Birds of Argentea

Tawny Owl
The Tawny owl (the Strix aluco) is 38 cm long, has the tawny coat thickly speckled, the large and rounded head and the black eyes. The tawny owl has mostly nocturnal habits. Its movements are very slow and heavy but its flight is light, oscillating but not speedy. It lives in all the forests, both plain that mountain, in cultivated fields and parks. It nests preferably in the hollow of a tree, repaired from the rain and of easy access, but it is not rare that it is settled under the roofs, in the chimneypots and also in the nests abandoned from others predators, from the pies and the crows. It mates between March and April and lays from 2 to 4 eggs. The chicks are looked after from both parents. It feeds nearly exclusively of mouse, fieldmouse, frogs and birds, it does not despise large worms of sphinx and the bugs of varied type.

Raven
The raven is easily recognisable for its dimensions, for the black and massive spout, for the tail in the shape of wedge and the deep and characteristic call. In Ticino it can be observed all the year and it regularly nests in the mountain and subalpine zone where it prefers the rocky zones or the steep slopes of the alpine valleys. Very rarely it nests above the limit of the forest and its nests are constructed on the rocky walls. The construction of the nest or the changes of that utilised in the previous years begins from the middle of February and a pair can possess more than a nest. The lay of the eggs takes place in the first middle of March and the female brings up one single brood. After the lay (approximately 3 weeks) and the weaning (approximately 6 weeks) the young remains more than 6 months with the parents.

Pheasant
The pheasant male is considerably coloured, while the female is brown variegated of black. The wing span catches up the 90 cm; from the tip of the spout to the tip of the tail it is approximately 70 cm long; the males are larger than the females. Originally present only in Asia, currently it is diffused also in Europe where it has been imported from the ancient Greek. It’s present in numerous environments, from the plain to the mountain, both open that woody, but above all in agricultural environments.
It feed on seeds, buds, grass and yields, but also of worms, bugs, small mammalian and eggs of birds that nest to earth. it is not a great flyer, in case of danger it prefers to escape running, rather than to fly away. In winter it forms groups, structured in hierarchical way, the rest of the year and outside the reproductive period, it is solitary. In spring the males become territorial, everyone mates with three or more females, but they don’t take care of the breeding of the family. The female lays 8-16 eggs in a nest on the land. The chicks are able to follow immediately the mother after the birth and after 15 days they can fly. Its presence in Europe is due above all to the continuous introduction for hunting.

Finch
This small bird is recognisable for its the conical spout, the long tail and the pointed head. The male and the female are easy distinguishable. The first one is lively colourful, while the second one presents rather pales colours. The male presents the reddish chest; the grey head shades into brown; the tail is shining green and the extremity is dark grey; the wings are to white and black bands. It’s approximately 15 cm long and has a wing span of 24-28 cm. The finch is very common also near the houses. It loves the forests, the garden and the open areas with scattered trees. In winter great flocks are formed that feed on seeds, visit the garden and the fields. It’s therefore a gregarious bird, outside the reproductive period.
The finch is particularly active in the first hours in the morning in the search of food, that comprises seeds, vegetables and, above all in the reproductive period, small invertebrate animals. Usually the seeds are collected to earth and not directly from the plants and in spring you can admired it while tries to capture the bugs between the foliages of the trees. The greater part of these birds doesn’t flight during the winter, even if some populations prefer to leave the colder regions for those more comfortable. The spring corresponds to the reproductive period, during which the finch becomes highly territorial and the male song is used to delimit the occupied area. The male and the female are faithful in this period (monogamous species). The nest, constructed on a tree or a bush, is covered externally with moss and lichens, so difficulty to discover. It lays 4-5 eggs that are incubated for a pair of weeks. After the hatching, the chicks leave the nest in approximately 15-18 days.

Magpie
The Magpie presents relatively short wings, slender legs, long tail and apparently short body. During the flight it alternates fast wingbeats and some long glides. The magpie is characterised from a shiny plumage. The head and the spout are dark; in the back begin to highlight blue and greens metallic reflections, particularly intense on the wings and the long tail; the white chest is in contrast with the remaining plumage. This bird is approximately 45 cm long and presents a wing span of 50-60 cm.
The magpie is adapted to whichever type of environment. It lives in the forests, the scrubs, the cultivated and obviously in the cities. This small bird feed on invertebrate animals, yields and seeds; sometimes, also on small vertebrate, on whichever type of carrion and refusals. The magpie is considered an opportunist species because able to modify its own alimentary habits based on the local availability and on the season: for example in spring and summer the magpie prefers the small invertebrate, in autumn small vertebrate and in winter vegetables. Moreover, if the bugs are available all the year, represent the main food.
The magpie creates good supply of food, eaten in the space of a couple of weeks. The magpie can be solitary or gregarious during all the year (in this case the males are dominant on the females), but when arrives the reproductive period, the pair looks for the isolation and become territorial. The nest-building area, protected during the reproduction period, can be included in the area used all the year, or can be individualised a better area. Male and female are faithful (monogamous species), although some males lead a promiscuous life. From the centre of their territory every individual utters acute cries, to communicate to eventual partner or rivals their presence and force. Generally in the late spring the only brood of the year is laid. The nest is constructed between the high branches of the trees with dried roots, leaves and twigs. 5-7 eggs are laid that are incubated for about twenty days. The young leave the nest after approximately one month. The magpie doesn’t flight during the cold season, but faces the winter remaining in the same area.

Owl
The common or wild owl is a nocturnal predator, 35 cm long, with a wing span between 87 and 94 cm, it is characterised from yellow- orange eyes and two showy quiffs. It lives in the coniferous forests and in the mixed forests, where it occupies trees cavity, crows nests, magpies and squirrels. In these nests the female lays 4-5 round and white eggs (towards March- April) that open after an incubation period of 25-30 days. The male feed the female: the chicks abandon the nest to a month of age; a month will have to pass before they are able to fly. The prey captured from the owls are: small mammalian, birds and invertebrates, small inhabitants of the forest like bugs, dormouse, rats. The prey are swallowed whole; the hairs and others indigestible parts are rejected later disguised as bullets. The owl has nocturnal habits (it sees also of night, its eyes are useful for the minimal flare) and it remains hidden and immovable in the light hours until the twilight; in that moment it begins its silent flight in search of prey. It’s an exceptional annihilator of harmful animals. It can fly in broad daylight when it has been disturbed and it succeeds to capture of the birds even if the sun shines on the snow. Although the eyes are immovable in the orbits, the nocturnal vision is good and the reduced visual angle is compensated from the great neck mobility: for example the common owl can roll the head of 270°.

Blackbird
The blackbird is an insectivorous bird. The males present a beautiful shiny black plumage, with sparkling yellow spout and rima palbebrarum, while the females are tawny dark and the young are reddish and punctated; the length is about 25 cm. They are diffused in all the world, except the Antarctica, the Arctic and some islands of Polynesia. They emit as call a persistent note (tchink, tchink or tchiunk) but their song, that begins at the end of the winter and last for all the love season, is tuneful; they are able to learn new tunes or to make "duets" with the man; exceptionally you can meet also white blackbirds, in fact the French have the proverb “c’est le merle blanc”. They are frequent in the forests, the parks, the garden. These birds are sedentary in our territory, but in the more northern regions with the bad season the blackbirds migrate in southern Europe and the North Africa; they are in confidence with the man and can be tame with facility. They nest in the hedges, the stacks of firewood, on creepers in the garden and also on the terraces; it is easy to run into their nests in the shape of goblet, to whose construction participate also the males. The eggs are white or pale blue. In the orchards in spring and summer they banquet with cherries, apples, pears, and so they can represent a problem for the breeders who generally defend themselves hanging to the branches aluminium sheets or other, to which the birds got used quickly; they feed on berries, small bugs and earthworms, that they discover also in the flowerpots. In Italy the species is protected and it’s forbidden to capture them.

Robin
The Robin is a well-known small bird of small dimensions (approximately 135 millimetres.) diffused in all Europe; in Italy you can see and hear it in winter in the garden, the parks and in the country, while ransacks between the dried leaves and the mosses in search of small bugs. It’s not afraid of man and gladly accepts small bread crumb; in the country many times it follows the peasant. The female has the pale red chest, the males are territorial and attack other males if invade their vital space. The nest is constructed on the ground, hidden among the grass or under a tree stump. 3-5 reddish punctuated eggs are laid and the brooding lasts 12-15 days, the chicks fly away after 13-15 days.

Thrush
The “Sassello” Thrush has medium-small dimensions, rather slender shapes, strong spout, the tail of medium length and square, long tarsus. In both sexes the plumage is dark tawny-olive in the upper parts, white-tawny with dark streaking in the lower parts, cream eyebrow, brown flanks and axillaries, dark brow tail with white-tawny tip of plumes. In flight it’s recognizable for the brown coloration under the wings and the streaking of the chest and the flanks. From the “Cesena” it’s recognizable for the smaller dimensions, while for the almost identical dimensions and shapes it may be confused with the “bottaccio” Thrush. Length: cm. 21-22, weight: gr. 50-75.

Nightingale
The nightingale is famous for the rich and tuneful song, characterized from the succession of liquid and fluent sentences, very musical. It sings day and night, in the thick or on a low branch.
It arrives until approximately 15 cm of length, its upper parts are uniform tawny, and the lower parts are tawny-whitish, the chest has no spots; the tail is brown, and stays up when the animal hops on the land.
It’s a solitary animal, it loves the humid places of the forests, the areas in the thick bushy vegetation, the trees along the edge of the rivers or the cultivated.
It feed on bugs, larva, earthworms and small fruits.
The nest is generally situated near the ground, often in thick hedges, or on trees with thick foliage; externally the nest is made of leaves put in confused way, inside of filaments and blades of grass. The female lays 4/6 eggs that hatch after approximately 13 days of incubation; the chicks leave the nest after 11/14 days.

Greenfinch
The Greenfinch is approximately 15 cm long and its name comes from the coat coloration that presents several shades of green. The upper parts are green- olive, the throat and the chest are yellow- green, the stomach is yellow gold, yellow is also the external base of the primary remiges. The female has the colour slightly less bright and the yellow less diffused or absent. The body is stocky. Its song is strong and pleasant. The flight is undulating. It does not move away from the trees. The male attracts the female hopping, raising a wing, with the straight head, the open spout and the fan - shaped tail. Collected in small groups, the Greenfinches prefer the tree-lined places, the plains rich of thick vegetation, the garden, the bushes, the tree-lined countries, the parks, the orchards, that, thanks to the green plumage, allow a perfect mimetism. Often they push as far as the inhabited localities.
The Greenfinches are the mediocre flyers and so they prefer to stay on the ground to search the nourishment. Some groups are sedentary, others are nomadic and others make the migration. The greenfinches feed above all on seeds, with predilection for the oil-seeds, dewberries and buds of fruit trees. Occasionally they feed on cockroaches, ants, aphids and bugs, lepidopter larva and dipteron, spiders, etc.