to rot and spoil.

Let's summarize what has been said about the benefits and harms of songbirds.

Professor G.P. Dementiev quite rightly notes that in the question of the economic importance of birds, one must always proceed from certain conditions of place and time. This issue should be considered on the basis of a thorough study of the life, behavior and diet of birds in certain conditions. The protection and attraction of birds must be based on a strictly scientific basis and go hand in hand with the study of their biology. Based on the numerous data that are available in our Soviet ornithological literature on the benefits and harms of birds, we must conclude that in the conditions of the European part of the USSR songbirds, almost without exception, are useful for forestry and agriculture. The benefits of songbirds are especially noticeable and tangible in forest plantations, and hence our task is to protect and protect them in every possible way. The insignificant harm brought by songbirds in some cases and in rare periods of their lives (the indicated cases of spoilage of berries, fruits and grapes, the extermination of seeds of cultivated plants) is more than compensated - in our conditions - by the benefits brought by the same species in other periods of their lives. Even predominantly herbivorous birds, feeding on grains and seeds of plants, always do more good than harm, which is easily established by analyzing the contents of the stomachs of these birds. In the vast majority of cases, granivorous birds eat the seeds of weeds and wild grasses; much less often, birds feed on the seeds of cultivated plants.

The undoubted benefit brought mainly by insectivorous birds to forests and agricultural crops is obvious. Analyzes of the contents of the stomachs show that, especially in cases of mass "reproduction of any pests (often forest ones), insectivorous birds completely (approaching 100%) switch to feeding on them. This is quite understandable: a huge number of insects appearing in breeding centers does not require birds spend time and labor on obtaining and searching for food, and the birds manage to collect in a short period of time quite a sufficient number of insects to get enough. At the village of Humi (Military-Georgian Road, North Ossetia), they had a motley stone stocks, the citys, Chernushki and Chekany Kamenka. Here, on a minor area, we met up to three dozen stone drokes - birds, under normal conditions, are far from each other. or broods.

In addition to what has been said, it must be added that birds are an essential element in the animal population of natural and cultural landscapes.

The rarely observed absence of birds anywhere in the conditions in which they usually occur must necessarily entail a change in the landscape and affect its other components, in particular plants.

An exceptional case of this kind - the absence of birds - was noted by us for artificial forest plantations in the Karaganda region.

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Presentation on the topic: Birds of urban landscapes

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Compilation of a partial species list of birds found on the territory of the city of Rostov-on-Don. Compilation of a partial species list of birds found on the territory of the city of Rostov-on-Don. Finding out the nature of the stay of birds in the city. Study of the distribution of birds within the city

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For many centuries, man, directly or indirectly influencing nature, changed its appearance. Following the change in the conditions of existence, the animal world also changed. Some species disappeared, others became few in number and remained only on lands untouched by man. But many more resilient species of animals and birds, despite a sharp change in the environment, managed to adapt and settled in habitats unusual for them. By developing the necessary biological features, they change not only the composition of food, but also the nesting biotope and become typical representatives of the cultural landscape - urban birds. For many centuries, man, directly or indirectly influencing nature, changed its appearance. Following the change in the conditions of existence, the animal world also changed. Some species disappeared, others became few in number and remained only on lands untouched by man. But many more resilient species of animals and birds, despite a sharp change in the environment, managed to adapt and settled in habitats unusual for them. By developing the necessary biological features, they change not only the composition of food, but also the nesting biotope and become typical representatives of the cultural landscape - urban birds.

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As cities grow, some species of birds leave urban areas forever, others immediately adapt to urban life, others first retreat, and then return and master the changed landscapes. The adaptation of birds to life in the city occurs too quickly to be explained by the action of natural selection. The urbanization of birds is based on changes in behavior leading to the formation of a special "urban" population structure. As cities grow, some species of birds leave urban areas forever, others immediately adapt to urban life, others first retreat, and then return and master the changed landscapes. The adaptation of birds to life in the city occurs too quickly to be explained by the action of natural selection. The urbanization of birds is based on changes in behavior leading to the formation of a special "urban" population structure.

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The crow is a large bird that can be recognized by its coloration. People say that she is wearing "a black coat on a gray vest." It is a sedentary or nomadic bird. The crow is a large bird that can be recognized by its coloration. People say that she is wearing "a black coat on a gray vest." It is a sedentary or nomadic bird. Nests are built on trees, on power lines. Crows are omnivores. The basis of their nutrition is various food residues, food production waste, household waste in garbage dumps and landfills. They destroy the nests of songbirds, eat the eggs of chicks. To reduce the number of gray crows in the city, it is necessary to improve the sanitary condition of the territories and attract birds of prey to the parks, which regulate the number of crows.

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The largest of all tits, slightly larger than a sparrow. It differs from other tits by a black longitudinal stripe - a “tie” on a yellow-green chest, and a light spot on the back of the head. The largest of all tits, slightly larger than a sparrow. It differs from other tits by a black longitudinal stripe - a “tie” on a yellow-green chest, and a light spot on the back of the head. Nests are placed in tree hollows, in holes between bricks, in artificial nests. In spring and summer, insects and other invertebrates predominate in the diet of the great tit, in winter the role of seeds increases, and near human habitation, food waste. In general, tits are very intelligent creatures. In England, they learned to peck through the caps of milk bottles and drink some of the milk out of them. With snowfall, most of the tits migrate to the south, and the individuals remaining to spend the winter move to the outskirts of settlements.

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Adult starlings are painted black with a metallic sheen. Looking closely, you can see the reddish, purple and greenish tints in the plumage. In autumn, there are white spots at the ends of the contour feather, as if covering the bird's body with a pearl scattering. The beak is yellow in spring and darkens in autumn. Juveniles have a dull brownish plumage, which in the very first autumn of life is replaced by an adult outfit. In spring, starlings are among the very first to arrive at nesting sites. It feeds on various animal and plant foods, and at the end of the nesting period it gathers in large dense flocks. It nests mainly near human dwellings, occupying specially made and hung artificial nests for starlings, niches under balconies and roofs, etc.

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Short and wide, especially at the base of the beak, a large mouth slit, narrow and very long wings, a wide chest, and at the same time an elegant physique, short and weak legs, unsuitable for moving on the ground, finally, a forked tail is a sign of this family. Short and wide, especially at the base of the beak, a large mouth slit, narrow and very long wings, a wide chest, and at the same time an elegant physique, short and weak legs, unsuitable for moving on the ground, finally, a forked tail is a sign of this family. The nest is molded from clay to the buildings. They feed on insects caught in the air on the fly. The city swallow often forms colonies of up to several dozen or more pairs. During migrations and autumn migration, it gathers in flocks of up to several hundred individuals. The total number of this subspecies is very large.

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Sedentary bird, medium size, black, with a gray "handkerchief" on the head. Sedentary bird, medium size, black, with a gray "handkerchief" on the head. The most remarkable thing about the jackdaw is the eyes, the black pupil of which is surrounded by a gray-blue iris, so they appear whitish with a silvery sheen. Jackdaws feed on both animal and plant foods. Among the food of animal origin, insects predominate - pests of trees and shrubs. At the end of summer and autumn, grains of cultivated cereals form the basis of the diet, in late autumn and winter - food waste. The food activity of jackdaws is beneficial to humans. For nesting, they choose enclosed spaces - hollow trees, attics. It winters in settlements, where it is usually found together with crows.

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The rook is a large bird, its plumage is black with a metallic sheen. Due to the fact that birds constantly dig worms and larvae out of the ground with their beaks, the plumage of old birds is wiped off and dirty white skin is visible around the beak. The rook is a large bird, its plumage is black with a metallic sheen. Due to the fact that birds constantly dig worms and larvae out of the ground with their beaks, the plumage of old birds is wiped off and dirty white skin is visible around the beak. Nests are built on groups of trees in or near human settlements. Such a colony is called a rookery. The rookery is visible and audible from afar. The main food is harmful insects and their larvae, as well as the waste of various products from human habitation. One of the significant differences between the rook and other corvids that lead a sedentary lifestyle or make autumn-winter migrations within the nesting range is that the rook is a migratory bird for the northern regions of its habitat.

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In places where birds gather, favorable conditions are formed for the reproduction of ticks, lice, fleas, flies, and moths. In places where birds gather, favorable conditions are formed for the reproduction of ticks, lice, fleas, flies, and moths. According to experts, from 40 to 90% of birds are infected with psittacosis - a dangerous disease transmitted to humans. Birds can also be carriers of pathogens such as encephalitis, brucellosis, pasteurellosis, etc. Birds, especially sparrows, fly into indoor areas (public areas, grocery stores, covered markets, food enterprises), where they spoil food, peck at packages and bring goods into disrepair. Bird droppings spoil the appearance of buildings, destroy metal and finishing materials, and are also a substrate through which various infections are transmitted (in particular, psittacosis). Synanthropic (dangerous) species in the city crowd out other birds that could nest in city parks. City birds struggle with urban noise in their own way. Robin males sing at night so that the female can appreciate the beauty of the voice. Tits in Belgium are moving to higher frequencies, and nightingales in Germany have become so loud that they are already violating European noise pollution laws. We must not forget about the possible disruption of various services (power lines, airports, etc.) caused by the activity of birds. According to statistics, bird strikes are one of the most common causes of aircraft accidents. The impact force of a bird the size of a seagull at an aircraft speed of 320 km / h is 3200 kg, at a speed of 960 km / h - 28800 kg. For a visual comparison, with a bird weighing 1.8 kg and an aircraft speed of 700 km / h at an altitude of less than 2400 m, the bird's impact force on the aircraft is three times stronger than the impact of a 30 mm projectile.

By pecking insects and their larvae, sparrow weed seeds are of great benefit. They, of course, perform a useful role as orderlies in city dumps. Pecking insects and their larvae, sparrow weed seeds are of great benefit. They, of course, perform a useful role as orderlies in city dumps Once upon a time in China, it was decided that sparrows harm rice crops by eating grain. They announced a reward for sparrow corpses, went out together, the whole commune, began to prevent the birds from landing on the ground. Exhausted falling birds were pierced and strung on strings, handed over to the state. Then, as expected, the Lord of the Flies came and brought with him his little insect friends, who ate the crops better than any sparrows. New sparrows had to be bought abroad. They don’t joke with nature - it turns out too expensive. Capable and prolific Chinese outside of China are ready to restore the population of little sparrows in their homeland, and those, in general, do not need much - at least a grain of rice of freedom. But constantly. In a day, a starling can eat as many caterpillars as it weighs itself and will not get fat at all because it spends a lot of energy searching for food, building a nest and caring for chicks.

slide number 18

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Swifts use their own saliva as a building material. With its help, they stick together fluffs, scraps of paper and other debris flying in the air. Swifts use their own saliva as a building material. With its help, they stick together fluffs, scraps of paper and other debris flying in the air. The most modern nest was demonstrated at one of the ornithological conventions: it was a crow's nest made entirely of aluminum wire. Passeriformes (the largest order of birds known to science) are close relatives of parrots and falcons. Woodpeckers, hawks, owls, and hornbills look very different, but all are close relatives of passerines. A titmouse feeds its chicks a thousand times a day. The French call the dove the “flying rat.” Birds do not sing because they are happy. This is how they mark their territory. The most flying bird is the black swift. In the air, it can stay from 2 to 4 years. In the air, he eats, drinks, sleeps and mates. Taking off from the ground for the first time, the swift flies about 500,000 kilometers before landing. When flying, birds flap their wings up and down. Their movement is rather forward and backward, resembling a figure eight, if you look at the bird from the side. .

Greetings, my reader. The most significant element in the animal world of birds in our country is the cultural landscape, which arose as a result of both purposeful human activity and the natural environment, which affects many natural processes of nature transformation.

Under the conditions of Russia in the European part of the country and in Siberia, this landscape consists mainly of agricultural land, forming patches of the so-called cultural steppe, which dominates the most populated parts of the country and spreads more and more.

Another element of the cultural landscape is man-made objects - crowded cities and human settlements.

Finally, in the arid regions of our country, the cultural landscape is mainly in the nature of fertile oases, artificially irrigated territories.

World of birds of the cultural steppe

The richness and diversity of bird fauna in human settlements is largely associated with the development of woody vegetation in them; it basically corresponds to the fauna of broad-leaved and mixed forests. The same fauna is typical for shelterbelts and other artificial plantations.

However, the fauna of agricultural lands is of the greatest importance for the bird world. Here are some that are currently characteristic of the landscape of the cultural steppe:

1. from chicken - quail and gray partridge,
2. from shepherds - corncrake,
3. from passerines - crows and rooks, house and field sparrows, some buntings, in particular steppe and common; field and crested larks, partly magpie, hoopoe and others.

The economic development of these territories by man in the form of plowing land and deforestation led to a sharp violation of the natural habitat, to such adverse natural processes as:

• soil erosion and sand spreading,
• air and natural water pollution,

which largely affected the change in the distribution of certain bird species on the territory of Russia: the northward movement of a number of species, in particular the gray partridge and crested lark.

The development of human settlements attracts -

• house sparrow and swift,
• village and city swallows,
• jackdaw and raven.

In winter, ordinary buntings gather near the settlements. The development of urban gardens and parks over the past decades is causing an increase in the number and change in the area of ​​​​distribution:

• blackbird and black redstart,
• orioles and hawfinch,
• carduelis, chaffinch and partly rook.

In the most recent years, the wild canary penetrated the cultural landscape of the steppe type from the west, reaching Riga and Kyiv. These birds avoid deaf deserted areas, but go far to the north behind human settlements. Spreading low shrubs growing in clearings attract:

• warblers and warblers,
• lentils and hemp,
• greenfinches and vultures,
• forest skates, etc.

Change and development of the cultural landscape

The development of meadows along the banks of the rivers resulting from forest clearings is associated with the resettlement of some bird species:

1. Meadow minnows, yellow puffins and white wagtails,
2. meadow pipits and field larks,
3. corncrakes and harriers,
4. quails and other birds.

The young pastures of bushes are inhabited by hoopoe, which has become a regular nesting bird in the Moscow region since the 20s of our century. Moved to the north and roller.

Thus, it is clear that the development of the cultural landscape in itself does not cause the depletion of the fauna, but only leads to its change.

Of course, at the same time, species that are associated with the presence of forests are forced to recede, partly disappear, as the area of ​​forests decreases.
First of all, this includes such relatively small birds as. Such is the fate of birds, which, as an object of hunting, are directly persecuted by humans - this

• capercaillie and hazel grouse,
• pheasant and turach,
• swan, etc.

Only one species was completely exterminated in historical times on our territory - a large non-flying cormorant discovered in 1741 on Bering Island, which finally disappeared around the middle of the last century.

Apparently, at the beginning of this century, the Canadian goose disappeared from the Commander and Kuril Islands.

The fact that human activity, changing and diversifying the natural landscape, contributes to the enrichment of the animal world, is clearly seen when studying the birds of the cultural areas of the North Caucasus. The list of species characteristic of them is very rich:

• white stork and hobby,
• kestrel and hawk tuvik,
• black kite and desert owl,
• owl and hoopoe,
• doves - ordinary, ringed, small,
• black swift and myna starling,
• oriole and greenfinch,
• goldfinch and house sparrow;
• tree sparrow and black-throated sparrow,
• buckwheat finch and black coinage,
• swallows - killer whale and red-belted,
• Asiatic field lark, etc.

Not so strongly associated with the oasis landscape are many other species, such as:

• starling and gall oatmeal,
• Roller and bee-eaters,
• wagtails and bullfinches,
• shrikes and thrushes.

All these species of birds are mainly associated with the fauna of the forest and shrubs, that is, in the conditions of the North Caucasus with the fauna of the riverside tugai, and then with the forest and shrub vegetation of the foothills and mountains.

The appearance of the animal world of birds of various latitudinal zones of Russia

Not all bird species found on the territory of our country can be distributed among the landscape zones indicated above.

In the bird world of Russia there are a significant number of species that are widely distributed, the relationship of which with certain latitudinal conditions is not clearly expressed; this applies especially to aquatic or near-aquatic birds.

Among them are the following:

1. from gulls - herring and common gull, river tern, grebe, grey-cheeked grebe;
2. many types of ducks - mallard, pintail, teal whistle, shoveler;
3. from copepods - a great cormorant;
4. some waders, such as snipe;
5. from the ankles - gray and red herons, bittern;
6. from predatory - real falcon, derbnik, kestrel, white-tailed eagle, osprey;
7. from owls - an eagle owl, a house owl, an ordinary nightjar;
8. many passerines - raven, jackdaw, starling, white and yellow wagtail, reed bunting, field lark, gray shrike, warbler grasshopper and talovka, warbler, thrush, mistletoe, common wheatear, bluethroat, killer whale and funnel swallow, sand martin and others.

Of course, the distribution of these birds depends on certain conditions, in particular on the availability of natural or artificial reservoirs for:

• seagulls and ducks,
• terns and waders,
• ospreys and grebes;

if there are reservoirs, these bird species are found in different latitudes.

Other of these species are found on the territory of Russia in a wide variety of conditions. So, for example, the eagle owl nests everywhere, except for the tundra - from the northern border of the forest to the south of the Caucasus, keeping in the forests and in the steppe, high in the mountains and in the deserts.

In the same way, the common falcon nests in the tundra, in the forest belt, in the mountains of the Caucasus, avoiding only flat treeless or vertically undissected areas. An ordinary wheatear can be found in the Arctic, and, and in temperate latitudes.

Not being characteristic of a particular latitudinal zone, these widespread bird species, nevertheless, significantly affect the appearance of the animal world of birds in certain areas of our country, since in different parts of it they are often represented by local subspecies forms.

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And that's all for today. I hope you liked my article about the cultural landscape of the bird world of our country, and you learned something useful from it.

Maybe you have seen some of these representatives of the feathered world. Tell me about it in the comments to the article, I will be interested to read it. Let me say goodbye to you and see you again dear friends.

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ISSN 0869-4362

Russian Journal of Ornithology 2016, Volume 25, Express Issue 1371: 4634-4640

Fauna and bird population of open landscapes of Meshchovsky opolye

V.M.Konstantinov, S.D.Kutin

Second edition. First publication in 2005*

Changes in natural landscapes under the influence of human economic activities lead to fundamental transformations of the fauna and bird population. As a result of long-term and purposeful activities of people in the forest zone, open agricultural landscapes arose, in which peculiar fauna and bird populations were formed.

This study was undertaken to determine the uniqueness of the fauna and bird population of open agricultural landscapes of the forest zone, their seasonal dynamics. Despite the practical significance of such studies, they have received insufficient attention so far. There are works devoted to the birds of the agricultural landscapes of the steppe zone (Browner 1899, 1923; Pachossky 1909; Voistvensky 1960; Formozov 1962; Kirikov 1983; Ryabov 1946, 1974, 1982; and others). A number of works are devoted to the birds of open landscapes of anthropogenic origin in the forest zone (Kirikov 1966; Vladyshevsky 1975; Gyngazov 1981; Beintime 1982; Butiev, Ezhova 1986, 1988; Solonen 1985; etc.) Information on the ecology and practical importance of birds in open landscapes is contained in regional fauna reports (Birds of Kazakhstan 1960-1974; Fedyushin, Dolbik 1967; Ptushenko, Inozemtsev 1968; Malchevsky, Pukinsky 1983; and many others). However, there are practically no special works devoted to the fauna and bird population of open landscapes of anthropogenic origin in the Central region of the European part of Russia.

The material for this report was collected during the six summer field seasons of 1980-1984 and 1986. The research covers all open landscapes of anthropogenic origin in the Meshchovsky opolye.

The original vegetation of the Meshchovsky opolye was represented by broad-leaved and mixed forests growing on gray forest soils. In the 7th-8th centuries, with the arrival of the Vyatichi tribes on these territories, deforestation, plowing and cultivation of land took place. The greatest intensity of agricultural

* Konstantinov V.M., Kut'in S.D. 2005. Fauna and bird population of the open landscapes of the Meshchovsky opolye II Issues of archeology, history, culture and nature of the Upper Poochie: Proceedings of the 11th All-Russian scientific. conf. Kaluga: 362-366.

naya human activity reached in the XIX-XX centuries. At present, the woody vegetation of the opolye is represented by patches of secondary insular forests. They are formed mainly by small-leaved trees with an admixture of broad-leaved species and occupy about 5% of the area of ​​the district.

The studies were carried out in various agricultural lands - meadows, pastures, including areas of shrubs and woody vegetation surrounded by fields, on borders, roadsides, areas overgrown with weeds, occupied by power transmission line supports, depressions and ravines. The length of the counting routes was more than 250 km, the width of the counting strip for small birds was 100 m, for medium and large birds 300 m. Phenological observations of the arrival and formation of the nesting fauna of birds in open landscapes were regularly carried out. At the same time, several stages were distinguished in the nesting period, which lasted from the second decade of May to the end of July. On the first stage (from the second decade of May until the end of this month), late migrants arrive in the study area, nests are built, and eggs are massively laid in the nests of birds that arrived earlier. At the second stage, which falls on the month of June, all birds nest in open landscapes, incubation and mass hatching of chicks occur, fledglings of early nesting birds appear. At the third stage, which falls on July, nesting is completed in most species. This stage is characterized by the presence of second clutches in some species, the appearance of nomadic flocks of young birds. The post-nesting period, which covers the month of August, is characterized by local trophic migrations of birds, the gradual loss of stable connections with nesting biotopes by birds, an increase in migratory activity and the beginning of autumn migrations.

An analysis of the data obtained during the surveys shows that the bird fauna of open landscapes is 78 species of birds from 13 orders. Of these, 16 species nest in agricultural fields. These include the common teal Anas querquedula, meadow harrier Circus pygar-gus, gray partridge Perdix perdix, quail Coturnix coturnix, corncrake Crex crex, lapwing Vanellus vanellus, snipe Gallinago gallinago, short-eared owl Asio flammeus, skylark Alauda arvensis, meadow pipit Anthus pratensis, yellow wagtail Motacilla flava, white wagtail Motacilla alba, jackdaw Corvus monedula, badger-chok warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, bush warbler Acrocepha-lus palustris, meadow coin Saxicola rubetra. Nesting of 10 species is probable, as evidenced by encounters between current male pairs exhibiting nesting behavior and broods of young birds. These include the common teal Anas crecca, harrier Circus cyaneus, pipit Anthus trivialis, shrike Lanius collurio, gray warbler Sylvia commu-

nis, river cricket Locustella fluviatilis, common cricket Locustella naevia, common wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe, common bunting Emberiza citrinella, reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus. Thus, the list of birds nesting and probably nesting in meadows, fields and pastures includes 26 species. Of these, 10 species of birds nest constantly in agricultural landscapes. This is their main habitat. These include meadow harrier, gray partridge, quail, corncrake, lapwing, short-eared owl, skylark, meadow pipit, yellow wagtail, meadow coin. This group of birds is obligate for the open landscapes of the Meshchovsky opolye.

The second group consists of birds whose nesting biotopes are forests and elements of woody vegetation in agricultural areas. These include the honey buzzard Pernis apivorus, black kite Milvus migrans, goshawk Accipiter gentilis, sparrow hawk Accipiter nisus, common buzzard Buteo buteo, hobby falcon Falco subbuteo, common kestrel Falco tinnunculus, black grouse Ly-rurus tetrix, woodcock Scolopax rustumicola, oenas, wood pigeon Columba palumbus, common turtle dove Streptopelia turtur, roller Coracias garrulus, forest pipit, shrike, gray shrike Lanius excubitor, jay Garrulus glandarius, magpie Pica pica, hooded crow Corvus cornix, raven Corvus corax, gray warbler, willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus , finch Fringilla coelebs, greenfinch Chloris chloris, siskin Spinus spinus, goldfinch Carduelis carduelis, common bunting.

The third group includes species whose nesting sites are meadow-bog and waterways: the gray heron Ardea cinerea, the mallard Anas platyrhynchos, the cracked teal, the common teal, the marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus, the gray crane Grus grus, the little plover Charadrius dubius, the black Tringa ochropus, snipe, great snipe Gallinago media, black-headed gull Larus ridibundus, gray gull Larus canus, white-winged tern Chlidonias leucopterus, badger warbler, bush warbler, reed bunting. They nest irregularly in open landscapes.

The group of synanthropic birds in open landscapes is represented by the following species: rock dove Columba palumbus, swift Apus apus, barn swallow Hirundo rustica, city swallow Deli-chon urbica, white wagtail, common starling Sturnus vulgaris, jackdaw, rook Corvus frugilegus, wheatear, tree sparrow Passer monta-nus, linnet Acanthis cannabina. These birds feed in areas of fields and meadows adjacent to settlements, roads, human outbuildings.

Unlike the first group of obligate species, the other three are facultative in open landscapes. The facultative species should, apparently, also include a group of birds whose stay in

agricultural landscapes is associated with periods of seasonal migrations: Buzzard Buteo lagopus, Merlin Falco columbarius, Golden plover Pluvialis apricaria, Turukhtan Philomachus pugnax, Rum Eremophila alpestris, Brambling Fringilla montifringilla.

Of particular interest is the placement of birds nesting in open landscapes. According to their preferred nesting sites, the following groups are distinguished among them. The first one occupies the central parts of the fields, having the highest population density here. It includes quail, field lark, meadow chasing. In a strip of open landscapes about 100 m wide, adjacent to the edges of forests, current male quails and skylarks are not found. Meadow coinage nests among forbs preserved along the outskirts of fields, at the edges of the forest, on the borders, less often among cultivated cereals.

The second group of birds is associated with elements of the forest landscape - bushes, single trees and their small groups surrounded by fields. They usually nest on forest edges. These include the following species: gray partridge, forest pipit, shrike, bush warbler, gray warbler, common bunting. These species are also found in areas occupied by power transmission towers. The hollow concrete poles of power lines, as in the steppe regions, began to serve as a permanent place for nesting jackdaws. Lekking of forest pipits and common buntings in areas occupied by power transmission towers, telephone poles indicates the possibility of their nesting in these places, sometimes at a considerable distance from forests.

The third group of birds gravitates toward meadow-marsh vegetation, preserved in places in agricultural areas. These include the common teal, common teal, meadow harrier, corncrake, lapwing, snipe, short-eared owl, meadow pipit, yellow wagtail, river cricket, badger warbler, reed bunting. These species also nest in fields resembling their nesting stations in height and layered vegetation.

When analyzing the current state of the fauna and bird populations in open landscapes, it is necessary to take into account their seasonal dynamics (see table). The group of obligate species is characterized by the greatest seasonal stability. It retains a constant number of species during the spring-summer-autumn period. The high number of birds of this group in the snowless season, similar numbers during spring and autumn migrations, late spring decline and a gradual increase in population density as a result of breeding indicate that open landscapes are the main habitats for obligate birds. In the post-nesting period, the population density of most obligate species decreases. The number of these birds continues to decline during the period

autumn migrations due to the departure of birds of local populations to the south against the background of a relatively small influx of migrants from limited areas of agricultural territories located north of the study area.

Seasonal Dynamics of Fauna and Bird Populations in Open Landscapes of the Meshchovsky Opolye

(A - density, ind./km2, B - number of species)

Biotope groups of birds April May June July August September-October

A B A B A B A B A B A B

obligate birds

open landscapes 91.6 9 77.6 9 83.1 9 106.7 8 92.8 10 78.8 9

Synanthropic birds 39.4 8 83.2 6 110.8 7 116.3 9 465.0 9 671.6 8

Forest birds 29.4 20 7.6 10 14.2 13 35.2 18 75.4 19 107.6 21

Meadow wading birds 4.5 13 1.7 4 1.3 4 7.6 7 11.4 8 5.2 2

Total 164.9 50 170.1 29 209.4 33 265.8 42 644.6 46 863.2 40

Of the group of facultative species, the birds of the forest and meadow-marsh complexes are most similar in the nature of the seasonal dynamics of species diversity and abundance in open landscapes.

Of all the groups in the open landscapes of the Meshchovsky opolye, forest birds are most represented. This may indicate the comparative youth of open landscapes in the forest zone. But in terms of numbers, the group of forest birds here is inferior to groups of obligate species and synanthropic birds, which reflects the low forest cover of the Meshchovsky opolye. The high population density of forest birds in agricultural areas is due to the fact that the outskirts of the fields serve as a gathering place for food by many species of birds nesting in the forest.

The group of meadow-bog birds differs from others in its lower species diversity and abundance in the summer-autumn period. In spring, the birds of the meadow-marsh complex are attracted to the fields by numerous temporary reservoirs. This creates a large species diversity and high population density of meadow-marsh birds.

A constant number of species in the spring-summer-autumn period and a high population density are characteristic of synanthropic birds. The gradual increase in the number of synanthropes by autumn, which at that time reaches the highest values ​​not only for this group itself, but also in comparison with other groups of birds, indicates the importance of open landscapes for synanthropic bird species as the main feeding places. Thus, the development of agricultural landscapes, the increase in the food supply in them contribute to the growth of the populations of synanthropic birds.

It is important to note a significant increase in the species diversity and abundance of birds of various biotope groups in open lands.

shafts in the post-breeding and autumn periods. This is explained not only by the increase in the number of bird populations resulting from reproduction, but also by the loss of stable links with nesting biotopes, the redistribution of birds across the territory, and the movement of birds from other biotopes to open areas.

Attention is drawn to the difference in species diversity and abundance of most biotopic groups in the spring and autumn periods. This is due to the different spatial distribution of spring and autumn flyways and nesting habitats. In spring, birds adhere to the boundaries of their nesting habitats. It is possible that the closer they approach the nesting sites, the deeper on the migration the birds penetrate into biotopes that are physiognomically similar to nesting ones. In autumn, the food supply of the territories through which they migrate is of greater importance.

Thus, the bird fauna of the open agricultural landscapes of the Meshchovsky opolye is heterogeneous in its origin and seasonal dynamics. Intensive seasonal dynamics of the bird population of agrolandscapes is associated with the heterogeneity of its faunal complexes and sharp seasonal changes in bird habitats in open landscapes. The most capacious and vital open landscapes are for the majority of migratory and nomadic birds during the period of seasonal migrations.

Literature a

Beintime A. 1982. Reducing the number of meadow birds in the agricultural

landscape of Holland // 18th International. ornithol. congress. M: 73. Brauner A.A. 1899. Harmful and beneficial animals of the Kherson province // Zap. Society

village households of Southern Russia 4/6: 99-122. Brauner A.A. 1923. Agricultural zoology. Odessa: 1-436.

Butiev V.T., Ezhova S.A. (1986) 2016. Changes in the fauna and population of birds in connection with the agricultural development of the territory in the taiga zone // Rus. ornithol. magazine 25 (1371): 4640-4641.

Butiev V.T., Ezhova S.A. 1988. The structure of the bird population of agricultural land in the conditions of the taiga of the European territory of the USSR // Morphology, systematics and ecology of animals. M.: 28-38. Vladyshevsky D.V. 1975. Birds in the anthropogenic landscape. Novosibirsk: 1-177. Voinstvensky M.A. 1960. Birds of the steppe zone of the European part of the USSR. Kyiv: 1291.

Gyngazov A.M. 1981. The impact of economic activity on the birds of the West Siberian

plains. Tomsk: 1-168. Kirikov S.V. 1966. Game animals, natural environment and man. M.: 1-346. Kirikov S.V. 1983. Man and nature of the steppe zone. M.: 1-123.

Malchevsky A.S., Pukinsky Yu.B. 1983. Birds of the Leningrad region and adjacent territories: History, biology, protection. L., 1: 1-480, 2: 1-504. Birds of Kazakhstan. 1960-1974. Alma-Ata: 1: 1-471, 2: 1-779, 3: 1-637, 4: 1-364, 5: 1-468. Ptushenko E.S., Inozemtsev A.A. 1968. Biology and economic importance of birds in the Moscow region and adjacent territories. M.: 1-461.

Ryabov V.F. 1946. The benefits and harms of birds in open spaces // Tr. Mari. ped. in-ta 5: 1175.

Ryabov V.F. 1974. Changes in the avifauna of the steppes of Northern Kazakhstan under the influence of anthropogenic factors // Ornithology 11: 279. Ryabov V.F. 1982. Avifauna of the steppes of Northern Kazakhstan. M.: 1-175. Fedyushin A.V., Dolbik M.S. 1967. Birds of Belarus. Minsk: 1-513. Formozov A.N. 1962. Changes in the natural conditions of the steppe south of the European part of the USSR over the past 100 years and some features of the modern fauna of the steppes // Studies of the geography of natural resources of the animal and plant world. M.: 114161.

Solonen T. 1985. Agriculture and bird life in Finland. A review // Ornisfenn. 62, 2:47-55. ISSN 0869-4362

Russian Journal of Ornithology 2016, Volume 25, Express Issue 1371: 4640-4641

Changes in the fauna and population of birds in connection with the agricultural development of the territory in the taiga zone

V.T.Butiev, S.A.Ezhova

Second edition. First publication in 1986*

As a result of studying in 1970-1985 birds of agricultural lands that arose on the site of forests in the center and north of the Vologda Oblast, a number of general patterns and trends in changes in the taiga fauna and bird population were identified. The replacement of the original forest and natural meadow groups of birds with groups of agricultural lands leads to a sharp reduction in the number of nesting species (up to 2 or more times), primarily due to typically dendrophilic species. To a lesser extent, this applies to edge-shrub birds, the composition of which in some cases becomes richer. At the same time, the role of bird groups initially associated with open areas increases. Agrocenoses include species that inhabited areas of natural meadows in the taiga zone, synanthropic species, as well as invaders from other natural landscape zones (for example, lapwing Vanellus vanellus, skylark Alauda arvensis, linnet Acanthis can-nabina, warbler Iduna caligata, etc. .). In general, the considered changes in the avifauna consist in a sharp reduction in the share of the taiga ornithocomplex in its composition with an increase in the participation of

* Butiev V.T., Ezhova S.A. 1986. Changes in the fauna and population of birds in connection with the agricultural development of the territory in the taiga zone // Study of birds of the USSR, their protection and rational use. L., 1: 108-109.

Lesson topic: "Birds of cultural landscapes."

Tasks: to supplement, clarify, and expand students' knowledge of the birds of cities and towns, gives an idea of ​​the adaptability of birds to living conditions near human habitation; contributes to the development of children's cognitive interest in nature and its study, environmental education and upbringing of students.

Equipment: sets of drawings or didactic material depicting birds, a player, plastics with recordings of bird voices, tables.

Lesson plan:

Organizing time.

1. Create student working groups

2. Introductory speech of the teacher

Detachment of passerines birds covers a huge number of species and a large number of families. More than half of the bird species inhabiting the earth belong to this order. Passerines are birds of medium and small size. Their beaks are of various shapes. Wings can be long or short and blunt. Most are associated with woody vegetation.

They are characterized by the device of carefully made nests, which are built on trees, on the ground, in minks, human buildings.

The bird is diverse (plant seeds, insects). The vast majority of useful birds.

3. Distribution of tasks. Each group chooses an envelope containing tasks, texts describing the birds of one of the studied families, illustrations or didactic materials.

Tasks.

Read the text given to you.

Review the drawings.

Answer questions to reinforce.

Make conclusions about the adaptability of birds to the environment.

Prepare a report on the appearance and biology of the most common birds of this family using tables.

Formulate a conclusion about the common features of birds of this family.

Questions for consolidation.

What are the common features of birds of this family?

What do these birds eat, and what are the structural features of their beak?

What are the nesting characteristics of birds of this family?

What role do these birds play in nature?

Learning new material.

1. Independent work (10 minutes): studying the appearance and biology of the family 1) weaver, 2) crow, 3) tit, 4) starling, 5) wagtail, 6) swallow

Weaving family. (Slide 5.6)

Combine quite diverse in appearance birds. Most species lead an arboreal lifestyle.

Their physique is dense, the head is round, the neck is short, the beak is conical in shape. The wings of most species are short and rounded. On the ground they move by jumping. They like to bathe in dust or sand. Stay in flocks, some even during the nesting period.

house sparrow- one of the most widely known birds. Its weight is 23-25 ​​g, it is distinguished by a brown-brown color and a gray “cap”. The male has a black throat and chest, the female is all brownish-gray.

House sparrows are sedentary birds, adapted to live near human habitation. In winter, they are often found on the streets, near garbage cans, in garbage dumps. You can often hear their soft chirping: “A little alive, a little alive!”

In the spring, they begin to scream loudly and often, as if “Alive! Alive! Alive!

Sparrows nest under the roofs of wooden buildings, in the crevices of the skin. In winter, they feed mainly on grain feed, they can visit feeders. In the spring they eat insect pests. For only one brood, birds collect 500-700 insects.

field sparrow- somewhat smaller than the brownie, it also differs in brown crown, black spots on white cheeks and two light stripes on the wing.

It nests in a natural environment - along the edges of groves and parks.

The tree sparrow is somewhat more insectivorous. In winter, it is of great benefit by pecking at weed seeds.

crow family.(Slides 7,8,9,10,11,12)

This family includes the largest representatives of the order of passerine birds. They are characterized by a dense physique, strong legs, a large conical beak; the plumage is black or variegated, many with a metallic sheen.

Rook- a large bird, its plumage is black. A nomadic bird, reminiscent of itself "gra-a, gra-a", from which the name comes.

Jackdaw- a settled bird, of medium size, black, with a gray "kerchief" on its head. In winter, they often feed with crows in flocks, and in spring the birds break into pairs and make their nests in hollow trees, in the ventilation openings of buildings. Birds give themselves away with the characteristic call of "gal-ka, gal-ka." The jackdaw is an omnivorous bird, often feeding on garbage heaps.

Magpie- a medium-sized bird with a bright black and white color: the head, neck, upper chest, tail and wings are black with a metallic sheen, the abdomen and large spots on the shoulders are white.

It flies heavily, often flapping its wings.

A scream is a loud, sharp chirping. Nests are built on trees, more often on a birch, they look like a ball, consisting of dry twigs and branches. Inside it is a bowl smeared with clay. It feeds on forty insect worms, does not disdain a small frog.

swallow family.(Slide 13.14)

Short and wide, especially at the base of the beak, a large slit of the mouth, narrow and very long wings, a wide chest and at the same time an elegant physique, short and weak legs, of little use for moving on the ground, and finally, a forked tail - a sign by which it is easy to distinguish representatives this family from other birds.

barn swallow, or killer whale, as it is popularly called, has a forked tail, in which the extreme feathers - pigtails are long and thin. The top of the body is black-blue, the ventral side is white, the forehead and throat are rusty-brown.

This is a typical migratory bird, it appears with us in the first days of May and chirps.

Swallows are not very good flyers, they usually hover not far from the nest. The barn swallow's nest is an open cup attached sideways to the wall of a wooden building. The nest is molded from lumps of clay moistened with saliva and straw, inside there is a soft bedding on which the chicks hatch from the eggs. For them, swallows catch small insects in the air and feed the chicks up to 600 times a day.

Titmouse family. (Slide 15.16)

This family combines agile, lively birds with a short, straight beak. Their plumage is dense, soft, wings are relatively short. In the coloration of tits, white “cheeks” are typical.

great tit- the largest of all tits, a little more than a sparrow. It differs from other tits by a black longitudinal strip - a “tie” on a yellow-green chest, and a light spot on the back of the head.

In mixed and deciduous forests, her voice is often heard: "Sin-sin-verr." She begins to sing her wedding song in our area at the beginning of February. At this time, at the end of winter, flocks of wandering tits break into pairs. Bird nests are located in tree holes.

Their main food is insects, which the tit eats both in summer and winter. Her winter activities are especially useful for humans, when she pecks eggs of the gypsy moth on the trees. At the same time, tits can eat seeds of various plants, and large ones are crushed, holding them right in their paws. In the summer, tits feed themselves and feed their chicks exclusively on insects. Their broods are very large in one brood grows up to 14-15 chicks. There are usually two broods during the summer.

Starling family.(Slide 17.18)

The birds of this family are densely built, with a short tail and long wings, a rather long thin beak and strong hind limbs. Insects feed on fruits and berries.

Starling common appears with us in early spring after the rooks. First, males arrive, occupy a birdhouse and begin to sing. However, if there is no birdhouse, the birds settle in hollows. The females arrive in a few days. From dry grass and plant residues, birds begin to build a nest inside a birdhouse or hollow. Both parents incubate the eggs in turn, and both feed the chicks, bringing them food from gardens and fields up to 320 times a day.

At first, the chicks are helpless, and by the end of the third week they begin to scream loudly, jump up to the entrance hole for food, while helping themselves with their wings, and protrude from the nesting place. After 21-23 days after birth, they leave the nest.

Wagtail family. (Slide 19.20)

They will unite small birds the size of a sparrow. The legs of most species are thin and long, with large, slightly curved claws, well adapted to movement on the ground; medium-sized beak is thin and straight.

A typical representative white wagtail. Very dexterously and quickly running on the ground, this bird constantly shakes its tail. The wagtail has a black and white coloration, a black cap, throat and chest stand out.

It keeps alone and in pairs, on the ground, near water bodies, where it eats insects flying over moist soil.

In dachas, household plots, she appears, as if an inspector, after digging the soil, easily runs through the beds, pecks flying insects and, as it were, checks the quality of tillage.

1. Group reports with demonstration of tables, discussion, evaluation of each group (3 minutes).

Formulation of conclusions and their discussion.

Homework: crossword puzzles, riddles, poems, lesson feedback, drawing of a bird on a cozy nest.