9. Pyrrhula cineracea Cabanis, 1872
GRAY BUFFIN
This bullfinch, since its appearance in European collections, has caused much controversy and debate about its systematic position, which continues to this day. For the first time, gray bullfinches became known to science with the collections of B.I. Dybovsky from Eastern Siberia. There, on the shore of Lake Baikal in the village. Kultuk, a former associate professor at the University of Warsaw, served exile together with V.A. Godlevsky, who was mainly involved in collecting vertebrates. Most likely, it was he who caught the first male gray bullfinch on October 27, 1869 (according to the new calendar - November 8). It is unknown whether everything would have happened the way it happened if, by the will of the Irkutsk official, and part-time trustee of the East Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society, Benedikt Ivanovich had not been entrusted with the study of the fauna of Lake Baikal. This is exactly the answer the Polish revolutionary received to his request to the Governor General for his transfer after the end of his term of hard labor from Transbaikalia to Blagoveshchensk for “a more detailed study of Amur fish.”
Majority collected materials B.I. Dybovsky sent it to his friend L. Tachanovsky, who, as a rule, himself studied and described collectible specimens. But for some reason the gray bullfinch ended up with Professor J. Cabanis, who became interested in this find. Already in June 1871, at a meeting of the German Ornithological Society, an authoritative ornithologist reported the presence of a gray bullfinch in the Baikal region, but due to insufficient data, the question of its systematic position remained open. Only a year later, also with incomplete confidence, J. Cabanis still identified the gray bullfinch in separate species"until further consideration."
The chance to find the gray bullfinch even earlier most likely was with G. Radde, who lived for a year on Lake Baikal and during his “journeys” met a flock of bullfinches, consisting “of only females” in the mountains of the river basin. Bureya (1863), but in search of the Japanese Ussuri bullfinch, Radde did not attach any importance to this. However, P.S. had the same chance even earlier. Pallas, "who counted the male Pyrrhula cineracea for the old female" of the common bullfinch: "Feminae in Sibiria saepius totae plumbeo-canescentibus, subtus dilutioris sunt coloris".
Before B. Dybovsky, in 1865, a young male gray bullfinch was discovered by A.N. Severtsov in the vicinity of Almaty (Alma-Ata, until 1925 the city of Verny). But since this specimen was smaller than the female (similar in color to European birds and caught in the same area), and its plumage lacked any hint of the presence of red, it was signed as a Nepalese bullfinch. The error was figured out after Kabinis described the new species. Until now, the degree of isolation of the gray bullfinch is questioned by many researchers. For the most part, this is due to insufficient information, although for more than 100 years it has been no secret that the range of this species overlaps over a significant area with the distribution area of the common and Ussuri bullfinches, measured in thousands of kilometers.
During many years of research, not a single territory was found inhabited by individuals with intermediate characteristics, and the existence of single hybrids or hybrid pairs was not even confirmed. All information published on this topic would have remained speculation if B. Stegman had not made a description of these controversial specimens (three in total). According to them, we can conclude that one bird is a male common bullfinch with a very pale color (March 24, 1919, Altai), the other two are male gray bullfinch, with a slight red tint present on the cheeks and chest (ext. E.V. Kozlova and P.S. Mikhno).
Even today, such individuals are sometimes mistaken for Ussuri bullfinches, although the pink color on the cheeks is much paler. These specimens are considered hybrid only tentatively. However, all individuals with different color deviations present in museum collections account for no more than 10% of the total. Moreover, in most cases they were selected purposefully! Thus, the phenomenon is not as widespread as previously indicated by Johannsen. In addition, the same cases of “abnormal” coloring in bullfinches in Western Europe are called aberrant, but for some reason in relation to Siberia the conversation immediately turns to hybridization...
A similar position of researchers is observed in their attitude to the differences in the genome of bullfinches identified by T. Tepfer. These differences are quite insignificant between the gray-headed and red-headed bullfinches, but, according to some authors, this is not the reason for the change in the taxonomic status of these forms. On the other hand, there is a similar magnitude of differences in the hereditary material between three other forms of bullfinches: Ussuri, gray and common, considered by the same group of scientists as subspecies. We do not understand such discrimination for these forms. They are widespread over a much larger territory, with overlapping ranges not in a narrow zone of contact, as is noted in the case of masked bullfinches, but in an area of up to 60-80% of the range of one of the forms. For example, a zone of sympatry between gray and common bullfinches is observed at least from the Ob valley to the Lower Amur region. This is about 5 thousand kilometers, which is much larger than the entire habitat occupied by the red-headed bullfinch.
Synonyms. P. cineracea pallida Seebohm, 1887; wrong - P. coccinea var. cassini Baird, 1869; P. cassini Baird, 1869 or P.cinerea.
Description. Bullfinches of medium and large sizes. The main tone of the males' plumage is gray, which is darker on the back and shoulders than on the belly, cheeks and neck. Some males (no more than 10% of the population) have a weak (much weaker than the Ussuri bullfinch) pinkish tint on the cheeks and throat, less often on the stomach and back. In females, brown color is present on the back (usually lighter than in females of the common bullfinch), belly and cheeks, and the neck is gray. At an older age, the overall tone of the plumage becomes even lighter. The back and cheeks may be completely gray or with a slight brownish tint. The gray color may extend to the entire neck below and along the middle of the abdomen, while the brown color may be clearly visible only on the sides of the abdomen.
The light stripe across the folded wing, formed by the light tips of the BVKVM, varies greatly in color and width (depending on age): from yellowish-gray, dirty gray and steel gray - to white. KTM without red or with a barely visible pink tint (extremely rare in males). A feather with an almost symmetrical spear-shaped pattern, black with a metallic sheen. White spots of small and medium sizes are occasionally found on the outer tail feathers (in females more often than in males). The beak is shorter and smaller than that of the common bullfinch, and the tail is somewhat longer. However, in larger northern individuals such differences are not observed.
Back at the end of the 19th century, G. Seebohm divided the gray bullfinch into subspecies, noting that the eastern and some Altai individuals are much lighter than the Siberian ones. However, subsequently no such variability was noted, and lighter plumage is usually the result of age-related changes. However, it was noted that the average size of gray bullfinches in the east and north of the range is larger than in Altai and Eastern Siberia, and there are differences in vocalization.
Figure 8. Distribution of the gray bullfinch.
Designations: 1 - nesting area of P. cineracea; 2 - places of possible nesting; 3 - meetings during the non-breeding period.
In most regions, the call differs from the nominate subspecies of the common bullfinch, especially in nearby nesting areas. The gray bullfinch uses either lower-pitched, rough (husky), “buzzing” (rattling) whistles (especially often used by young birds); either short (with a broken rather than prolonged ending), clear and higher-pitched whistle signals, or both. Often a call can consist of paired identical whistles, with the addition of a third (different in tone) or using 2-3 different types signals. It is extremely rare that bullfinches from northern populations do not differ in call from the common one. The song, in general, is like that of all bullfinches, only louder. It is performed, as a rule, on the top of a tall tree and consists of two parts: the lead and the song itself. The melody is preceded by a quieter “purr” and consists of call signals and longer whistles, creaks and “hissing”. On Far East the call is a little longer, and often single.
Ecology.Prefers mixed cedar forest formations with abundant deciduous and coniferous undergrowth, as well as the presence of larch and berry bushes (blueberries, honeysuckle). In such biotopes, the maximum nesting density has been recorded - up to 10 individuals/sq. km. It makes nests mainly on larches, quite high on a side branch. Nesting in coniferous undergrowth is also possible. Even during the nesting period, it can be found in border biotopes, where it can also nest, especially on the periphery of its range. Nesting areas are not clearly defined, and birds feed very far from the nests (over a kilometer). The biotopes occupied by gray bullfinches for nesting are mainly located in areas with dissected relief at an altitude of 700-900 m to the upper forest limit of 2000-2500 m (Baikal region) and lower, if suitable biotopes exist there (Amur region). Although gray and common bullfinches can nest “literally 100 steps from each other,” as P.P. wrote. Sushkin, but the first ones start nesting later. On average 2-3 weeks, most likely due to the difference in size.
The nesting period is extended, however, there is hardly more than one brood. If there are second clutches, then in much smaller quantities than in the common bullfinch. The eggs are pale blue with light red-brown specks. There are an average of 5 eggs in a clutch. Only 11 eggs were measured: length 18.3-23.1 mm, width 13.5-15.1 mm, average 20.0x14.8 mm.
The chicks are fed immature grass seeds with the addition of insects, aphids and spiders. Most The diet consists of blueberry seeds, which are in time for the mass emergence of chicks at the end of July. The period of incubation and stay of the chicks in the nest is slightly longer than that of the common bullfinch. As a rule, they feed in the forest canopy, flying out to large clearings only in the evening or in cloudy weather. The onset of molting is also noted later. Its completeness and timing in the young depend on the time they leave the nest. As with the Ussuri bullfinch, in the fall there are first-year birds in which only the carpal feather has a juvenile coloration. Throughout the year it behaves secretly, especially in summer. P.P. Sushkin described this situation quite accurately: “... very often, having heard the voice of a bullfinch, one has to confine oneself to a vague entry in the diary, after futile attempts to see the bird. Once... I spent about an hour chasing a couple of bullfinches who were leading away me, apparently, from the chicks that had not yet flown; the bullfinches often called to each other, but at the same time they moved and hid so cleverly that I did not have to not only catch them, but also see them any clearly.”
It practically does not form food aggregations, preferring to stay in the forest canopy in groups or alone in mixed flocks, more often with uragus or redpolls than common bullfinches. The maximum number in flocks on Southern Baikal in years of high abundance does not exceed 20-30 individuals. In winter it feeds on grass and rhododendron seeds, sometimes birch seeds, but also uses the same food plants as the common bullfinch. Appears in big cities not regularly. Makes vertical migrations in winter in search of food. More northern populations can migrate much further south and west, even leaving the forest zone. With sufficient food, it overwinters in latitudes with an average daily temperature below minus 30 degrees.
Area(Fig. 8). Eastern Asia from the Ob valley and the western foot of Altai east to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. To the north to approximately the 60th parallel, in the Lena Valley - to the 62nd, to the south up to the borders of the forest zone of Southern Altai, Tannu-Ola, South-Eastern Tuva, Khangai, Khamar-Daban, Kentei, the middle part of the Greater Khingan, in the river valley Sungari to the 46th parallel, to the southern tip of Sikhote-Alin and Southwestern Primorye. At nesting time it was found in Xinjiang (China) (photos from http://www.cnbird.org.cn, 2004), although much earlier P.P. mentioned the nesting of the gray bullfinch in the northeastern Tien Shan. Sushkin. Outside the breeding season, it is observed from Moscow south to the Saratov, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk regions and Altai Territory. In the north to Perm, Tomsk and Nizhnyaya Tunguska. The situation is the same in Kazakhstan, where the gray bullfinch can be found far west in the south of the country. Also, the gray bullfinch was met during the winter in the foothills of Tibet in the fall of 1994 by K. van Orden (Golmud, Haixi-Mongol-Tibetan autonomous region, Qinghai, China).
Such a strong shift in the wintering range of the gray bullfinch relative to its breeding range to the west allows us to assert that the distribution of this species is insufficiently studied and the possibility of its nesting much further west and south than is generally believed. This is evidenced by summer meetings of gray bullfinches in Bashkiria and in the lower reaches of the Ob.
In the Far East, the gray bullfinch is observed in winter and to the east of established nesting sites: in the north of Sakhalin, where this species may nest. Outside the breeding season, it is found in northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula. There are no confirmed sightings of the Gray Bullfinch in Japan yet.
Wing length: (Siberia and Far East) ♂♂ (165) 88.0-98.0 mm, average 93.7; ♀♀(117) 84.0-94.0 mm, average 89.3. Siberia (according to Tepfer) - ♂♂ (22) 87.5-93.0 mm, average 89.9; ♀♀(17) 87.0-91.5 mm, average 89.2.
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In Rus', this elegant bird was considered a mockingbird and was willingly kept in homes, teaching popular melodies. The bullfinch imitated voices and sounds so masterfully that it was called the “Russian parrot.”
Description of the bullfinch
In our country, the common bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is known from the genus Pyrrhula, which is part of the finch family. The Latin name Pyrrhula translates as “fiery”.
The Russian name “bullfinch” has two versions of its origin. According to the first, the bird received its name because it flies to the southern regions from the northern ones along with the first snow and frost. The second explanation refers to the Turkic “snig” (red-breasted), which was transformed into the Old Russian word “snigir”, and then into the familiar “bullfinch”.
Appearance, color
The ancestor of bullfinches is considered to be Pyrrhula nipalensis, the oldest species found in South Asia and often called the brown/Nepal buffalo finch. Pyrrhula nipalensis is colored like a young bullfinch that has recently left the nest. At least 5 have evolved from this Asian species. modern species, decorated with a characteristic “cap” of black feathers.
This is interesting! The conspicuous cap (where black is seen around the beak/eyes and on the top of the head) appears only on adults and is absent on chicks, which are usually buffy-brown.
Bullfinches are dense and stocky birds, larger than sparrows and growing up to 18 cm. In severe frosts, they seem even thicker, since, retaining heat, they desperately puff up their dense plumage. The peculiarity of the coloring of bullfinches is the clear distribution of primary colors throughout the feathers, where there are no inclusions, spots, streaks or other marks.
The tone, as well as the intensity of the color of the underside of the body, are determined by the species of the bullfinch and its individual characteristics. Tail and flight feathers are always black, with a blue metallic sheen. The undertail and loin are painted white. The bullfinch is armed with a strong beak - wide and thick, adapted for crushing strong berries and extracting seeds from them.
Character and lifestyle
Bullfinches live according to the norms of matriarchy: males unconditionally obey females, who have a rather quarrelsome character. They are the ones who start family disputes and gain the upper hand in them, although without escalating the conflicts to fights. As soon as they see the wide open beak and hear an unambiguous hiss, the bullfinches give in, yielding to their friends branches with an abundance of seeds and the most lush berry clusters. Males are generally more phlegmatic and less active than females.
Birds winter within the boundaries of their nesting range (gravitating towards settlements and farmland), sometimes gathering in large flocks, which makes bullfinches very noticeable. Closer to spring, on the contrary, they try to hide from prying eyes, for which they migrate to the forests.
This is interesting! At the end of winter and in spring, the time comes for singing, when males actively try out their voices, sitting on bushes or in high crowns. Females sing much less often. During the nesting period, all vocal performances cease.
The songs of bullfinches are quiet and continuous - they are filled with whistles, buzzing and creaking.. The repertoire includes short melancholy “few”, laconic buzzing whistles “juve” and “jiu”, quiet “drink”, “fit” and “pyut”, as well as quiet “even, even”. Neighboring flocks of bullfinches call each other with special whistles, both loud and low (something like “ju... ju... ju...").
Having had their fill, bullfinches sit for a long time on a food tree, slowly preen themselves, or, having become ruffled, call out to each other with a high, abrupt “ki-ki-ki.” At one moment, the flock takes off and flies away, leaving traces of its feast in the snow - crushed berry pulp or the remains of seeds. This is what the winter life of bullfinches looks like, constantly wandering through small forests, forest edges, gardens and vegetable gardens.
How long do bullfinches live?
IN natural conditions Bullfinches live from 10 to 13 years, but slightly longer in captivity (with proper care) - up to 17 years.
Sexual dimorphism
Differences between the sexes in bullfinches are visible exclusively in color, and against the background of the female it is the male who looks brighter, thanks to which the genus was awarded the name Pyrrhula (“fiery”).
Important! The male's cheeks, neck and chest are filled with an even bright red tone, while the female shows an inexpressive brownish-gray chest and brown back. Males have bluish-gray backs and a bright white rump/tail.
Otherwise, the females are similar to the males: both are crowned with black caps from the beak to the back of the head. Black paint covers the throat, the area near the beak and the beak itself, also coloring the tail and wings, on which white stripes are also visible. Black does not overlap with other colors anywhere and is sharply separated from red. Juvenile bullfinches have black wings/tails but lack black caps and are colored brown until their first autumn moult. The contrast in color (by sex and age) becomes more noticeable when you see a flock of bullfinches in full force.
Types of bullfinches
The genus Pyrrhula consists of 9 species of bullfinches. From the point of view of some ornithologists, who consider the gray and Ussuri varieties of the common bullfinch, there are still eight species. The genus is also divided into 2 groups – black-capped bullfinches (4–5 species) and masked bullfinches (4 species).
A classification recognizing 9 species looks like this:
- Pyrrhula nipalensis – brown bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula aurantiaca – yellow-backed bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula erythrocephala – red-headed bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula erythaca – grey-headed bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula leucogenis – white-cheeked bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula murina – Azorean bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula pyrrhula – common bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula cineracea – gray bullfinch;
- Pyrrhula griseiventris – Ussuri bullfinch.
In our country, the common bullfinch is found predominantly, with 3 subspecies living in different regions of the post-Soviet space:
- Pyrrhula pyrrhula pyrrhula – Euro-Siberian common bullfinch, also Eastern European (the most dynamic form);
- Pyrrhula pyrrhula rossikowi – Caucasian common bullfinch (distinguished by its modest size, but brighter color);
- Pyrrhula pyrrhula cassinii – Kamchatka common bullfinch (the largest subspecies).
Range, habitats
Bullfinches live throughout Europe, as well as in Western/East Asia (including Siberia, Kamchatka and Japan). The southern edges of the range extend to the north of Spain, the Apennines, Greece (northern part) and to the northern regions of Asia Minor. In Russia, bullfinches are found from west to east, in forest and forest-steppe (partially) zones where coniferous trees grow. Birds prefer mountainous and lowland forests, but ignore treeless areas.
In addition to forests with dense undergrowth, the bullfinch inhabits city gardens, parks and public gardens (especially during periods of seasonal migrations). In summer, the bullfinch is seen not only in dense thickets, but also in open forests. Birds lead a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, migrating to the cold only from the northern taiga. The migration sites are located up to Eastern China and Central Asia.
Diet of bullfinches
English-speaking ornithologists call bullfinches “seed-predators,” referring to them as birds that shamelessly destroy crops without bringing any benefit to the trees.
This is interesting! Having reached the berries, bullfinches crush them, take out the seeds, crush them, free them from the shells, and eat them. Thrushes and waxwings act differently - they swallow the berries whole, due to which the pulp is digested, and the seeds are released with droppings to sprout in the spring.
The bullfinch's diet includes plant foods and occasionally arachnids (especially when feeding chicks). The usual menu is composed of seeds and berries, such as:
- seeds of tree/shrub species - maple, hornbeam, ash, lilac, alder, linden and birch;
- berries of fruit trees/shrubs - rowan, bird cherry, serviceberry, buckthorn, viburnum, hawthorn and others;
- hop cones and juniper berries.
In winter, bullfinches switch to buds and seeds available at this time of year.
Reproduction and offspring
Bullfinches return to nesting sites (coniferous and mixed forests) in mid-March - early April. But already at the end of winter, males begin to flirt with females. As warmer weather approaches, courtship becomes more persistent, and the first couples form in flocks. The bullfinch builds a nest on a thick spruce branch, away from the trunk, at a height of 2–5 m. Sometimes nests are built on birch trees, pine trees or in juniper bushes (tall).
Nests with clutches can be found as early as May; fledglings and confidently flying chicks appear in June. The bullfinch's nest resembles a slightly flattened bowl woven from spruce twigs, herbaceous stems, lichen and moss. The clutch contains no more than 4–6 light blue eggs (2 cm in size), dotted with uneven brown dots/spots.
This is interesting! Only the female incubates the eggs for 2 weeks. The father remembers parental functions when the chicks take wing. A family consisting of a male and 4–5 fledglings is considered normal among bullfinches.
The chicks, until they know how to get food themselves, are fed small unripe seeds, berries, buds and arachnids. From July, the broods gradually flock together in order to fly out of the forest in September–October, joining the northern populations moving south.
comments:
2018-02-01. Mikhail Kalagin:
I posted it in Gray Bullfinch, but I’ve been tormented by vague doubts for the second year now.
And I also specifically do not post the location of the observation, so as not to confuse people 2018-02-01. Dmitry Shevtsov:
What's gray about it? 2018-02-01. Sergey L. Volkov:
The sides of his head are so red! Common bullfinch, male. 2018-02-01. Andrey Bazdyrev:
Heh, it looks like a male Ussuri bullfinch, but in reality it is still a common male with insufficient development of red on the head and chest 2018-02-01. Mikhail Kalagin:
What a good wording. But if the photo were from Siberia, the answer would be completely different. Oh those double standards ((((
I won't resist. Moreover, the chief specialist on bullfinches answered in approximately the same way.
Well, as someone who is not biased, I remain with my “wrong” opinion 2018-02-02. Andrey Bazdyrev:
But for the Ussuri the stripe is too wide and bright, the red color on the cheeks is not developed enough (in the Ussuri it extends almost to the neck), and on the chest and sides the red color is not developed evenly, but in spots. 2018-02-02. Sergey L. Volkov:
In general, it resembles the Ussuri bullfinch much more than the gray bullfinch. The gray bullfinch does not have red plumage. But for an ordinary bullfinch its beak is too small. Hybrids between bullfinches different types unknown. It remains to be recognized that this is an ordinary bullfinch. 2018-02-03. Nikolai Balatsky:
Mikhail, I appreciate your firmness in defending your own opinion. Especially in such a complex matter. In your photographs, the bird, of course, does not in any way fit the definition of an ordinary bullfinch. Birds of a similar color are found in Primorye, but it is possible that they may appear on European territory for the reasons of those who like to keep birds in cages and then release them into the wild...
In your photographs it is most likely a male Ussuri bullfinch, as in these PHOTO . 2018-02-03. Mikhail Kalagin:
I would have defended my opinion even more strongly if not for Ivushkin’s opinion. At least they told me that the photo was sent to him. I don't know him myself.
If only he could look again...))))
Let it hang in limbo for now.... 2018-02-13. Andrey Kovalenko:
Who said that hybrids of bullfinches are unknown...? In our inzol collection there was one specimen between ordinary and gray. 2018-02-24. Vadim Ivushkin:
Andrey! We already argued about hybrids - it’s not a fact that if someone calls a bird a hybrid, then it immediately becomes one :)
Michael! If they showed me a photo of this bullfinch, it was not in this quality. Based on the 1st photo - I would also say - Ussuri, flying away from amateurs. But this year I have already encountered such bullfinches. Therefore, everything is simpler, especially when there are also photos. In the middle photo you can clearly see that the color is pale and unevenly distributed on the cheek for the Ussuri. But for the gray bullfinch this is more suitable. The stripe on the wing is also a plus for the gray one, and definitely a minus for the Ussuri.
Generally speaking, it is not unusual to see a gray bullfinch with the presence of pink. In bullfinches, the red color in the plumage is formed by 5 main pigments (no one counted pigments with trace amounts). Their ratio depends on the diet and the characteristics of the body to transform lutein into red pigment. The intensity and color saturation, like other bullfinches, can vary greatly. The photo shows an extreme manifestation. Nevertheless, it is a rare phenomenon. Approximately one individual is found annually per 1000 km of range (not so bright, but in principle with a noticeable red color in the plumage, usually only the throat and cheeks).
If we connect this with hybridization... then I have not yet (in 30 years) seen a single sign of a transitional species (there are deviations, but where are they not?): for example, the shape and topography of the TM, the width of the white rump - all controversial birds fit into intervals according to their types. 2018-02-24. Vadim Ivushkin:
Kolya, I dug it up somewhere... it’s better to take a fresh look and not just the pictures. 2018-02-24. Vadim Ivushkin:
Yes, and please correct the Latin of the gray bullfinch on the site. Otherwise, in the Far East they are already publishing articles in scientific journals with such a name and they think that it is correct. 2018-02-24. Anna Yasko:
The Latin of the gray bullfinch has been corrected. 2018-02-24. Mikhail Kalagin:
Thank you very much for your detailed answer. 2018-12-26. Vadim Ivushkin:
I'll bring it to your attention. Finally, I received confirmation of the coloration of hybrid forms (obtained by crossing birds in captivity) from Dutch colleagues. The photo shows a hybrid of gray and common bullfinches. 2018-12-26. Mikhail Kalagin:
Thank you. Why am I so lucky with hybrids :) I don’t mind. True, there were 2 of them. Unfortunately, the photo of the second one did not work out. 2018-12-26. Vadim Ivushkin:
Bullfinches usually fly in broods - so do a couple of hybrids together. 2018-12-26. Alexander Goncharov:
Vadim, is it possible to see these variants of hybrid forms somewhere? 2018-12-26. Vadim Ivushkin:
Not yet, it is in the process of processing materials. 2018-12-26. Vadim Ivushkin:
There is also a photograph on Birds of Siberia. 2018-12-26. Sergey L. Volkov:
Vadim, interesting about the broods, I didn’t know. Does the final disintegration of broods occur before nesting? If so, then there is probably a high probability of inbreeding. 2018-12-26. Vadim Ivushkin:
According to my estimates, the broods finally disintegrate in February-March, when the first activity begins. And most likely, this can also happen during extreme frosts (when birds die), or when food accumulations form. But these are my personal observations, little confirmed. Nevertheless, autumn groups bullfinches rarely exceed the size of their broods, and birds in a group are usually of the same age. 2018-12-26. Sergey L. Volkov:
Thank you! 2019-01-11. Andrey Kovalenko:
http://birds.kz/v2photo.php?l=ru&s=034602223&n=2&si=kaz#comments
The males of this forest bird do not have red in their plumage. Distributed in mountain cedar-larch and larch forests. Nests are located high in the crown of larches, and possibly in fir undergrowth.
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The bird is small in size, about the size of a sparrow, although it looks larger. In fact, the gray bullfinch is even smaller than usual. The plumage of the head on top, around the beak and eyes is black. The flight feathers and tail feathers are also black with a blue metallic tint. The loin and undertail are white.
Male The back, shoulders, neck, cheeks, lower neck, belly and sides are gray. The color tone of the underside of the body depends on age and individual characteristics. Sometimes there is a red tint on the cheeks, back and underside of the body.
Female The neck, cheeks and shoulders are gray. The back is brownish-brown. The lower neck, belly and sides are grey-brown. Adult females have distinctively grayer cheeks and midbelly
Chicks The plumage is predominantly ocher-brown, paler than that of the common bullfinch chicks. Black flight and tail feathers. Chicks do not have a “black cap” on their heads, like adults do.
Spreading
Mountain forests of Western and Eastern Siberia, the Far East. Range: Eastern Asia from the Ob valley and the western foot of Altai east to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. To the north to the 59th parallel, to the south to Southern Altai, Tannu-Ola, South-Eastern Tuva, Khangai, Khamar-Daban, Kentei, the northern part of the Greater Khingan, in the valley of the river. Sungari to the 46th parallel, to the southern tip of Sikhote-Alin. It occurs together with the Ussuri and common bullfinches, occupying different, although adjacent, biotopes. It appears in wintering grounds in Korea and Northern China, even in steppe biotopes (Transbaikalia).
Taxonomy
No subspecies features have been described. However, populations living north of the mountains of southern Siberia and the Far East are on average larger, reaching maximum dimensions bullfinch.
Phenology
In Eastern Siberia, gray and common bullfinches behave like sedentary or nomadic birds. Considering that the range of these species is this region exceeds 1000 km, we can say with confidence that some birds make regular migrations, the timing of which varies significantly from year to year. Due to the migration of northern populations of bullfinches, the wintering areas of these two species shift slightly to the south, and in size exceed the nesting area, and some birds (mostly two-year-olds and older) remain in the area of nesting sites, migrating only in search of food. In places where there is enough food, bullfinches can stay all winter, creating significant aggregations (up to 500 or more individuals - common).
Like other species, bullfinches have a certain dependence life cycle from phenological changes in nature, but clear calendar boundaries between the onset of periods and subperiods of the main stages of life of the species in question cannot be traced. However, a shift in the average timing of the onset of one or another period in the life of different species of bullfinches relative to each other was noted.
Reproductive period
The reproductive period of the life cycle of bullfinches can be divided into two subperiods: pre-breeding and nesting. At the same time, for convenience of consideration, it is still possible to distinguish the prenuptial subperiod, which is transitional from the non-breeding period to the reproductive one.
Pre-marital period
Bullfinches show the first signs of activity (singing, quarrels) throughout the non-breeding period, but in the second half of winter, on clear warm days, even after severe frosts have just receded, singing birds are often observed. This is especially typical for the common bullfinch in February - March, when flocks of these birds begin to move to their nesting sites. At the same time, their numbers increase, and bullfinches returning to their nesting sites can more often be seen on the roadsides or on the outskirts of the forest.
The song activity of the gray bullfinch, also observed throughout the winter, increases somewhat later - in March - April. At this time, birds make spring movements, the peak of which, as a rule, occurs in the first half of April. Unlike the common bullfinch, when migrating, the gray bullfinch avoids open areas and its movement is evidenced by an increase in numbers in homogeneous forest biotopes, especially where this species does not occur in summer. During this period, bullfinches reach the first level of activity and begin to break into pairs. However, the period of breaking into pairs may last until the end of April - early May, and begin much earlier, since some pairs may not break up at all or form in the fall.
Prebreeding subperiod
From the moment of pair formation (the onset of the first level of activity) until the beginning of nesting, bullfinches can stay together, making spring movements, or stay at nesting sites. At this time, the strengthening of pairs is completed, and by the end of the sub-period bullfinches are no longer found outside the nesting habitats. In both species, this period is limited to April - May. However, on average, if the common bullfinch is already at the nesting sites at the end or mid-April, then the gray bullfinch rises to the mountains later - by the middle or end of May. The timing is highly dependent on the weather conditions of the year.
Nesting sub-period
Common bullfinches begin building nests from the end of April to the first ten days of June, depending on specific conditions. According to our observations, the earliest dates for the start of nest construction are observed in places where the lower limit of the vertical distribution of the nesting area of this species passes - the end of May. Basic data on the timing of nesting for both species was obtained from discovered nests and dates of meetings of fledglings. The diagrams show that the nesting periods of gray and common bullfinches diverge significantly, despite their strong extension. At the same time, the nesting season of the gray bullfinch is clearly shorter, and the common bullfinch most likely has two clutches.
Post-breeding period
The post-nesting period of life for bullfinches can also be divided into subperiods: molting, autumn migration and wintering. Molting in both species begins in late July - August. However, if gray bullfinches finish breeding in the second half of July, and begin molting in August, then common bullfinches can still feed fledglings until mid-August, and sometimes later. Such individuals begin molting while still feeding fledglings. At the same time, females of both species begin to molt a little earlier.
The molting is completely completed by mid-October for the common bullfinch, and somewhat earlier (early October) for the gray bullfinch. However, individual individuals, probably from the latest broods, may complete their feather change later. This affects the completeness of juvenile molting, which stops with the onset of cold weather. Therefore, bullfinches from late broods, in which the timing of the end of the growth of baby feathers almost coincides with the beginning of molting, remains a large number of juvenile feathers (this is more typical of the common bullfinch).
Having not yet finished molting, at the end of September - beginning of October, bullfinches can begin to migrate south. However, this occurs more intensely in October. Moreover, depending on the conditions of the year, the flight may not be expressed at all, especially in the common bullfinch. Gray bullfinches make stable autumn movements, which mainly occur in October.
The physique is similar to an ordinary bullfinch, a little smaller and slimmer. The male has a neutral gray upperparts, like the common bullfinch, and the underparts are slightly lighter than the back, light gray in color. The female is pinkish-brown, like the common bullfinch, slightly grayer, different from her up close gray the outer web of the innermost flight feather (in the female common bullfinch it is reddish). This small but diagnostically important feather is often covered by gray mantle feathers. The stripe on the wing is usually narrow, light gray (in the female common bullfinch it is wide white or grayish-white). Weight 22-30 g, length 13-17, wing 8.3-9.7, span about 22-27 cm.
Spreading
Breeds in Western Altai on the Ivanovsky and Lineysky ridges, in the Belaya Uba valley, in Southern Altai - in the upper reaches of Bukhtarma and in the basin of Lake. Markakol. On migrations and in winter it is found mainly in the eastern regions of Kazakhstan, occasionally flies to Semipalatinsk, Kurgaldzhino, Astana, Almaty, the Chu-Ili mountains and the Syr Darya valley near Kzyl-Orda. Flight to the lower reaches of the Urals near Atyrau was noted. October 18, 1975.
Biology
Rare in breeding, but common in Altai winter period bird. It lives in fir forests with some deciduous trees, in fir-larch and spruce-birch forests in river valleys and along the shores of lakes at altitudes of 1400-1800 meters. On migrations, it visits deciduous forests with shrubby undergrowth, floodplain forests and thickets of weeds. In Altai he begins to sing at the end of February - March and sings until the end of May (singing was heard on May 25, 1966 in the valley of the Kara-Kaba River). It nests in separate pairs quite far from each other. One nest on a birch tree at a height of 5 m from the ground was discovered on May 8, 1975; the nest was built from thin twigs and dry grass and lined with thin roots and hair. A female with dry grass in her beak was observed on July 12, 1966. Fledglings were noted in mid-July - the first ten days of August, independent young animals - in early July. Autumn-winter dispersal begins in August - September; in the south-eastern parts of Kazakhstan, gray bullfinches appear in late October - early November, and are observed until mid-May.
Information sources
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. E.I. Gavrilov. "Fauna and distribution of birds of Kazakhstan." Almaty, 1999. V.K. Ryabitsev. "Birds of the Urals, the Urals and Western Siberia". Ekaterinburg. Ural University Publishing House, 2000.
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