This nocturnal bird is a useful accessory. Night-bird. Common diurnal predators

Birds of prey are usually called birds that hunt their prey in flight. Their characteristic features are excellent eyesight, as well as strong claws and a beak that serve to capture and kill a target. Hearing also plays an important role in the hunting of raptors.

• diurnal predatory;
• nocturnal predators.

Diurnal birds of prey include the families

• hawks;
• skopins;
• falcons;
• secretaries;
• american vultures.

Nocturnal birds of prey include a detachment of owls, in which two families are distinguished: owls and barn owls. The most famous representatives are owls(white, polar, eared, marsh, hawk and others), eagle owls, owls and owls (brownies, passerines and others), owls (bearded, long-tailed, gray), barn owls and scops.

Owl

Features of appearance and their impact on lifestyle

Almost all owls have common features. On a large head are large eyes, which appear even larger due to the plumage fanned around them. This is the front disk. They have a short curved beak, at the base of which are the nostrils.. These birds have dense and soft plumage, a rectangular tail, rather large rounded wings, with the help of which it quickly and silently plans and flies. The wings may differ depending on the species: in birds hunting in the forest, they are quite short, and in those looking for prey in open areas, they are long.

Feet and fingers are covered with feathers up to the claws, with the exception of fish owls. Due to the fact that the front fingers are reversible, owls can sit on branches, and the presence of long and sharp claws gives them the ability to firmly capture their prey. A striking feature that distinguishes them from other birds is the absence of goiter.

The color of owls is protective, it helps owls to camouflage themselves against the background of the environment and be almost invisible in the daytime. Birds of prey of this species living in the forest have a brown shade of feathers, while those living in coniferous forests change to gray. Owls living on the plains have lighter feathers, and in the deserts they have a reddish hue. The color of males and females is always the same, with the exception of snowy owls. Males have a snow-white color, and females are motley, with a brownish tint.

Owls are nocturnal birds of prey; they have sharp eyesight and good hearing to hunt in the dark. Owls have large eyes that look forward, but the ability to turn their heads almost 180 degrees provides a wider field of view. Ears are on both sides of the facial disc, and not in all species they are symmetrical, may differ in size or be shifted up or down. These birds have a very large inner ear, as well as a huge number of neurons in the area responsible for hearing. Due to these features, owls perfectly hear their prey at night.

The lifestyle of most owls is nocturnal. The exceptions are the little owl and short-eared owl. The Arctic hawk and snowy owls hunt at night during the summer, and during the winter they seek food during the day. The remaining members of the owl family sleep during the day on branches, in rock crevices, in the attics of houses. Some species build their nests in burrows or depressions in the ground.

Almost all species of owls live all their lives in one place and fiercely protect it from other birds, especially predators. However there are also species migrating for the winter e.g. short-eared owl. The rest can change their habitat only in the absence of food.

These birds feed on mice, rats, rabbits, earthworms, insects, snakes, fish, and crustaceans. On rare occasions, they may eat carrion. Mammals are caught on the fly, and fish are waiting, sitting on a branch above the water.

Owls are very talkative. In addition to the well-known hoot, their vocabulary includes a large number of other sounds, which they emit when they are hungry, protect the territory, during the breeding season, etc.

Owl breeding

The reproduction of these nocturnal predators is greatly influenced by favorable weather conditions and the availability of food. If these factors are met, then the breeding season comes earlier, there will be more eggs in the nest. Otherwise, there will be 2-3 eggs in the clutch.

Depending on the species, some owls create pairs for the rest of their lives, others form a new pair in each subsequent mating season. In most cases, nests of other birds are found for laying eggs., tree hollows, rock crevices. Some species use rodent burrows for this purpose or lay their eggs in the grass. They rarely build their own nests. Having chosen a suitable place, within a few days the female lays up to 10-14 eggs. Incubation of chicks, depending on the species, lasts from 24 to 36 days and begins from the day the first egg is laid. Accordingly, the chicks appear within a few days. In the future, it is not uncommon for older chicks to take all the food in a difficult time, and the younger ones go hungry.

Helpless chicks are born eyes open at 2 weeks. First, the male brings food, and when the cubs grow up and more food is needed, the female also flies away to hunt. After 20-25 days, the owls get out of the nest. They fly poorly at first, so they do not move far from the nest.

The appearance and lifestyle of other nocturnal birds of prey are very similar to owls, although there are slight differences and features.

In this article we will talk about the history of the song "Night Bird" by Konstantin Nikolsky, which was first played by the Resurrection group. Later, the composition entered the repertoire of the author, who began his solo career. It was written as a dedication to drummer Yuri Fokin, with whom Nikolsky played in Stas Namin's band. Konstantin composed it after Yuri immigrated to the United States. That's why the first title was Farewell to a Friend.

Nikolsky himself did not stay long in the team either. He later recalled:

The song "Night Bird" appeared out of great longing. There was such a group "Flowers", then it became known as the group of Stas Namin. It was my first professional team. Before that there were all the toys, but here it was necessary to play seriously. Stas Namin invited me to be a guitarist in the first composition of "Flowers". There were two or four concerts a day. The Philharmonic Society realized that they could pump money from us, and charged us to the fullest. And so the first line-up fell apart. And with the collapse of the composition, I had a mental trauma and the collapse of all my hopes. And on this basis, I immediately got three sad songs - “I myself am one of those who hid”, “When you understand with your mind that you are alone in the world” and “Night Bird”.

In 1979, the composition, along with five other songs by Nikolsky, was recorded by the newly formed group "Resurrection" for the debut album "Resurrection" (also known as "79" and "Who is to blame?"). Andrey Sapunov sang "Night Bird". Konstantin was categorically dissatisfied with the result and did not want the recording to be released, but it fell into the hands of pirates and glorified the group.

According to Nikolsky, Soviet censors saw sedition in the lyrics of the song, which caused all sorts of problems:

Because of the “Nightbird” there were also troubles. Not everyone today remembers that it is called “Farewell to a Friend”. Indeed, at the end of the 70s, they already began to slowly move off ... In general, you can cling to anything, put you in jail for any nonsense.

Starting his solo career, Konstantin Nikolsky included the song in his second solo album One Look Back (1996).

Let's watch a music video with a concert recording of "Night Bird", which can be safely called one of the masterpieces of modern Russian music.

Lyrics and chords of the song "Night Bird"

Dm | Edim7 | fdim7 | C A/C# | Dm

Dm Edim7 A7
What does the night bird sing about?
Dm C Bb C
Alone in the autumn silence?
Dm Edim7 A7
About what will soon be parted
Dm C Bb D7
And will see only in a dream

Gm C7
About the fact that tomorrow is not a short journey,
Am Dm C
Spreading its wings, it will fly
Bb Bb/A Gdim7 A7
That life is stupid without risk,
Dm C Bb C
And the truth will still win.

Night songs of the birds of things
They became food for my soul
I suddenly realized a simple thing:
It will be difficult for me to say goodbye to her.

Just throw aside mine

Dm C Bb D7
Fly, I'll finish the song

On a cold morning the last cry
Just throw aside mine
Night singer, I am your heir
Dm C Bb Bb/A Gdim7 A7 Dm
Fly, I'll finish the song

Song quote

What song do you like to sing the most?

Probably, “What the night bird sings about”, she is impossible for me. You understand what's the matter: there is a program, there is a concert, and I direct this concert, but there is a song that directs me. It is called "What the night bird sings about."

"Lenin Change", 1994

Without birds, the world would not be so bright and original. A huge number of birds live on our planet, and how numerous they are, they are just as diverse. And how they sing - any singer can envy the flooding bird trills! How often, sitting on an open veranda in summer, we listened with pleasure to the sounds of a summer night filled with bird voices. And for some reason, it is at night that bird voices especially touch the heart. And it happens that the nightingale trill is replaced by the alarming hoot of an owl or the frightening cry of an owl - the soul from such sounds "goes to the heels."

night birds of prey

Among birds, as well as among mammals, there are predators. And as among all predators, there are those who lead a daytime lifestyle and who prefer to hunt at night. Night birds attract people with their mystery, because during the day you can’t meet them, but at night ... Few of us dare to go for a walk in the night forest or park. Therefore, these feathered nocturnal predators are overgrown with legends - birds hiding from daylight. Eighteen species of nocturnal birds live on the territory of Russia, the most common of them are: gray owl, barn owl, owl, eagle owl, white or polar owl.

Tawny Owl

This bird belongs to the genus Owl. And it should be noted that this species is very numerous: the gray owl, the bearded owl, and others. This is the most common in our country. If you happened to meet an owl in the forest, then most likely it was an owl. This nocturnal predator is small (smaller than a crow) and has an inconspicuous gray color. The gray plumage is, as it were, crossed out with black strokes, there are white spots on the shoulders. The Tawny Owl can also be recognized by its voice: the female emits a deep bass trill, and the male calls the female with a drawn-out “hoo-hoo-hoo” or piercingly calls out “ki-wee”. These nocturnal birds live in deciduous forests and old city parks. The gray owl hunts for small birds and rodents, it is not averse to feasting on large insects. All tawny owls are exclusively nocturnal predators - birds catch prey only at night, it is almost impossible to meet it hunting during the day.

barn owl

This bird belongs to the barn owl family, the barn owl family. These birds settled throughout Russia, with the exception of the Far North. The fact is that this bird does not accumulate subcutaneous fat at all, and therefore prefers not to settle in areas with a harsh Arctic climate. The barn owl is a small bird, about the size of a jackdaw. Body size - thirty-five to thirty-eight centimeters. The barn owl has a very slender body and plumage is soft and fluffy. Barn owls differ in color from each other - it all depends on the habitat. As a rule, the upper part of the body is reddish-red, and the lower part is either white or yellow. Barn owls, like all nocturnal birds, feed on small rodents and birds. During the day, these birds sleep. For an overnight stay, natural niches are chosen: hollows and crevices in trees, they can settle in attics and in old bird nests.

Owl

This bird is very modest in size. The length of the body is not more than twenty centimeters. But despite being a very good hunter, he can catch prey a little smaller than himself. The color of the plumage is dark brown with white spots, on the legs there are white feathers. This bird is distributed throughout our country. The owl is a nocturnal bird, but it can also be found during the day. The bird sees well not only at night and will never let a person near it. If you frighten off a feathered bird from its familiar place, then it will fly low above the ground. It must be said that the owl, although it belongs to nocturnal predators, can arrange hunting in the evening twilight and even during the day. Prefers mice, small insectivores, reptiles and birds. At night, the owl can be recognized by the characteristic cry “ku-vit, ku-vit”. This bird nests in crevices, hollows of trees, rotten stumps, in the attics of houses and even in haystacks. A couple of owls create for life.

Owl

The eagle owl is a fairly large owl, the genus owl, which settled throughout Europe, is found in Asia and Africa. Prefers hard-to-reach dense forests, steppes, where it is possible to hide from prying eyes. The length of the owl reaches seventy-five centimeters. It weighs between two and four kilograms. The upper part of the body is painted with dark spots, the lower part is the color of light ocher. Feathers stick out above the bird's eyes, which many mistake for ears. Paws are feathered to the very claws. The plumage is very soft and loose, thanks to which the flight of the eagle owl is almost silent. This bird is an excellent hunter - not a single mouse will hide from a keen eye even at night. And sharp claws and a strong beak will not miss the prey. Eagle owls lead and, even when hunting, do not fly far from their homes. These birds are solitary, and only during the mating season are paired.

snowy owl

This bird is the largest of the order of owls living in the tundra. Females are larger than males. The size of the body in length reaches seventy and sixty-five centimeters, respectively, and the weight is from two and a half to three kilograms. Plumage color - white with dark speckles. This coloring makes it possible to merge with the environment in winter. The polar or snowy owl is a very good hunter. The main diet of her diet is lemmings. In a year, an owl eats more than one thousand six hundred lemmings. It also catches hares, ermines, pikas and other small animals. This bird has a very interesting hunting tactic: it lies in wait for prey, sitting on the ground, and as soon as a careless animal approaches, it rushes at it with lightning speed.

Which birds sing can be heard on summer nights in the suburbs?

But night birds are interesting not only for their hunting habits - singing birds are also of interest. After all, more than once, having heard the wonderful trills of a night bird, we were eager to find out who this night singer was. This is especially true for residents of megacities, where the hum of cars drowns out the voices of nature. Singing nocturnal are, as a rule, nightingales and garden warblers. The trill of the nightingale must have been heard by everyone. But few people can boast of having met this midnight singer in the wild. This bird has a completely inconspicuous gray plumage, and even meeting him in a garden or forest, you are unlikely to guess that this is the same midnight artist who did not let you sleep with his exciting trills. The warbler's singing is less bright - this bird adopts the sounds of other birds to a greater extent. The characteristic sound for her is the chirping "check-check". She lives in floodplains, along the banks of reservoirs and in gardens.

Conclusion

The world of birds is diverse and amazing. Without them, our planet would not be so delightful: night and day birds are its real decoration, so take care of them.

In this meeting, even the background is interesting. I reread Iris Murdoch's novel The Bell the other day. There was mentioned a clearing with nightjars. The nightjar is such a bird. And a day or two later we went for a swim on the Don. We return at night. I myself don’t know why I add nightjars in my conversation among various imaginary creatures walking and wandering in the dark and in the moonlight. I mentioned it, okay. We are going to talk about various extraneous things. Suddenly there is some movement in the headlights. I only have time to see a flashing bird through the right window of the car. That the bird guess rather than see. Obviously not a bat. Something brownish. As if predatory, but they no longer fly at this time, all these hawks. Let's go further. We manage to forget. And here again the phenomenon. Already from the asphalt it flies up and flies almost over us. I can already see in the direct light of the headlights and through the windshield. Someone motley reddish-brown-whitish. All this variegation reminded me of a hoopoe. But not at the same time of day! Anyway. Let there be hoopoe. Let's go further. We forget again. The third appearance again from the right side of the road, but I already clearly saw the outline of a bird taking off. Everything. Without any doubts. All of these were them. Nightjars. For the rest of the journey, they were talking only about them. Abandoned, entering, bags and running to the Internet. Read about nightjars and look at photos. Everything came together. Without any doubts. Now is just the time when there are a lot of them on such unlit side roads with rare traffic. Asphalt heated during the day attracts insects. Especially favorite goat delicacy - butterflies, all sorts of hawks there. Yes, and the birds themselves like to relax on the warm. That's how I saw nightjars for the first time in my life. The photo is not mine, of course, where in those split seconds it was possible to understand who it was and what to do with it!

The common nightjar, or simply the nightjar (lat. Caprimulgus europaeus) is a nocturnal bird from the family of true nightjars that nests in the temperate latitudes of Eurasia and in northwestern Africa. Slightly larger than a thrush, it is distinguished by its discreet grayish-brown plumage, which hides the bird well against the background of bark or forest litter. The plumage is soft and loose, like that of owls - because of this, the nightjar sometimes looks a little larger than it actually is. Like other species of the family, it has large eyes, a short beak combined with a very large ("frog") mouth cut and short legs, poorly adapted for moving on the ground and grabbing branches (for this reason, birds sit along the branches, and not across) .


Inhabits light pine forests, clearings, clearings, wastelands, wastelands. Migratory bird wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on insects that it hunts in the air.
The flight is energetic and agile, but at the same time silent. In addition, the bird is able to hover in one place like a kestrel, as well as glide with its wings wide apart. It moves reluctantly on the ground, preferring to sit on a plot of soil without vegetation. Sensing the approach of a predator or a person, a resting bird tries to merge with the surrounding landscape, hiding and clinging to the ground or a bough. If the danger is too close, the bird takes off easily, loudly flapping its wings, and moves away a short distance.


Being an inconspicuous bird, the nightjar is primarily known for its peculiar singing, unlike the voices of other birds. His song - a dry monotonous trill "rrrrrr" - is somewhat reminiscent of the rumbling of a green toad or the rumble of a small motorcycle, only louder. A monotonous rattling with short breaks continues from dusk to dawn, while the tone, frequency and volume of the sound periodically change. From time to time, the bird interrupts the trill with a high and drawn-out “furr-furr-furr-furrry…”, as if the measured roar of the engine suddenly choked. If the lingering trill is characteristic only for the male, then birds of both sexes can make other sounds. In flight, nightjars often staccatoly cry "week ... week." Alarm signals are various variations of a monosyllabic clatter or dull hiss.


The name, based on an erroneous opinion, was preserved not only in science, but also migrated to several European languages, including Russian. It is taken from the Natural History (Liber X 26 Ivi 115) of Pliny the Elder. He wrote such horrors about nightjars:
Et ingenia aeque aria, ad pastum maxime. caprimulgi appellantur, grandioris merulae aspectu, fures nocturni; interdiu enim visu carent. intrant pastorum stabula caprarumque uberibus advolant suctum propter lactis, qua iniuria uber emoritur caprisque caecitas, quas ita mulsere, oboritur. platea nominatur advolans ad eas, quae se in mari mergunt, et capita illarum morsu corripiens, donec capturam extorqueat. Eadem cum devoratis se inplevit conchis, calore ventris coctas evomit atque ita ex iis esculenta eligit testas excernens Elian went even further in the book "On Animals" dropping in passing "some drink blood, as the nightjars do in Greece." Horror! The truth is that nightjars love to hang out with grazing herds because of the abundance of insects disturbed by animals or flocking to the smell of manure. Here they are, those insects, nightjars are already brutally us-yum)))

In conclusion, a huge request from Tanakvil:
PLEASE BE CAREFUL ON NIGHT ROADS SO YOU DO NOT KNOW GOATERS, FOXS AND OTHER DIFFERENT Hedgehogs!
(To do this, it’s enough just not to fly at crazy speed ....)