GARDEN BIRDS

<text>

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Garden Birds

By <name key="Louise Kettlewell">

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CONTENTS

Page	1-5	Feeding Frenzy
page	6-9	Finches
page	10-15	Chats, Sparrows, <reg>thrushes</reg>
Page	16-18	Blackbirds Starlings
Page	19-23	tits, Siskins
Page	24-30	Woodpecker, Robins, Magpies, Jays, Crows
Page	31-	Bird wordsearch
		General information
		Information taken from: R.S.P.B <reg>magazines</reg> and, birds of <reg>Britain</reg> and Europe.

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BULLfinch

GOLDfinch

GREENFINCH

FINCHES

HAWFINCH

<reg>CHAFfinch</reg>

</note>

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FINCHES

Like tits, finches are generally among the most well-known and liked of birds, for they often come to gardens and parks, adding a touch of colour with their bright plumage. They usually appear in groups, working their way through trees or bushes or over low plants, as they search for seeds. They have stout beaks that can split open a seed as easily as a pair of nutcrackers.

GREENFINCH

The greenfinch is often seen among scattered trees. It can be seen in bushes or in <reg>fields</reg> and gardens. It clings to net bags or wire baskets of nuts to feed, like tits. And it nests in trees and <reg>bushes</reg>.

HAWFINCH

The Hawfinch lives in woods, orchards, parks, and gardens, but may hide away among leaves, especially in britain. Nests in trees and bushes. And has a huge bill that can crack open hard seeds and nuts.

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GOLDFINCH

The Goldfinch lives and nests in same places as a greenfinch, but does not come to feed on nuts. It is often seen climbing over thistles or on high perch. Badly named, as gold is only seen clearly on wings in flight.

BULLFINCH

The bullfinch is found in woods, orchards, hedges, parks and gardens. It nests in trees, bushes and hedges. It can raid things like fruit for their buds.

CHAFFINCH

The chaffinch <sic>is</sic> food in woods, among scattered trees and bushes, and in fields, hedges, orchards, parks and gardens. It nests in trees and bushes; Spreads to more open country in winter.

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GREENFINCHES

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This is a bullfinch.

This is a male chaffinch. <gap desc="arrow pointer">

This is a female chaffinch <gap desc="arrow pointer">

This is a male greenfinch. <gap desc="arrow pointer">

This is a female Greenfinch. <gap desc="arrow pointer">

This is a goldfinch. <gap desc="arrow pointer">

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CHATS

SPARROWS

TREEsparrow

THRUSHES

SONGThrush

MISTLEThrush

HOUSESparrow

</note>

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SPARROWS

Sparrows are cheeky, active, quarrelsome birds.

Tree sparrows are much scarcer than house sparrows, best identified by their brown caps and black cheek spots, and always good to find in mixed finch and sparrow flocks on farmland.

Sparrows, more than any other birds, cheep and chirp - there is no other way to describe it!

Even their songs, such as they are, are simple, repetitive chirrups. But the tree sparrow has another, distinctive call - a hard " <sic>tek tek</sic> ". House sparrows form flocks in cornfields in summer, flying up in dense clouds when alarmed. Sparrows are small birds and have stout bills.

HOUSE SPARROW

The house sparrow is found in farms, gardens, parks and <reg>fields</reg>. It <sic>nest</sic> under eaves, in holes, in walls, rocks, and in nest boxes. It is a form of house sparrow with different head colours. It has a <reg>chestnut</reg> crown and white cheeks.

TREE SPARROW

The tree sparrow is found in woods, among scattered trees, bushes, <reg>fields</reg> and parks and gardens. It <reg>nests</reg> in holes and trees. It also lives and nests in little towns and villages, like <sic>an</sic> house sparrow.

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The female house sparrow.

The male house sparrow.

<gap desc="figure"> This is a tree sparrow.

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THRUSHES AND CHATS

This large family of birds contains several birds that are well known as visitors to gardens. They feed mainly on fruits, berries and insects, but are often seen looking for worms. Thrushes are medium-sized birds and have slender bills, long wings and tails. The young birds are all spotted but some, such as the male blackbird, lose their spots as they mature. Thrushes have beautiful songs, which they seem to <reg>perform</reg> just for the pleasure of singing. Nightingales, in <reg>particular</reg> are <reg>renowned</reg> for their melodious singing. Originally most of the thrushes and chats were <sic>woodlands</sic> birds, but some, especially the robin and blackbird, are now familiar sights in suburban gardens. They have been known to build their nests in man-made objects such as flowerpots, <reg>discarded</reg> kettles and brooms. Many thrushes and chats are migrants.

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MISTLE THRUSH

The mistle thrush is found in woods, farmland, parks and gardens: also on moors in the winter. It nests in trees all through the year.

SONG THRUSH

The song thrush is often found in woods and orchards, among scattered bushes hedges, and in parks and gardens. It may be seen on lawns cocking its head to one side, as if <reg>it’s</reg> listening but in fact for a worm. It drops snails on to a stone (called an anvil) to break the shell open. It nests in trees, hedges, and also buildings.

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WRENS

Wrens live among low plants, <reg>fields</reg>, parks and gardens. It is often seen scurrying about in a <sic>flower</sic> or along the bottom of a hedge or wall, seeking insects among the litter on the ground. It <sic>nest</sic> in hedges and bushes and in holes, in trees or walls. They have pointed beaks and sharp feet. Wrens are the smallest garden birds <sic>.</sic> even though they have loud, fast, trilling songs.

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STARLING

BLACKBIRD

</note>

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BLACKBIRD

The blackbird is very often seen in woods, orchards, hedges, parks and gardens. It is found in <reg>fields</reg> in winter. It nests in trees, bushes, and hedges, on the ground or on buildings. Some blackbirds are albino birds that have white patches or may even be entirely white. Blackbirds pull earthworms from the ground. It also turns over leaf litter to uncover a variety of other small creatures. The blackbird has an attractive whistling song.

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This is how a baby Blackbird grows.

24 hours

3 days

one week

2 weeks

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STARLINGS

Starlings like each other’s company and live in flocks that in winter may contain thousands of birds. They wander over the ground, busily pecking here and there for food, and are probably the most frequent <reg>visitors</reg> to bird tables. They chatter constantly, often copying other sounds - even mechanical noises such as bells.. Starlings build their rather untidy nests in a hole, usually in a tree or buildings.

They are found in towns, throughout the countryside, in parks and in gardens. It nests in holes in trees or ground, on buildings or in nest boxes. As spring arrives, it loses the white spots of its winter plumage because the white tips of its feathers wear away. Also, the beak, which is dark in winter, turns yellow.

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TITS

CRESTED TIT

GREAT TIT

WILLOW TIT

Long-TAILED TIT

SISKINS

BLUETIT

COALTIT

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TITS

Tits are mainly woodland birds, but several are frequent visitors to gardens. They can be told apart from other common woodland and <sic>gardens</sic> birds as they <sic>are</sic> chunky rounded bodies. In woods, they flit through the branches and hang from twigs to get at insects, buds and seeds; they nest in holes in trees, laying at least four or five eggs and sometimes as many as twenty. Tits can <sic> be easily be </sic> attracted to a garden; they are bold birds and show little fear of man. Their agility enables them to feed easily at bird tables and to take food hung from a branch.

GREAT TITS

Great tits are often seen in gardens and parks. They often peck through milk bottle tops to reach the cream. Most of the time they are often seen in woods.

BLUE TITS

Blue tits are seen in the same places as the great tit. It often opens milk tops too. Blue tits <sic>of</sic> tear strips of wallpaper, books and <reg>newspapers</reg> and they tear the bark of a tree to get insects.

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COAL TITS

The coal tit is common in woods, especially pine woods. It is often seen in gardens but not usually.

CRESTED TITS

The crested tit is found in Scotland. It is usually found in woods. Sometimes seen in gardens but not much.

MARSH TITS

The marsh tit is found in gardens and woods. In spite of its name it does not usually frequent marshes. It nests in holes in trees or in walls.

WILLOW TITS

Willow tits <sic>nests</sic> in rotten and damp places. It is found in woods and less often seen in gardens.

LONG-TAILED TIT

The long-tailed tit is found among <note desc="uncertain punctuation">,</note> bushes, thickets and hedges. They are also found in parks and gardens. It builds globe-shaped nests with a tiny entrance hole.

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BLUE TIT

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This is a Blue tit. <gap desc="figure">

<gap desc="figure">This is a Great tit.

This is a coal tit. <gap desc="figure">

This is a willow tit.

This is a Crested tit

This is a marsh tit. <gap desc="figure">

This is a Long-tailed tit. <gap desc="figure">

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SISKIN

The siskin is found in woods, usually nesting in conifer trees and, in winter, feeding in alder and birch trees. Also seen in parks and gardens. It is 12cm long.

A MALE SISKIN <gap desc="imported material">

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ROBIN

WOODPECKER

</note>

CROWS

JAYS

MAGPIE

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CROW FAMILY

Crows and other members of the crow family, such as rooks, ravens, magpies, and jays, are noisy and aggressive but are thought by some people to be the most intelligent of all birds. They are extremely adaptable, eat almost anything, and <reg>often</reg> show their quick thinking in the clever ways they find to take new foods or steal from other birds. Most crows are large compared to other songbirds and have powerful, often hooked, beaks. Crows’ legs are also strong, allowing them to move fast on ground as well as in the air. While ravens, rooks and the crows are black, other members of the family such as jays and some magpies are brightly coloured.

CARRION CROW

Carrion crows are found on moors, at coasts and in <reg>fields</reg>, parks and gardens. It is often seen alone or in pairs, and pairs nest alone in trees or on cliffs. Usually simply called crow rather than carrion crow.

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MAGPIES

Magpies are found in <reg>fields</reg> and open country with scattered trees and bushes, in which <sic>it</sic> builds a large dome-shaped nest . It is often seen in towns, parks and gardens. It may steal bright objects, and store them in its nest. It has a characteristic pattern of flight, in which <sic>is</sic> intermittently glides and then rapidly flaps its wings.

JAYS

Jays are found in woods and orchards, and sometimes in towns parks and gardens. It is fond of acorns, which it stores for the winter by burying them in the ground. Can hold as many as six acorns in its mouth. It is a very lively and active bird and often flicks its tail. Its call is a harsh and noisy <reg>squawk</reg>.

HOODED CROW

The hooded crow is found in the same places as carrion crow. It belongs to the same species as carrion crows, and interbreeds with it in places where their ranges overlap, producing birds intermediate in appearance between them.

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ROBIN

The robin is very often seen in woods, hedges, parks and gardens, hopping over the ground. It nests in holes, trees and walls. In Britain, Robins are bold birds and often come to bird tables, but elsewhere in Europe they are shy. Robins are usually seen alone, or at most in pairs during spring and summer. They are so aggressive towards each other that they will even mistake their own reflection for another bird and attack it. Insects, spiders, worms and snails are the Robin’s main food put out by humans. Humans put all the insects on bird tables. Robins also eat berries, small fruit and any scraps of food left on tables by humans <sic>to</sic>. In the breeding season, the female robin makes a cup-shaped nest in bushes or hedges, or in a hole or tree. The female robin usually lays five or six eggs. Her mate helps her feed and care for their young.

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