All people know that there are settled birds, and there are migratory ones. The fact that some of them fly away to the warm regions for the winter is well known to everyone. But where bullfinches fly in the summer and, in general, whether they fly away - not everyone knows about it. This is exactly what we are going to understand now.
Appearance
Before you figure out where bullfinches fly in the summer, it's worth deciding what this bird looks like. So, in size it is slightly larger than a sparrow, the plumage is quite fluffy. An interesting fact is that a bright red breast is characteristic exclusively for males of these birds, while in females the breast is grayish-brown. As for the habitat, these birds live in a strip of coniferous and mixed forests, and the name “bullfinch” itself comes from the word “snow”.
About winter life
What do these birds do in the winter, cold season? So, they live in small flocks on average 7-10 individuals. The colder it is on the street and the more frost, the less mobile these birds are. They just sit on a branch, flying away from time to time to get their own food. And so the whole day. With the approach of darkness, birds seek bushes or hidden branches of trees to spend the night. As for the first half of winter, the birds at this time, basically, are silent by nature, from them you can only occasionally hear a quiet “du-du”. When winter crosses its half-line, the sun begins to shine brighter, from bullfinches you can hear a simple little song. As the heat and spring approaches, these birds sing more often and louder, and around mid-April they simply disappear, and before the onset of cold weather, few see them, and not everyone knows where they went.
Summer time
Many people may be interested in the question of where bullfinches fly in the summer and whether they fly away at all. So, it may seem to some that they, according to the principle of migratory birds, can go to colder regions. But this is completely wrong. Bullfinch by its nature is a settled bird, and for the summer it simply hides from the human eye, hiding in dense forests, thickets. However, it should be said that all the same bullfinches fly away for the summer from cities and densely populated areas to more secluded places. They make nests in the dense branches of deciduous trees or on the highest branches of Christmas trees where no one can get or see them. Therefore, in the summer it is quite difficult to observe these birds, because they skillfully hide from humans, practically without betraying themselves.
Why are bullfinches closer to people in winter?
Having figured out whether bullfinches fly to the colder regions for the summer, it is also worth saying a few words about why these birds in the winter stretch to crowded places. It's simple: in search of feed. For birds, the worst thing is not the cold (because their temperature, on average, is 41-42 degrees), but hunger. Lack of feed adversely affects the body of birds, they freeze faster, and even a healthy bird can die. At this time, it is very difficult to find food in the forest, so bullfinches fly to where there are people and where you can make some money. The most difficult time for these birds, when daylight is the shortest - in December-January, then you can see the first bullfinches on the streets of cities. When food can be found without problems in the forest more often, the birds return to a more comfortable environment for them, leaving the crowded cities and towns.
Bird feed
Having figured out where bullfinches fly in the summer, it is also worth a few words to say about what these birds eat. Some conclusions can be drawn simply by looking at their beak. So, it is quite massive and is designed to tear various seeds and small nuts. However, not for catching worm bugs. Also, these birds feed on tree buds, various berries, eating seeds from them and completely discarding the flesh.
Captivity
Answering the question about where bullfinches fly after winter (just into the forest, remaining in the same strip), it is worth saying a few words about whether these birds can be kept in captivity. So, this is allowed, however, for a bullfinch, the cage should be spacious, high, there should always be fresh sand and water at the bottom of it. It is important to say that these birds love to swim, so for them you need to provide a small bath. As for nutrition in captivity, it can be various berries and seeds, but, in addition to this, it is also important to give fresh greens, as well as grated carrots. As for the temperature regime, it is easy to guess that these birds love the cool, and hide from the heat. Therefore, it is better to place the cage in a cool place, however, where there is also daylight, for birds this is very, very important. Also, bullfinches can be kept in pairs or even in groups, placing birds and a few other species.
Benefit
After all of the above, a logical question may arise: what benefits does the bullfinch bring? First of all, it is, of course, pleasant sounds from his singing. But that is far from all. Here, for example, a bird ate berries and sat on the upper branch to clean its beak. Several rowan seeds were cleaned and fell to the ground, after a while giving life to a new tree. And so to infinity, because the bird eats quite often.