Zhelnov - a bird family woodpecker, black woodpecker.This is one of the largest representatives of their kind.The bird has a jet-black color, and if not for the bright red top of the head in males and females - the head, then it is quite difficult to be distinguished from the crows.Black Woodpecker is a characteristic habit - he loves a while accompanied by walking on its territory rights.He flies back and watching, peeking from behind a tree.In the old superstitious people thought that it was an evil spirit haunts them, and killed a curious bird.
Black woodpecker (photo birds can be seen in the article) is mostly solitary life.An exception is the mating season, which starts when there is snow in the woods.Since early March, the males try to attract the attention of females, they shout loudly and knocking trees.Across the forest at a distance can be heard the guttural "FRY, FRY, FRY", which can go into plaintive mewing cry - "keee."
After mating, the female with the male begin to settle in a remote area of the forest.To build the nest, they are hollow in a tree hollow.Basically it works on a new housing for the male, while the half of it watching him from nearby branches.It builds a nest on tall trees shotgun.Most often, this black woodpecker to choose spruce, pine and aspen.Hollow hollowed out at the height of not less than 4 meters, it has an inlet about 10h17 cm and depth of 40 to 60 cm. Its construction can take up to 4 weeks.It's the same bird's nest used in the following years, however, if it is not occupied by other residents.
bottom of the nest is lined with nothing but bark.In late April, the female lays from 4 to 5 eggs, and after two weeks of incubation the chicks begin to hatch.In the nest, they spend the first four weeks of his life.At this time, parents are involved in their maintenance.They continued for some time to do that when the chicks already fly from the nest.
In August, the young birds leave fully not only the nest, but the territory of the parents.They are looking for new places or those that were left without master.Once the chicks are lost, the adult birds start to avoid each other.They sleep in a hollow, but each has its own "bedroom".And when you consider that the black woodpecker finds its land area of several square kilometers, the dispute because of the food they do not have.
basis of the diet have Zhelnov are insects and their larvae.Black woodpecker destroys the bark beetles, longhorn beetles, jewel beetles, ants, larvae horntails and so on.In one day, it can eat up to 600 larvae than great benefit insect infestation to plants.It often happens that the bird is completely knocked bark off the tree or extracting something particularly dainty, making rectangular holes in the trunk.
Black woodpecker is a resident birds in winter from their "home" it does not fly away and feels there as well as in summer.For the most preferred habitat of dense coniferous forests, but also occurs in deciduous.Zhelnov distributed throughout the forest zone of Russia, it is found in Siberia and Kazakhstan, and the Caucasus, and in all the forests of the European part of our country.Black woodpecker - a longtime friend of the trees, it needs to be protected, and today it is under the protection of our state.
