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2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45
A small bird of the corvidae family can be easily confused with a jay. The same gray color, orange tail. But the size of the individual is more like a sparrow than a jay. This is a kuksha or in another way ronzha. The bird, in addition to external beauty, has an amazing voice that the inhabitants of the northern regions of Russia hear, since the bird lives there. Moreover, the singing of young individuals resembles muttering, and only in adulthood the sounds are aligned into a beautiful melody.
The ronja bird sings very quietly, so it is impossible to hear it from afar. But witnesses claim that the singing is somewhat reminiscent of the sounds of bullfinches, the same clicks, clicks and lingering trills. Even captive kukshas are able to master the natural melody on their own, which brings unspeakable joy to the owners of the bird.
In the article, we will introduce the reader to the ronji bird closer, find out its habits, what it likes to do, besides singing, how it builds nests and starts a family where you can meet it in nature. It will also be useful to find out the owners of this bird, keeping it ina cage at home that the kuksha loves to eat.
Where lives
Kuksha lives in the forest zone, loves spruce, fir, cedar or larch thickets of the taiga. It can be found near Moscow, Kazan or in the latitude of the Southern Urals, it also lives in the regions of Altai and Transbaikalia adjacent to Mongolia. The habitat covers the territory up to the Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin and the Scandinavian countries. Most of all, the ronja bird is found in the north of European Russia, with the approach to the south, the number of individuals is significantly reduced.
There are 11 species of this bird in total. Two of them can be found even in the forests of China and North America.
This bird is characterized by a sedentary lifestyle, the kuksha begins to travel only in winter, and even then over short distances, united in small flocks. Birds cruise in search of food along the same route every day, but it has been noticed that for some reason in February they fly this distance twice.
At this time, it can be seen even in birch groves. But most of all she likes to settle in the most remote thickets of cedar, fir, spruce or larch forests. In winter vagrant periods, kuksh can be seen in Denmark, Hungary and in the Slovak Tatras. It is possible to meet her in the north-eastern part of Kazakhstan.
Appearance
Ronja bird (kuksha) feather color is light gray, turning into black on the head. From a distance it seems that a black cap is put on his head. Thanks to this coloring, it easily hides among the trees of the forest, betrays it onlyred tail and small spots on the wings. The flight feathers themselves are brown. The beak and legs are black.
The size of the bird is larger than a sparrow, but smaller than a jay, approximately 26-30 cm with a tail in males. Females are slightly smaller, from 24 to 28 cm. The weight of the bird is on average from 81 grams in females to 87 grams in males. The beak is rather short, slightly curved at the end of the mandible. The tail is long and rounded at the end, consists of 10 tail feathers.
What eats
The ronja bird (pictured below) gets food quite easily, since this bird is omnivorous. She perfectly eats the seeds of coniferous trees, various berries that grow in forests. Also does not disdain ronja and food of animal origin. These are insects, they especially like to catch bugs, small birds or mice, shrews or voles.
There are known cases of ruining the nests of other bird species by kukshas, while chicks are used as food. In winter, when there is a shortage of food, they can attack white partridges caught in the net by bird catchers, or finish eating animals killed by other predators, do not disdain carrion. For the winter, in the hollows, the kuksha harvests stocks of lingonberries and other berries.
Where settles
Kuksha (another name for the bird - ronzha) makes nests at a height of 2 to 6 meters, hiding nests in dense thickets of the taiga. It is located most often between the trunk and the branch extending to the side, but it is also found on the branches themselves.
The shape of the nests is bowl-shaped, they are built carefully, from thin branches and grass stalks. They insulate a dense structure with feathers, lichens,dry grass. The socket size is as follows:
- diameter - 23 cm;
- wall thickness - from 5 to 7 cm;
- diameter of the inner tray - 9 cm.
Reproduction
Kuksh family is formed for a long time. The male and female live together for a whole year, and according to the observations of ornithologists, most likely, even in a short period of flock formation, they do not lose sight of each other. This happens in winter, when it is easier to survive in a flock. Sometimes there are kukshas in the amount of 6-8 birds along with titmouses. Before the start of the breeding season, flocks break up. Male courtship starts from March to April.
Ronjis start nesting early and only once a year. There is a nesting period sometimes in March, sometimes in April. Eggs are usually 3-4 pieces, very rarely - 5. Their size varies from 23 to 28 mm. The color of the eggs is different, from greenish-gray to off-white, sometimes there are colorful spots with a purple tint, thickening at the blunt end of the egg.
Incubation starts from the very first egg and lasts 16-17 days. Both parents sit on the clutch together, tightly clinging to each other, do not leave the nest, even if the person bothers them.
After hatching, both parents take care of the offspring. Chicks are born completely helpless, covered with thick brown fluff.
Grown up ronjis learn to fly already on the 21st day, but even after leaving the nest, they are still nearby for a long time.
Moulting
Change of feathers in kuksha starts from mid-June. First, the small pen changes, inAt the end of June there is a change of flight feathers in stumps. In mid-September, the molting process is almost over, the only thing left is the small feathers on the head and neck. Such information was obtained as a result of catching birds in different periods.
Interesting information
The name of the kuksha, according to one version, the bird got from the sound "kuuk" emitted by it. Other ornithologists believe that the name of the species comes from the Finnish word kuukkeli.
Only Russians call it ronzhey, as in some dialects of the B altic peoples, this is how the nut is called. But since such birds do not live in the B altic States, the name of the ronge is not used among scientists and ornithologists.
Rongey is often called other birds, such as nutcracker, roller, waxwing, jay.
The article contains a photo and description of the ronzha bird (scientifically kuksha). The Latin correct name for the individual is Perisoreus infaustus. Now you can easily recognize such a bird in the forest, because it is impossible to confuse it with anyone.
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