Interesting facts about rooks. Rook: photo of a bird. Adult birds have such parameters

Hall, living room 09.05.2021
Hall, living room

Rooks are the earliest birds arriving from wintering to their homeland. These black birds are very often confused with common crows and jackdaws, as sometimes flocks of these birds live nearby.


Rook with acorns.

Appearance

A distinctive feature of rooks is the color of the feathers - black with a metallic sheen. If you take a closer look at the photo of a rook, you can see a characteristic large and powerful beak, slightly bent down without feathers at the base and small "pants" made of feathers on its paws.

The average weight of rooks is 450-700 grams, the length of the bird can reach 50 cm, of which the tail is about 20 cm long. Rooks have no distinctive sexual characteristics, only individuals of different ages can be distinguished - young individuals at the base of the beak do not have a whitish shade characteristic of adult birds. It is easy to distinguish a rook from a crow - a crow has feathers around its beak, but a rook does not.


Rook on a branch.
Rooks on the tree.
The rook found something edible.
Showdown rook and crow.
Fight of two rooks.


Rooks collect material to build nests.

Habitat

The main habitat of rooks is Eurasia, they are common both in the northern and southern countries of the mainland, and the birds that live in the northern countries are migratory, and in the southern ones they are sedentary. The only place on the mainland where you will not find these birds is South and Central Asia. In the 19th century, an attempt was made to resettle rooks in New Zealand, however, due to a lack of feed, the livestock almost completely died.

These birds prefer to live in colonies, most often they settle closer to agricultural land. In a colony of rooks, there is a clear hierarchy - young birds build nests at the edges, and older and experienced ones in the center.

In nature, rooks behave very interestingly, they like to gather in colonies and noisily "make noise", they often "have fun" chasing each other, taking food, or swinging on tree branches.




The rook feeds an almost adult chick.

Nutrition

Rooks are absolutely omnivorous and not picky about food. Arriving, the birds feed on the remains of last year's grains and seeds, looking for the first insects on the thawed patches. During the spring work in the fields, rooks look for earthworms in the arable land, and they are not at all afraid of the noise of agricultural machines.

The rook's diet includes:

  1. Worms and larvae
  2. Vole mice and lemmings
  3. Cereals,
  4. Seeds of vegetables and fruits,
  5. Food waste.





Reproduction

Rooks start their breeding season in mid-March. Usually, from year to year, they fly to their place of birth to reproduce. Rooks' nests are very large, up to 65 cm in diameter and up to 70 cm high, located at a height of 15-20 meters on a tree trunk or at the forks of thick branches. They build a nest and the male and female use branches for construction, and inside they are lined with last year's grass, leaves, fluff. Usually the nest is used for several years in a row, every year it is renewed and completed, turning into a multi-tiered structure.

Usually, the female breaks off only one clutch per season, in rare cases the chicks appear twice. The female rook lays 3-6 large greenish-blue eggs sometimes with brown spots. After 20-23 days, chicks are born, absolutely naked and helpless, at this time they are completely dependent on the warmth of the mother, who warms them. While the female is responsible for the chicks, the male feeds his entire family. When plumage appears on the chicks, both parents are already responsible for feeding them. At the age of thirty days, the chicks begin to fly out of the nest, but they become independent later - for another 20 days, their parents will feed them.


Rook on a branch.
Rook on the girl's shoulder.
Rook in the fall.

If you look at the photo of a rook, the bird will seem very gloomy, angry and even scary, but this is far from the case.

  1. Scientists equate the intelligence of rooks with the intelligence of monkeys.
  2. In the 19th century, these birds were eaten by the poor of Europe.
  3. With proper care, rooks in captivity can be taught to talk.
  4. Rooks do not know how to sing at all, but they imitate different sounds remarkably.
  5. One of the combat aircraft of Russia is called Grach - this is
Rook

Rooks in the center of Rtishchevo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:

Animals
Type of:

Chordates
Class:
Detachment:

Passerine
Family:

Corvids
Genus:
View:

Rook
International scientific name

Corvus frugilegus(Linnaeus, 1758)
View in taxonomic databases
CoL

Rook(lat. Corvus frugilegus) is a bird of the Corvidae family widespread in Eurasia ( Corvidae).

Description

Body length 46 cm, wings 28-34 cm; the beak is rather thick, 5.4-6.3 cm long. The color of the rook's plumage is black, with a strongly pronounced metallic sheen, purple on the back and underside of the body, blue on the head, greenish on the flight feathers and tail feathers. The “face” (bridle, throat, base of the beak and part of the cheeks) of old birds is bare - the skin is dirty-whitish. The iris is dark brown, the beak and legs are black.

Young rooks in the nesting plumage differ from the old ones in their feathered "face", loose and dull black plumage.

Voice

Spreading

Area

The species is distributed in Eurasia from Scandinavia east to the Pacific coast.

The colonial lifestyle of the rook determines the unevenness of its distribution within the Saratov region: in most landscape areas and localities, it belongs to the group of ordinary (sometimes numerous) species, while in some territories it is almost completely absent.

Habitat

A flock of rooks (Rtishchevo)

Inhabits the steppe, forest-steppe and forest zones. Previously, the rook inhabited mainly natural biotopes and agrocenoses, however, since the second half of the 20th century, it has shown a tendency to invade large and small settlements of the Saratov region (including the city of Rtishchevo). It nests on trees in large colonies in roadside forest belts, parks, squares, cemeteries. It is extremely rare or completely absent in vast areas of virgin steppes and in old fallows. Reluctantly inhabits large continuous forests, where it is found only in areas near the canyon and on the border with open spaces. Preference in settling natural or artificial forest areas, as well as coniferous or deciduous forests has not been identified.

Lifestyle

Migrations

The disintegration of winter accumulations in urbanized areas begins in the second decade of March. In the same period, rooks continue to migrate from more southern regions, and the number of birds in places of traditional overnight stays begins to increase again. The second, more abrupt decline in numbers, leading to the final disintegration of overnight stays, occurs at the end of March. In natural biotopes, interannual differences in the timing of the appearance of rooks in nesting areas are clearly manifested. The course of migration is largely determined by the climatic conditions of the season, which sometimes significantly affects the general course of reproduction of the species, leads to asynchronous nesting and increased mortality of early clutches.

Having learned to fly, young rooks, together with their parents, begin to make short forage flights, at first moving away from the colony only a few kilometers. Then the length of such movements gradually increases, but the birds prefer to return to the colony for the night. This phenomenon is especially important for rooks, whose nesting colonies are located in steppe and semi-desert landscapes, where the number of forests is limited. In colonies inhabiting forest shelter belts along asphalt roads, at this time, there is a high mortality of young flying birds as a result of collisions with vehicles.

From the third decade of June, most adult and young birds leave the colony and move to a nomadic way of life. Since that time, they have been concentrated in the fields, on the shores of reservoirs, in landfills. Here, rooks often form flocks with jackdaws and hooded crows. Their number is gradually increasing. Rook roaming is wide enough and long-lasting. However, in the north of the Saratov region, as well as within some settlements Rooks do not lose contact with nesting colonies during the whole warm season.

In October, the migratory activity of birds becomes especially noticeable, and with the first November frosts, most of the rooks disappear. Shortly before the flight, the rooks begin to show increased excitability - they often give a voice, often start to talk. Sometimes the whole group, as if looking for a place to sit, for a long time, screaming in the air. Rooks behave this way at stops during migration.

A small number of birds remain for the winter. Wintering rooks in the Saratov region have been known since the end of the 19th century. Since this period, the number of birds and their proportion in the population, which annually remain to winter in the north of the Lower Volga region, has been steadily increasing. Birds of urban populations make foraging flights every day from the central built-up part of settlements, where their overnight stays are located, to feeding places - to city dumps, to train stations. Single individuals and small groups overwinter, which keep together with other corvids.

Reproduction

Rooks' nests in Rtishchevsky city park

Rook laying

In the first days of appearance in the places of future breeding, rooks in groups and individual pairs spend a limited time in colonies, mainly in the morning. Only after 7-10 days one can observe here the elements of current behavior, manifested in the adoption of characteristic poses, air demonstrations and shouts. Usually mating is confined to the borders of the nesting colony and is performed in pairs or small groups of rooks with practically the same frequency in the air, on tree branches and on the ground.

Rooks are not demanding in choosing a nesting tree, since the secrecy of the nesting structure is not a significant condition for breeding. Finding their nests is known in the Saratov region on almost all tree species involved in the formation of natural and artificial forests. Birds still give preference to middle-aged and old plantations, which include several breeds in their composition.

Nests are large, of twigs and dry twigs, broken off by a strong beak. The nature of the location of the nesting buildings depends on the type of the selected tree, for example, on oaks and birches, nests are placed near the trunk, while on ash, maples, elms and other species - on side branches, at a height of 15-20 m. The number of nests placed on one tree, varies greatly depending on its age and the nature of the location of the lateral branches. There are known examples when up to 20 nest buildings were located on one tall tree. Examples of solitary nesting of these birds are known. Having mastered in the early 1970s as a place for arranging nests of power transmission lines, substation masts and high voltage lines railways, Rooks annually increase their presence here and create new settlements.

The division of rooks into pairs is accompanied by the process of distributing the nests that have survived from the last reproductive season. This is followed by the period of their repair and the construction of new nesting structures. Such activity has been registered since the 20th of March; this process in different colonies lasts until the first ten days of May. In cities and other settlements of the Saratov region, this process begins at an earlier date.

At the beginning of the period of arranging nesting buildings, birds devote only a few hours to this activity in the morning, while in the midst of this process they are observed with building material practically throughout the day. Update rates and socket arrangements differ by different couples However, in general, this type of activity in birds takes up to 10 days. The period of nesting is significantly extended even within the same colony, which is due to the different preservation of old nests, the need to construct new buildings, the asynchronous appearance of birds within the colony, sometimes a lack of building material and, as a consequence, the ruin of other people's nests, and other reasons. As a result, when individual pairs at the beginning of the second May decade are just building nests or restoring buildings that have been pulled apart by neighbors in the colony, others are already having chicks. Up to 50% of nests are annually renewed, destroyed under the influence of climatic factors and anthropogenic impact.

Mating (March 26 - May 15) is approximately timed to the period of nesting, the highest intensity of which is observed in urban populations from March 29 to April 11. In colonies outside large settlements, these terms are somewhat shifted.

The first eggs appear in the nests of urban populations of rooks, depending on the course of spring, from March 15 to March 31; mass oviposition occurs, therefore, on April 3-20. In some seasons, this process is somewhat delayed. Prolongation (up to a month within one colony) of laying periods is due to a complex of reasons, among which the need for reproduction due to the death of the first clutch (natural destruction of nests, their spreading by other rooks, predation, etc.) is one of the most significant. Hatching of chicks in urban areas is recorded from April 28 to May 17, and the total breeding period from the beginning of egg-laying to the emergence of chicks is 49-52 days. In natural habitats, these periods do not differ significantly. The average clutch size in the Saratov region is 4.3 eggs. Egg sizes: 32.2-47.4 × 25.2-30.4 mm.

The female begins to incubate the clutch after the appearance of the first egg, therefore, hatching occurs at intervals of up to a day. The male, to which she sometimes flies out to meet, brings food. With the hatching of helpless chicks, the female heats them for a long time, almost leaving the nest. All the worries about feeding the family lie at this time on the male. After about 6 days, the female begins to forage for food. Parents bring food to chicks in hyoid bags. At the age of two weeks, the chicks actively move around the nest, and 20-25 days after hatching, they can already leave it and are on the branches adjacent to the nesting buildings. For about two more weeks, they are supplemented by their parents here, after which they can independently leave the colony. Young birds begin to leave the nests in the period from 19 to 24 May, the mass emergence occurs in the first days of May - the twentieth of June. In years with a relatively cold spring, these dates shift somewhat.

Nutrition

Rook belongs to the group omnivorous birds with a pronounced seasonal change in the composition of feed. In the pre-nesting and migration periods, as well as within the temporal aspect of trophic migrations, the basis of the diet of rooks is plant food, much less often insects and small vertebrates are eaten by them. Birds can cause significant harm by damaging or eating agricultural produce. The especially negative influence of rooks is manifested in relation to crops of sunflower and melons and gourds. During the nesting period, vegetative parts of plants, as well as seeds, are found in the composition of feed, but their share in the diet is significantly reduced. The dominant position in the food spectrum is shifting to insects, mainly Coleoptera and Orthoptera.

In the right-bank districts of the Saratov region, plant food predominates in the food of the rook (52.9%). They are represented by seeds of legumes, Asteraceae, cereals (wheat, barley, oats, millet, corn), as well as vegetative parts of plants (0.5-2.5%). Rooks also pull corn at the seedling stage. Animal components in the right-bank part of the Saratov region were registered in all pellets: the most abundant food of invertebrates are ground beetles, lamellar beetles and weevils. Among the insects that rooks rarely eat are swimmers, blisters, leaf beetles, turtles, locusts, hymenoptera and ants. Other invertebrates are represented in the food spectrum by molluscs. The share of gastroliths was quite large in the food lump of rooks from the studied settlements.

Limiting factors and status

Common nesting nomadic, partially sedentary and wintering species.

For many years, there has been a large nesting colony of rooks in the Rtishchevsky city park. At the end of 2013, the Department of Culture under the administration of the Rtishchevsky municipal district began a struggle with it. In particular, large-scale filing of trees was carried out, on which rooks nested. In the spring of 2014, the birds began to scare away with firecrackers, preventing them from building new nests.

Literature

  • Dementyev G.P. Passerines (Complete guide to birds of the USSR by S. A. Buturlin and G. P. Dementieva). - T. 4. - M., L .: KOIZ, 1937 .-- P. 29
  • Malchevsky A.S., Pukinsky Yu.B. Birds of the Leningrad Region and adjacent territories. - L .: Iz-in Leningrad University, 1983 .-- S. 546-548
  • News of Rtishchevo // KIS. - March 19, 2014
  • Birds of the North of the Lower Volga region: In 5 books. Book. IV. Avifauna composition / E.V. Zavyalov, V.G. Tabachishin, N.N. Yakushev et al. - Saratov: Saratov University Publishing House, 2009. - pp. 199-212
  • Felix I. Birds of gardens, parks and fields. - Prague: Artia, 1980 .-- P. 110
  • Flint V.E. et al. Birds of European Russia. Field guide. - M .: Union for the Conservation of Birds of Russia; Algorithm, 2001 .-- P. 162

An excellent example of what a rook looks like is shown by the famous painting by the artist A. Savrasov "The Rooks Have Arrived". It is a medium-sized black bird with shiny feathers. Outwardly, it is very similar to an ordinary black crow, since it also belongs to the corvid family. In this article, you will learn what distinguishes these two birds, what are the habits and lifestyle of rooks, their habitat, as well as behavior in the wild.

general characteristics

Rooks belong to the order of passerines. At the same time, science distinguishes them into a separate form.

Adults have a body weight from 400 g to 700 g. The length of the birds does not exceed 50 cm. By external features, females and males look almost the same. Females are slightly smaller than males. From a distance, it is almost impossible to distinguish a rook from its closest relative, the raven.

However, upon closer inspection, it turns out that rooks look more graceful than crows. Another one distinctive feature Is a thin, smaller beak. The plumage of the bird casts a metallic sheen and has an absolutely black color without shades and inclusions.

The life span of birds is about 4 years.

Habitat

Rooks are unpretentious to climate conditions, therefore they live in a wide geographical area. The main condition is the availability of a sufficient amount of feed. These birds are found throughout Eurasia, including the Scandinavian Peninsula. The exception is Central and South Asia.

Birds prefer to live near humans and feed on human waste. They are often found on arable land and fields during the plowing period. In the fresh soil there is a favorite delicacy of rooks, namely insects hibernating there.

Rooks are partly migratory birds. Birds that live in the northern regions fly south with the onset of cold weather. The happier people live year-round in their homeland with a mild and warm climate, without a shortage of food.

Features of behavior

These birds are very talkative and loud creatures. Gathering in flocks, birds are constantly making noise, noise, croaking and even playing catch-up. The meaning of the fun is to take a piece of food or a thing from an opponent. Another popular entertainment among them is to ride on branches, while at the same time passing an object to a neighbor.

During the mating season, male rooks practice spectacular performances. Their funny somersaults are aimed at attracting a potential partner to create offspring. If it is found successfully, happy pairs of birds spread their tails and coo among themselves, settling on trees in squares and parks.

Rooks are characterized by hierarchical division. So, adult birds occupy places in the middle on the branches of trees, while young birds settle on the sides.

Mental capacity

Scientists compare the intelligence of these birds to monkeys. For their goals, rooks use all the resources and means available to them. In particular, they construct primitive tools for obtaining food if they cannot reach it with their beak. They are a piece of wire or a branch.

Experiments in laboratory conditions have confirmed the presence of extraordinary intellectual abilities of rooks.

The experimental birds performed brilliantly in each of the situations simulated for them. Savvy and ingenuity help these smart birds where other representatives of the avian world graze.

Mating season and offspring

Rooks are monogamous birds. Partners mate for life. Their nesting preferences are also conservative. They do not change their home unnecessarily. Their favorite zones are the tops of trees, where for the mating period (from the beginning of April) they settle in whole flocks.

Branches serve as the material for the construction of the nest. Rooks lay dense twigs in the base, and wrap around the upper part of the nest with thin and small twigs. The soft layer consists of animal hair, cobwebs and dry grass.

Clutch contains from 3 to 6 eggs. The female incubates them for about 20 days. At this time, the male plays the role of a food getter. Newborn chicks are absolutely helpless.

In the first days after birth, their mother is engaged in heating and guarding them. Then, in her absence, the partner does it. Already a month after birth (in mid-June), the rook chicks are ready for independent life.

Nutrition and diet

In the wild, birds survive due to their omnivorous nature. Their diet is varied and wide. Arriving from warm countries in early spring, they feed on last year's remains of cereals, seeds, worms and beetles that are found underground.

In summer and autumn, their choice falls on:

  • May beetles;
  • shellfish;
  • worms, other insects;
  • seasonal seeds.

Despite the fact that rooks threaten some living organisms, they themselves often become prey. The first and most threatening enemy is man. All kinds of traps are set on birds that massively spoil crops. Often people shoot rooks in whole flocks.

In addition to humans, birds of prey pose a considerable threat to birds. Among them are the gyrfalcon, falcon, golden eagle and even the closest relative of the raven. Rooks take special care during the mating season, when their females are physically weak and their chicks are helpless. At this time, the protection of the family is the main priority of the head of the family.

The officially recorded body length of the smallest bird of this species is 45 cm.

Rooks are not frightened by the sounds of working agricultural machinery. Therefore, they are often seen flying behind a combine, tractor or combine harvester.

Science knows the only unprecedented case when a rook lived to almost 23 years. Unfortunately, scientists at that time found him already dead.

A cage of a rook (a grown chick that has fallen out of the nest), if found, is recommended to be returned to the branch of the nearest tree, where the parents will find it.

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And crows nest in trees in colonies. It feeds on the ground. The usual voice is a croak, higher than that of a crow. In adult rooks, the feathers around the base of the beak disappear and an off-white outgrowth forms here. Every day before the evening, in places rich in rooks, you can observe the following picture - rooks, stretching out in a long, but rare flock, as far as the eye can cover the sky, pull to their favorite willow grove or pond.

Areal. In Europe - in Ireland, Scotland, England, on the Orkney and Hebrides, in France, the rook is common north of the Loire, to the south it is rare, in the southwest only by chance; further south to the north of Italy (Venice), Romania (Dobrudja). In Scandinavia, nests in Norway up to about 63 ° 20 "N, in Sweden a little beyond 58 ° N, in the north-west of the European part of the USSR it goes up to 60 ° N and a little further north; at the White Sea rook common for nesting near Onega and Arkhangelsk, single nesting sites are known near Mezen (Parovshchikov); nests in Prikamye up to 60 ° N; in the Urals not north of Sverdlovsk; beyond the Urals to the north to the region of Turinsk (sporadically) and Tara; nests throughout Kulunda to its northern parts; on the Yenisei not north of Krasnoyarsk; from here the border drops to Minusinsk, goes to the upper reaches of the Lena and to Transbaikalia, then rises sharply northeast to Yakutsk and the mouth of the Aldan. Does not nest on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

Breeds in Japan, Korea, Manchuria, northern and western China and northern Mongolia. In the western part of the range, it goes south to Mal, Asia, the Caucasus, Iran and Central Asia; also in Ladakh.

In winter, in countries near the Mediterranean, in small numbers in Algeria, northern Egypt, on the Sinai Peninsula, in Palestine, Asia Minor, Crimea, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Afghanistan, northwestern Himalayas, Kashmir, Kashgaria; in southern China and Taiwan. A rook flies into Lapland. In autumn, it sometimes appears in the Timan tundra (the village of Verkhnyaya Pesha).

Nature of stay... In Western Europe, mostly sedentary, in places migratory. We have a nesting, migratory bird in the northern parts of the range, and a sedentary bird in the southern parts.
Rooks winter here on the Black Sea coast, in the North Caucasus, in the Transcaucasia, in particular on the lowlands and in the steppe regions of Azerbaijan, in Turkmenistan (in the foothill zone and in the south-west of the country, in the Atrek valley), Uzbekistan and on the plains of Tajikistan. Rooks leave Kazakhstan for the winter, but in some years they are found here at this time, for example, near Alma-Ata.

Number... In the European part of the range, it is a common bird, in the Asian part it is rarely found, and the number is very moderate. In general, even in Europe, it is somewhat sporadic, since rook nesting is associated with the presence of tall trees. Rooks are quite rare near the northern border of distribution. In the middle and southern zone of the European part of the USSR, it is a common, in places abundant bird. In Semirechye, rooks are sporadic for nesting, even more sporadic in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In autumn and winter in the south of our country, there are huge, multi-hundred flocks.

Dates... Rook is the first messenger of spring. Arrives very early. For many years of observations, rooks, on average, arrive in Moscow on March 13 (Parovshchikov, 1941).

Biotope. Nesting - gardens, parks and groups of trees scattered within the cultural landscape; forests, groves and riparian tugai. Birds prefer to nest near the edge of the forest; in the depths of the forest do not hold. For nesting, it is necessary to have tree plantations and places for watering - rivers, ponds, etc.

The forage biotope is the cultural landscape (fields, meadows, etc.) and steppe regions. Rooks hibernate in the foothill belt, river valleys, on arable land and, in general, in areas not covered with snow. Rook nests most of all in lowlands, but under favorable biotopic conditions, it rises even higher on the nesting site. In Altai, according to Sushkin (1938), it nests at an altitude of 1000-1100 m, nomadic birds were noted even higher - 1500 m.In Semirechye, rooks nest at an altitude of 2000 m and slightly higher, after hatching chicks were found up to 3000 m (Shnitnikov , 1949). In Kakheti - up to 1500 m (Chkhikvishvili, 1930). In the Carpathians, nesting colonies were noted at an altitude of 600-700 m (Strautman).

Reproduction... The age of onset of puberty in the rook is not firmly established; apparently, the birds start breeding at the age of about a year (from the normal April clutch of last year). Juveniles from additional clutches (late - June) do not breed in the first spring and even in some cases do not return to their nesting sites.

After arrival, the rook, although it visits the nesting sites, still leads a wandering lifestyle for a long time, without starting to reproduce. This also applies to those areas where the land is almost free of snow by the time the rooks arrive. Rooks nest in colonies, which, according to the number of nests included in them, are of different sizes. In the case of continuous persecution for a number of years, the rook ceases to nest colonially and becomes a solitary nesting bird. In the Volga delta, in Transcaucasia, in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, rooks nest in a mixed colony with herons, cormorants and ibex.

Rook colonies are arranged on a variety of trees: birch, aspen, willow, linden, pine, spruce (Formozov and Osmolovskaya, 1950), oak, ash, maple, white acacia (Budnichenko, 1940), on poplars, in particular pyramidal, elm, alder and others. As for the number of nests on one tree of the colony, it can be different: 1-2, 10-12 each and (Samorodov, 1932) up to three dozen and even up to 50 (Keinegech, Dementyev). Oak and ash at the age of 70-100 are most of all used by rooks for building nests (Budnichenko, 1940). Nests are arranged near the main trunk, in the forks of the lateral branches. The location of rook colonies depends on the direction of the prevailing winds in the area.

Nesting material: the base of the nest is made of twigs, in the tray there is dry grass, sometimes pieces of wool, thin twigs. In the European part of the Union, nests are usually at an altitude of 15-20 m. In Baraba and Kulunda, they are located at a height of 10-12 m from the ground on birch-aspen pegs - 2.5-4 m (Yurlov, 1951). In the lower reaches of the Amu Darya, the nests found are at an altitude of 6 m-10 m on elm (Rustamov, Dementyev).

Rooks are very restless and noisy birds, and if their colony is located near human habitation, then such a neighborhood cannot be called pleasant. Continuous croaking and screams fill the surroundings and a black cloud of flying rooks darkens the sky ...

Normally there is one clutch per year, different numbers April. At the same time, there are apparently no significant latitudinal differences in the timing of deposition. As you move from west to east, the timing of egg laying is later: in Western Europe, in the second half of March - early April (Wyserby, 1938); in the middle zone of the European part of the USSR - in the second half of April and, in particular, from April 15-18, on average, in the Moscow region. (Hoffman). In the timing of oviposition, members of one nesting colony exhibit known fluctuations (micropopulations).

When the first is lost, there is a secondary, additional, masonry. In clutch there are 3-5, less often 6, even less often 7 eggs. The number of eggs in the additional clutch is reduced (2-3). Eggs are green with brown spots, scattered more at the blunt end, often more or less evenly over the entire surface. Dimensions of 37 eggs (7 clutches) 30.1-44.7x24.0-33.8 mm (Spangenberg, 1941). Laying eggs daily or at intervals. Incubation is carried out only by the female from the first egg, which is confirmed by the varying degrees of incubation of eggs in the same clutch and by chicks of different ages. In the nest with four chicks, the smallest one weighed 111.5, and the largest chick - 203 g, that is, twice as much (Keleinikov). Duration of incubation is 16-20 days. In the clutch there are also unfertilized eggs (usually one). In years with favorable feeding conditions, fertility is higher: in Naurzum in 1941 there were no more than 2 chicks in the nests of rooks, in 1948 - 2-4 chicks each. The number of eggs in clutches of rooks in years with good feeding conditions, in particular, the mass appearance of locusts, increases (Ryabov, 1949). It is possible that this is in some connection with the wintering conditions.

Chicks hatch naked; grow quickly; only the male feeds them; after hatching of chicks (up to about one and a half weeks), the female almost does not leave the nest. A few days before the juveniles leave, the female also takes part in feeding them (Keleinikov). The mortality of chicks in the nest is often significant.

The juveniles leave at the age of 29-30 days, at various dates in May and in the first ten days of June. Late emergence of chicks occurs from additional clutches or from clutches of rooks that started breeding later. After the chicks leave the nest, they continue to feed them for some time, and they keep together in the nesting area. Later, rooks stray into large flocks and lead a nomadic lifestyle, more often together with jackdaws.

Molting... Partial molt (fine feather) of juveniles between July and September. However, a naked "face" does not appear yet, and only in January do changes in the plumage of the face begin: the skin thickens, feathers begin to fall out (from the throat); at the same time, feather papillae are gradually reduced (Chappelier, 1936). Feather loss progresses with age, covering more and more areas on the forehead, chin and on the front of the cheeks under the eye. At about two years of age, the bristles covering the nostrils, which are still present in one-year-old birds, also fall out. Moulting of adults - full annual. The change of primary flight feathers begins as early as May, but then molt stops (nesting period) and resumes later, ending in September (Nithammer, 1937).

Nutrition... Rooks feed on various insects and their larvae, mouse-like rodents, grain and garden crops. Animal food predominates in the forage regime and insects occupy the main place.

By the destruction of insects (May beetles and their larvae, turtles, bugs, pests of cereals, spring moths, caterpillars of the meadow moth, beet weevil, wireworms, etc.) and small rodents, the rook is of great benefit for agriculture and forestry. Harmful species of insects in the diet of rooks occupy a significant percentage: from 55 to 95%. Rooks play a significant role in eliminating the centers of mass reproduction of harmful insects, for example, filly, pine silkworm. Successful control of the beet weevil is carried out by attracting rooks to beet plantations (Averin).

13.12.2016

Classification

View: rook

Family: corvids

Detachment: passerine

Class: birds

Type of: chordates

Subtype: vertebrates

Dimensions: body length is approximately 45-50 cm; weight - from 300 to 500 gr.

Life Expectancy: average 3.5 years

Rook is a bird that many have heard of, but few have seen, and even fewer know its habits and lifestyle. A slender, graceful messenger of spring, a relative of a crow, but different in habits from her.

Rook is a very beautiful, stately and intelligent bird. It fits in sizeperegrine falcon. In the northern regions, the bird leads a migratory lifestyle, therefore, it has long been accustomed to associate its appearance with the onset of spring heat.

It is this phenomenon that is depicted in the famous painting by Savrasov. If you carefully examine the photo of the bird, you will see slight differences from the crow, and not only in color. But let's take a closer look.


The photo clearly shows the main signs of the rook: a large beak without plumage at the base, "pants" made of feathers on the legs, black with a metallic sheen.

Habitat

The rook is a free bird, but prefers to live in colonies, which greatly distinguishes it from many other related species. Distributed everywhere, including amongbirds of the Moscow region , but behaves differently in different parts of Eurasia.

In warmer climates (southern regions), the rook stays overwintering, and therefore becomes a common bird that settles near humans and is found all year round.

It's another matter if he settles closer to the north. In these parts, a black handsome man is forced, likeswallows and swifts , fly away for the winter, so they meet him only in warm weather.

Interesting. The Latin name of the species is Corvus frugilegus, translated as “a raven collecting food”. It appeared due to the fact that the bird, likerobin , loves to walk on fresh arable land, pecking on various insects.

By the way, thanks to this particular habit, the rook is considered an excellent assistant to farmers: the flock is able to deal with a huge number of May beetle larvae, one of the most dangerous pests, in a matter of minutes.

If we talk about Russia, then the spring messenger can be found in the forest and forest-steppe zones, in their southern parts, all the way from the western border to Primorye.

Rook lives in other areas, but not in large numbers. In the world, its range has spread to Europe and most of Eurasia. But in South and Central Asia you will not see a bird.

As stated above, this is a very smart look. In the summer he prefers to nest in the forests, but in the winter he goes out into the city to feed himself. It often unites in huge, noisy flocks with crows and jackdaws.


A flock of rooks with jackdaws

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Characteristic

Already from the photo of the bird, it is clear that it is very similar to the most common crow, but it has some differences. Indeed, the rook is sleeker, thinner, although about the same size. More tends to flock living.

Interesting! Rooks are compared by many scientists to chimpanzees in terms of intelligence. It is noteworthy that this bird is just as willing to use primitive tools for foraging and in other situations, as the named species of primates.

He prefers to live in colonies, and he always tries to settle closer to agricultural land.

You can often see a picture near arable land: a separate strip of trees and numerous nests on them. Such colonies are called "rookery".

It is quite problematic to be near them: the birds are noisy, and their "conversations" are very similar to the familiar croaking.

Nature itself allows individuals of this species to live for about two decades, but this rarely happens in harsh reality.


Rook chick, still without whiteness characteristic of an adult individual around the beak

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Appearance

And yet, what does a rook look like? The bird is characterized by:

  • Absolutely black (the same "black") plumage with a classic metallic sheen;
  • Powerful, large beak, slightly curved downwards and lack of plumage at its base;
  • Dandy "pants" formed from elongated feathers at the top of the legs;
  • Long clawed paws.

There are no sexual distinctive features, but a young individual can be identified. It does not have a characteristic whitish tint at the base of the beak.

Interesting! The rook is very similar to the black crow, although in fact they are different species. It is easy to distinguish them: the black crow has feathers around its beak and there is no whitishness in this part of the body.


Rook preparing for a meal

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Key Features

Before you is a handsome rook. Its silhouette attracts the eye with its harmonious proportions of the body and a fighting look. Long legs, powerful beak, slender outlines.

Now that you know what a rook looks like, it will never be confused even with a black crow, although the species are very similar to each other.


By the beak of the rook, it is very easy to distinguish the raven from its closest "relatives"

The bird has several interesting characteristics and unusual habits.

Firstly, you can always distinguish representatives of urban clusters from village relatives.

The latter, although they are not afraid of a person, prefer to live more apart, do not settle in the immediate vicinity of housing, creating their own separate rookery.

Individuals living in large cities or even megacities behave somewhat differently. Sometimes they get the impression that they take people for granted.

They build nests on human buildings, especially power lines and high, most often industrial buildings.

Although the rook prefers animal food, feeding mainly on larvae and worms, it does not refuse plant food either.

Recently, they, along with crows, can be found near garbage cans. By the way, it is with an increase in food waste that the migration of these birds from forests closer to human habitation is associated.

Scientists also believe that this circumstance led to the transition of many flocks to a sedentary lifestyle, even in those regions where rooks used to be migratory.

Interesting! It was said above that many individuals die at the age of 3.5-4 years. However, in Great Britain there was an individual who lived until almost 23 years of age. The rook nestling was ringed at an early age, but it was found dead already quite old.

By themselves, these birds are very cunning, smart, quick-witted. Like all corvids, they are good mockingbirds. But intelligence manifests itself in other features of behavior.

Rooks often show enviable ingenuity, using improvised means to solve momentary problems (sticks or small stones to break the ground if they cannot do it with their beak).


Couple of rooks resting after flight

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Nutrition

In fact, the rook's diet consists of the following "dishes":

  • Small (and not very small) invertebrates, such as worms or larvae, a special delicacy is the May beetle;
  • Mouse rodents like voles orlemmings ;
  • Cereal grains;
  • Various fruits and seeds of vegetables, berries, fruits;
  • Food waste.

Chicks can eat independently, starting from months of age, after they fly out of the nest. However, they are often fed by their parents for about 3-4 weeks.

Then the bird becomes completely adult and, together with the rest, roams through the fields, forests, parks.

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Behavior, reproduction

Describing the behavior of a rook is not an easy task. This is a rather versatile bird that can amaze with its amazingly accurate, correct reactions.

She is very active, inquisitive, understanding. Rooks are able to remember the situation, place, build some semblance of logical chains.

That is why they used to be often kept at home and even trained. But more on that below.

Rooks' breeding season begins when the snow is actively melting, most often in mid to late March. In general, birds arrive at the nesting site in February, when the sun begins to warm up.

But this applies only to the southern borders of their range, in the central part, the construction of a dwelling for themselves and future chicks occurs closer to April.

Rooks live in colonies, moreover, they can return for more than one year to the place where they were born in order to reproduce offspring.

Nests are large, noticeable, up to 65 cm in diameter, 25 to 70 cm high. Both the male and the female are equally actively involved in the construction.

The outer layer is usually made of twigs, the inner layer is a various soft material, from last year's dried grass and leaves to tow, fluff, cotton wool, etc.


Rooks' nest that can be seen from afar

Interesting. Rooks can use the same nest for several years in a row. Moreover, they will never be confused whether this is their home or not.

Every year the building grows, and, in the end, it becomes a multi-tiered, complex structure.

There is only one clutch, but in very rare cases the pair can hatch chicks twice a summer. As a rule, the female lays from 3 to 6 sufficiently large eggs (about 30 mm in diameter).

The shell color can range from greenish blue to blue with brown spots. A rook chick is born in about 3 weeks, it is absolutely helpless and completely naked.

The female warms the babies for a long time with her warmth, and during this period only the male feeds the whole family. When the chicks begin to fledge, both the father and the mother feed them.

Departure from the nest at the age of 30 days, but the rook chicks become independent later. Both parents feed them for another 3 weeks.


Rook egg reaches 3 mm in diameter

Birds of this species are very caring parents, and both adults occupy an equally important place in raising offspring.

Subsequently, many chicks return to the place where they were born to continue their genus. But some also fly away to other areas, gathering in new colonies.


Rook eggs in the nest

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Relationships with people

Surprisingly, such an interesting and quite close to man bird remained not fully studied for a very long time.

The fact is that earlier the rook led a more secretive life, preferring to stay away from human habitation.

Now, many individuals are not at all afraid of people, existing side by side with us. And this provides many opportunities for close study and observation.

Despite the increasing approach to human habitation, the rook is still more common in rural settlements than in large cities.

This is due to his special love for the newly plowed field, where you can eat plenty of insects dug into the light. This bird is not afraid of man, treats him calmly.

Since handsome black men are very smart, they can be kept as pets. With the right approach, you can teach how to speak.

Moreover, the dictionary will be quite extensive. However, it is important to consider some content rules:

  1. The rook is very quick and easy to tame, so don't be afraid of contact with your pet;
  2. This is a schooling bird, it needs constant communication and attention;
  3. It will not be possible to keep in the house because of the large size of the animal and freedom. Many experienced breeders advise a spacious aviary, and best of all outdoors;
  4. Observe the correct feeding regimen, make sure that there is always fresh and clean water.

With proper care, a rook may well become good friend, with whom you can even "talk heart to heart." But nevertheless, this is a free bird, and it is better to observe it in nature, and not to plant it, even in a golden one, but still a cage.

Interesting! Inhabitants of Germany and Ukraine, who belonged to the so-called "poor stratum of the population", used rook meat for food. This dish was widespread until the end XIX century.

Having seen a bird at least once, one cannot help but feel an interest in it, a desire to touch its way of life with at least one hand. And this is possible, you just need to watch carefully.

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