Every day, whether it is a city, a village or any other place, we meet dozens of different birds. We know some of them from the school bench - these are the ubiquitous brawlers, sparrows, magpie thieves, darkly croaking crows, eye-catching titmouses, and leisurely strolling doves. But there are some among them that are hard to recognize right away, for example, the bird of the Julian.
Who is he - an ordinary swindler?
The appearance of a julan is quite interesting. The bird itself is relatively small - the body length usually does not exceed 20 centimeters. The head is slightly flattened on the sides, but there is practically no neck as such. The bird has an interesting beak - it is very short, swollen, and its lower reaches are bent down and pointed. The eyes of a julan are very small, more like planted beads. The wingspan with a body weight of thirty grams is approximately 30 centimeters. The tail, which is the “wheel” of the bird in flight, is long enough, narrow, with a straight edge at the end.
Zhulan's paws are short, but strong enough in a push. The upper body has a pleasant brown color with a reddish tint, the chest and belly are beige-pinkish. Zhulan represents the order Vorobinobraznye.
Nutrition
It is interesting to eat a julan. The main food is insects, but the bird does not disdain and larger representatives of the fauna. For example, for lunch, grasshoppers, spiders or flies, as well as lizards, small frogs, mouse voles, and even fellow birds can get to her. It is also noteworthy how the shrike-julan conducts the food intake process - the caught prey is not swallowed whole, as many other species of birds do, but is torn into very small pieces. Part of the julan can dine immediately, the other part will go to the reserve. The bird will diligently prick pieces of food on sticking out thin knots, spikes of plants, and sometimes even a metal mesh. This will be an untouchable reserve, which the bird will use when it cannot find any other food.
Breeding
In family life, zhulans are like swans - they try to keep their pair until the very end.
Reproduction occurs in the spring, in April-May. Common Zhulan rarely nests on trees - birds prefer bushy shrubs. However, if the nest is twisted on a tree, then it will be very low. Often there are nests twisted right on the ground, but more often birds choose safer places. The house of a julan can be compared to a clay bowl - the walls of the nest are so thick and strong. Both parents create a cozy family nest - the male brings materials for the construction, the female neatly puts them out. Everything is used - thin branches, pieces of moss, roots, and the bottom of the nest must be covered with soft grass. In clutch there are usually 5-6 testicles, but sometimes their number increases to 8.
The female has to incubate the chicks for about two weeks. The male, all this time, has been searching and bringing food for his soul mate. Sometimes, but extremely rarely, he himself can replace the female. Chicks hatch without feathers, but already sighted. For two weeks, parents feed them in the nest, and from the third they begin to learn to fly.
Where does julan live?
The order Vorobyobraznye prefers almost the entire territory of Europe. Often a bird can be found on the western outskirts of Asia. Zhulan refers to those representatives of birds that fly away for the winter to warm countries. Africa's favorite wintering destination is Africa. She flies exclusively at night. Trying to stay closer to the water - it can be both river valleys and swamps. Often, a cheater can be seen at the edges and clearings - the bird prefers free space and an abundance of sun.
Described birds, as well as ordinary sparrows, can often be seen in parks, gardens, and kitchen gardens - this is such an unpretentious zhulan to its habitat. The bird often nests in settlements, however, it selects only those places where there is a dense shrub. An interesting fact is that before the Zhulans lived exclusively in the UK, but for some reason they got over from there, appearing for a short time only during the migration.
What are cheats?
Common Zhulan is only one of the species of this genus of birds. Along with it there are also the Siberian Julian, the gray shrike, the black-headed shrike, the Japanese shrike, the tiger and the red-headed, the wedge-tailed shrike. The birds are different in color, and it is also possible to understand whose nest is in front of us by the color of the eggs that the female lays on (or the remains of the shell). Color varies from saturated green to white with reddish-brown spots. Common to all birds of this family remains hunting behavior. Catching prey, the bird sits high on a tree or on wires, turns its head from side to side, while making characteristic circular movements with its tail. An ordinary Zhulan can hang in the air for an indefinite time in order to better aim at prey. All kinds are similar in singing - their cry is usually similar to a “check-check” or “chya-chzhya”.