“Carte blanche for swinishness”: What is “Antihype. What is antihype in youth slang? What is “antihype”

Classification

Highest classification: jays

Domain: Eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Sub-kingdom: Eumetazoans

Type: Chordata

Subtype: Vertebrates

Class: Birds

Subclass: New palates

Squad: Passeriformes

Suborder: Song passerines

Infrasquad: Corvida

Family: Corvids

Superfamily: Corvoidea

Conservation status: Least Concern (Stable)

The jay is an inhabitant of forest zones that is capable of imitating a wide variety of sounds.

The jay is a small bird with a very unusual behavior. Take her photo in wild conditions almost impossible, since she is very careful and prefers to hide in the middle and upper tiers of trees.

Its song is amazing - the jay either meows like a kitten, then switches to the bleating of a goat, and, sensing the approach of danger, begins to emit sharp cries. “RRAHH – RRAHH – RRAHH” - this is how she warns all forest inhabitants about the impending threat.

Habitat

The jay's distribution area is very extensive. It can be found both among and almost throughout Russia, Europe, as well as in the countries of Asia Minor and North Africa. This bird lives in Korea and Japan, nests in the Crimea and the Caucasus, and is found on Sakhalin, in the southern regions of Siberia and Korea.

Habitats are coniferous, mixed and broadleaf forests, where the jay stores food, creates a family and breeds offspring

Characteristic

The jay is twice the size and has a bright color. When you look at it, you get the impression that someone worked here experienced artist– the mirror of the wings is decorated with blue feathers, with clear black stripes, there is a careless black blot near the beak, and on the top of the head there are gray and white blurry patterns.

The jay is attracted to almost everything - it pays attention to the slightest rustle; not a single movement or movement in the forest will go unnoticed. At the same time, she always tries to remain extremely careful, especially during the nesting period.

The jay switches to a gregarious lifestyle only after the chicks leave their home.

In autumn, jays change their habitat, flying one by one to another oak forest

Appearance

The description of the jay will be as follows:

the plumage looks loose;
on the head there is a wide black crest, on the forehead and crown of the head there is a variegated grayish-white pattern with black strokes;
the plumage on the neck and occipital region is light wine-brown, and on the chest and abdomen the color is similar, but darker;
the throat is whitish with black spots on the sides;
the tail is quite long, the feathers on it are black, in the area of the upper tail - white;
the wing coverts are large, the shoulders are most noticeable - of an intense blue hue and seem to be crossed out with black strokes;
The body of the bird is colored brownish-red.

On a note! However, the descriptions of the different subspecies will be slightly different. For example, the Siberian jay is characterized by red plumage on its head, while European ones are variegated, where white stripes intertwine with brown ones.

The height of an adult jay is about 15 cm, and the length of its body including its tail can reach 40 cm. This bird weighs about 160-200 g.

Young individuals are somewhat different in description - the chick has reddish feathers on its back and belly, and on the crown and crest they are not as variegated as on mature birds.

The jay has a very beautiful iris - pale blue.

Key Features

But not only the description of the jay is worthy of attention; its main features are very unusual and remarkable.

Depending on the subspecies and habitat, this bird can lead a nomadic or sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes it is migratory. Jays gather in small flocks mainly in winter, and they can number from 20 to 30 individuals.
The jay builds its nest on one of the side branches of the selected tree and at the same time quite long distance from the ground - sometimes at a height of about 5 m. It is about 25 cm in diameter and consists of thin twigs and branches. Sometimes a jay's nest can be found in a hollow.

The bird lines the inner walls with dry grass and its stems, and the “floor” with elastic roots, pile and wool.

The jay is not capable of doing the most best deeds– its prey can be a chick or eggs of small insectivorous birds that make their nests on the ground. Some consider the jay to be a pest bird, as is the case, because it destroys nests. For this reason, in the eyes of hunters and foresters who know about this feature, the jay looks like prey and is often in their sights.
The jay is very thrifty - it puts the acorns and nuts it finds in discreet place, which looks like a small storage room. It can be under leaf litter, tree bark, or under moss. However, often these caches do not fulfill their purpose - the birds simply forget about them or cannot find them when necessary. Caches sometimes hold up to 4 kilos of various food. They are often found by others forest dwellers. The jays themselves, in turn, destroy the squirrels' pantries.

Interesting! Forgotten storerooms immediately begin to do something else, no less useful function– acorns and nuts sprout and give rise to new groves!

The description of the sublingual pouch deserves special attention. The jay puts several nuts and acorns into it at once, sometimes about 7 pieces. This allows the bird to transfer supplies to the pantry quite quickly.

Jays make small caches with winter supplies mainly in coniferous forests.

These birds, like and, have a very diverse repertoire, but besides this, they imitate various sounds with incredible accuracy. We can say that she has real talent. Returning to the forest, after a short stay at a person’s dwelling, she immediately reproduces the sounds she heard. And if in the grove you suddenly hear the meowing of a kitten, then do not rush to look for it - it is probably a jay practicing its acquired skills in the wilderness.

Nutrition

The basis of the bird's diet is plant food. Most often these are acorns.

Interesting! In the description and structure of the jay's beak and limbs, several morphological features. The sharp edges of the beak and its straight lower edge, as well as tenacious claws on small paws, allow you to deftly collect acorns and disassemble them into small pieces.

In addition to acorns, the jay can also eat various berries - raspberries, strawberries, lingonberries and rowan. It also feeds on seeds - oat, wheat, spruce, sunflower, cucumber and pea.

However, this bird chooses such food extremely rarely, mainly when it cannot find acorns

These birds collect food both in the forest and in areas near it. The jay feeds most intensively in autumn and winter.

From the end of April until November, new “products” appear on the jay’s menu - it begins to eat insects. It is noteworthy that the main prey are pests - cockchafers, leaf beetles, golden bronze beetles, longhorned beetles, weevils, bedbugs and silkworm caterpillars.

Beneficial beetles and ants are included in the diet much less frequently and make up about 2% of the total mass of insects.

On occasion, shrews, small rodents, frogs, lizards, small birds and their offspring can become food for jays. But this only applies to certain subspecies; European jays prefer only acorns.

Behavior

The jay is active during daylight hours. At night, like most other flattering inhabitants, she sleeps. This bird's day is filled with worries. She rarely descends to the ground, preferring to stay at a height.

When moving, the jay makes frequent jumps

If a jay notices a predator or an approaching person, it will certainly notify everyone of the danger. It will begin to make loud sounds, accompanying the dangerous object as it moves. For this reason, the jay is often called the forest guard.
This bird is very shy, but this trait only benefits it. In fact, the life of the little mockingbird is full of dangers, and the ability to quickly hide helps it adapt to almost any habitat.
The rhythm of life and behavior of an active and free jay changes dramatically with the appearance of offspring. During this period, she behaves secretly and very quietly. In the fall, when the chicks get stronger, the adults again become quite sociable and noticeable. Their flocks begin to migrate to the neighboring forest and at the same time, until the first bird gains altitude, the next one will not fly.

And if you watch the flight in open space, the movement of the jays will look rather slow and awkward

But the most interesting feature of the bird’s behavior is its relationship with ants. Having found an anthill, the bird ruffles its feathers and begins to jump around it. Discouraged insects come out of their hiding places, attack the enemy and spray him with their acid. The jay, in turn, immediately collects ants in its beak and shakes it vigorously.

Reproduction

Upon reaching one year of age, the jay enters sexual maturity. The mating season begins in early spring. At this time, the birds make current flights over the trees, the males sing loudly, filling the forest with a variety of sounds.

Nesting begins in April. The newly-made family sets up its nest and fiercely defends the small area around it from other representatives of its species.

Moreover, this can be almost any part of the forest - an area with dense plantings, edges, and sometimes small thickets of bushes. A family of jays can stay in this place for several years.

Both the female and the male take part in the construction of the nest.

The nest turns out to be small and is a tray of twigs, no more than 10 cm deep. But it is built quite skillfully and everything has been thought out here - from strong walls to soft bedding. The bird family spends about a week setting up the house.

The female lays eggs in late spring - early summer. There are usually from 5 to 7 eggs in a clutch. Their color is greenish with brown spots. They are small in size - about 30 mm in length. The jay incubates the eggs for 16 days, after which the chicks hatch.

Feeding lasts about 3 weeks. Both parents take part in breeding the offspring - they take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks together.

A jay chick looks like miniature copy adult bird. The flight of offspring from the nest begins in June and is accompanied by piercing trills. But at the same time, the strengthened chick continues to be under the care of its parents until the fall.

The chick feeds directly from the parent's crop, and this happens in such a way that it is impossible to see the food that was brought.

Relationships with people

The fact that the jay eats harmful insects makes it a useful inhabitant of oak forests. But, at the same time, it is a destroyer of the nests of small birds, many of which are beneficial insectivores, and this significantly spoils its reputation.

The jay preys on warblers, gray flycatchers and white-browed thrushes, making it more of a negative than a positive character forest fauna

Plus, this bird damages the grape harvest and harms orchards. Such activities were discovered in Crimea. At the end of autumn, the jay makes flights to potato plantations and selects small tubers from the ground. Small flocks also often work in the stubble, feeding on grain.

But there is data that can also speak in defense of the jay. For example, it plays a very useful role in the resettlement oak groves.

The bird collects acorns throughout the forest and puts them in various places. Those storehouses that were not found give life to new trees.

The jay is a bird that amazes with its repertoire

The jay is a curious, but at the same time rather shy bird, the size of a jackdaw. You can recognize it by its expressive plumage: bright blue spots with a clear black frame on the wings, dark “antennae” and a black or grayish-whitish “cap” on the head.

The jay is a bird with bright plumage from the corvid family, widespread in our forests. It got its name from the ancient form of the verb “to shine”, to which it owes its beautiful colorful wings and lively disposition. In the forest it serves as a real watchman, notifying about the appearance of a stranger with sharp cries and noisily flying from branch to branch. This timid and cautious bird, seeing danger, immediately flies out from its habitual place, so most often you can only see it briefly.

The jay, familiar to us since childhood, is called a karyoza in another way. It is distinguished by its uniform beige color with a light belly and a speckled crest on the head, which puffs up when alarmed. The feathers of the wings are black and white, the so-called mirrors, and bright blue, which are crossed by black stripes.

The length of the jay's body, including its tail, is about 35-40 cm, and thanks to its wide wingspan, the bird appears much larger in flight. Weighs on average about 150-200 g. The representative of the passerine order lives throughout Europe, in some parts of Africa, America and Asia, in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Sakhalin.

The jay has a strong, rounded beak, pointed at the end, for cracking nuts and acorns. The male and female are colored the same. Young birds have brown irises, which change color to light blue as they age, marking the onset of sexual maturity.

For its ability to imitate sounds, the mockingjay is called a mockingjay - it skillfully imitates the meowing of a cat, the barking of dogs, the bleating of sheep, the knock of an ax, the creaking of trees, the voices of other birds and even people.

The jay lives not only in forests and large suburban parks, but also within the city, especially in warm seasons.

Most studied species

Depending on the area, representatives of the species differ in the color of the crest: in the European jay it is light and speckled, in the Siberian jay it is red, in the Caucasian or Crimean jay it is black. In total, there are about 44 species of this bird in nature. The most common ones are listed below.

The blue jay is distinguished by its very striking blue back and wing plumage, sharp crest, and black necklace. Inhabits North America.
The jagged jay has a sharp crest and is colored dark colors With smooth transition from black on the head and chest to bright blue on the wings, tail and abdomen. Lives in some regions of America.
Saxaul has a more monotonous gray-beige color with black spots, without the characteristic blue splashes.
The Azure Variegated is shaped like a crow, has no crest and is colored black and blue.
The Ornate Jay is native to Japan and is characterized by its purple-black head plumage and chestnut-purple body coloration.

Because of beige colour the jay is sometimes confused with the jay, moreover, it is its close relative from the passerine order, and on English language both birds have the same name.

Diet and food sources

The jay feeds on berries, nuts and seeds, insects, small mice, frogs and lizards. Among the berries, the bird prefers rowan, bird cherry, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry. In search of caterpillars hiding under the bark of trees, it inserts its beak under the bark, breaking it off in pieces. It often destroys the nests of small birds, eating chicks and eggs, most often finches, tits and warblers. For this she is called a robber, and many hunters consider it their duty to take aim at the jay.

However, along with harm, the bird also brings benefit, destroying voracious caterpillars and regulating the number of rodents. In addition, the jay is distinguished by intelligence and thrift, making storerooms for the winter with reserves, which can accumulate up to 4 kg in one season. Carrying nuts and acorns in a special sublingual pouch, she buries the prey in the ground away from the habitat of mice, diligently camouflaging it with leaves and needles on top. In cold weather, such reserves save not only her, but also those animals who were lucky enough to find the treasure, especially squirrels. And in those storerooms that were never found, oak trees sprout from acorns, and thus the bird spreads oak tracts.

The jay also hunts at feeders, stealing bread from small birds; in the city it flies onto balconies where grain and nuts are stored. In the fields he often picks up small potatoes left after harvesting and grains of cultivated cereals.

Mating season and nesting

The breeding season for jays begins at the end of March, when the males court the females, trying to attract them with mating trills borrowed from other birds and the demonstration of their feathers. After the female indicates consent, mating is preceded by a feeding ritual, during which she takes horizontal position, imitating the chick, and allows itself to be fed.

After creating a pair, future parents begin building a nest, which is located at a height of 1.5 to 5 m, most often in large side branches. A nest is built from twigs and twigs, and the inside is covered with grass and scraps of wool. After a while, about 4-7 yellow-green eggs with spots appear in the nest, from which chicks hatch after 15 days. At this time, jays become secretive, moving silently through the forest. The cubs are cared for until autumn, fed with caterpillars, at which time they gradually learn to get out of the nest and sit on nearby branches. After a year they become sexually mature and enter their own breeding cycle.

Interaction with others

Birds prefer to stay at some distance from each other, except in cold seasons; at this time they gather in flocks in trees, keeping warm and waiting out bad weather under the cover of thick coniferous paws. Some species of jays lead a sedentary lifestyle, wandering through nearby forests in autumn and winter, while the northern populations are migratory.

Jays are often chosen to be kept in cages due to their lively nature and ability to mimic sounds. With proper maintenance, the bird is easily tamed and can live for over 16 years, whereas in the wild its life expectancy rarely exceeds 6-7 years.

Parody is one of the most complex genres of pop art. In order to portray another personality in a recognizable and interesting way, the artist has to work hard, practicing facial expressions and gestures in front of the mirror. It seems even more difficult to parody a voice.

The animal world also has its own talents. Nature has generously endowed some birds with the ability to imitate external sounds. Parrots, crows, starlings, and the Thai mynah bird can imitate not only other birds and animals, but also human speech in a surprisingly similar way.

The mockingbird is also an unusually talented bird that can imitate almost any sound, even the creaking of a door or the screeching of a saw.

Family characteristics

The Mockingbird family includes about 30 species of songbirds: polyphonic, brown-backed, tropical, Bahamian, long-tailed, Patagonian, white-browed, Chilean, white-belted and others. Their distribution area is very wide - from Canada (north North America) to Tierra del Fuego (southern South America). But they are most often found in the United States. The mockingbird is a bird that Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas have declared as their national treasure.

Description of appearance

Different species of this family have minor external differences. The mockingbird is a medium-sized bird, only 20-30 cm long. The back is gray or grayish-brown, the feathers of the head are slightly darker, the same dark 10-centimeter wings are decorated with white longitudinal stripes or white spots. The black tail reaches a length of 13-15 cm, along the outer edge it is bordered by snow-white feathers, the abdomen is very light, sometimes white. Only 3 species of these birds differ in color: the dark blue plumage of the blue black-eared and blue-white black-eared, and the completely black feather of the black mockingbird.

The beak of most birds is thin, elegant, not very long, dark in color, slightly curved down. In a number of species, the beak, on the contrary, is elongated and quite strongly curved, like that of pikas. The tall dark brown legs are strong, with long strong shanks and toes with sharp claws.

Lifestyle

The mockingbird is a mostly sedentary bird. There are only a few migratory species that move from the northern part of America to the southern part for the winter.

Most species live in semi-deserts, steppes, on the edges of forests or prefer cultural landscapes, often settling near human habitation.

The mockingbird jumps on the ground like a thrush, spreading its wings wide, and flies like a warbler - in small arcs, folding and opening its tail.

The bird feeds on insects, seeds, berries, and sometimes small invertebrates. If a mockingbird chooses a bush with a generous harvest of fruits, then it can feed in one place all winter, jealously protecting its “dining room” from other birds.

Reproduction

Wanting to attract attention, males start aerial chases, jump high on branches, and run gracefully. After pairing, mockingbirds build a nest together. For nesting (from March to September) they choose thickets of bushes or the lower branches of single trees. The nest is built cup-shaped, solid and roomy, the bottom is lined with grass.

The female lays 3-5, and some species - up to 10, greenish or gray-blue eggs with small dark specks. Sometimes they make 2 clutches a year.

Only the female incubates the eggs for up to 2 weeks. All this time the male is nearby, protecting the nest and bringing food.

Both parents feed the chicks, bringing food twice an hour. The chicks are cared for for up to 2 weeks, after which they leave the nest, but adult mockingbirds feed them and protect them until the children confidently fly.

The mockingbird is very brave. Protecting the nest and chicks, it behaves aggressively and decisively, attacking not only other birds, but also foxes, wolves, and even humans.

Unconditional talent

All mockingbirds have the unique ability to imitate the voices of other birds, animals, humans, and also imitate many extraneous sounds of the surrounding world.

The mockingbird copies the voices of birds inimitably, easily changing its repertoire. One ornithologist scientist describes his observations of this bird as follows: the “feathered parodist” began his concert with the song of a wren, then switched to the call of a purple swallow, called like a falcon, imitated the chirping of a two-colored tit, sang like a flycatcher, imitated first a Virginia quail, and then a golden woodpecker, a mountain wagtail sang... In a total of 20 minutes, the scientist counted 32 birds, which were parodied by a mockingbird. A bird, whose sounds are so rich and multifaceted that they resemble a whole bird choir, often confuses listeners. Only experts in this cacophony can understand what the mockingbird is singing.

The mockingbird's own singing is very beautiful and infinitely varied - in total there are at least 200 songs in its repertoire! Short bars from the 2nd to the 6th tone flow continuously with extraordinary brightness and strength. Many Americans believe that in the feathered world he has no equal as a singer.

Mockingbirds that build nests near human homes quickly learn to imitate domestic animals - cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, pigs and cows.

These great imitators of the bird world are able to distinguish between people and respond to their actions. During the experiment, from the entire crowd of passers-by, they unmistakably recognized those who approached their nests, disturbing the peace. Moreover, they recognized him even if people changed clothes or approached from different directions.

There is a known case when a mockingbird, living in captivity, became so attached to its owner that after it was released into the wild, it flew after him everywhere, sat on his shoulder while resting, and ate with the owner from the same plate.

Close relative

Who is Mockingbird? Bird. Where does he live? In Northern and South America. And its closest relative, the jay, lives in Russia, Europe, Asia and North Africa. She also imitates other birds amazingly. Belongs to the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes.

The mockingjay is a medium-sized bird with elegant bright plumage. The head of the Siberian jay is covered with red feathers, while all the others have grayish-white feathers, sometimes with longitudinal brownish streaks. All jays have a wide crest on their heads. The body is reddish-brown, the wings and tail are black, and bright blue spots are clearly visible on the wings.

Life-being of a bird

The jay lives mainly in the forest. In the south these are sedentary birds. Mockingbirds of Russia are migratory. With the onset of winter, they move from Sakhalin and Siberia to warmer climes.

First spring days jays create pairs. Males do their best to attract the attention of females by pirouettes in flight and making calling sounds. Just like their American relatives, jays build nests together, choosing a low nesting place - in bushes or on the lower branches of young trees. The nest is a round tray approximately 10 cm deep and 20-25 cm in diameter. For a whole week, the birds carry twigs, elastic roots and dry grass for construction. In May, the jay lays 5 to 10 greenish eggs with gray-brown speckles. Both parents incubate the clutch for 14-17 days. During this period, the jay - usually noisy, loud and restless - behaves very quietly, even secretly, so as not to attract unnecessary attention to the nest.

The chicks are dependent on their parents for up to 20 days. At the end of June - beginning of July they leave the nest, but until the end of summer they still stay with their parents.

Capable parodists

If American mockingbirds, in addition to imitating, also sing beautifully themselves, then jays own song Dont Have. Their sharp “dche-dchee” and rattling “pi-ir” sound not at all melodic. But the jay easily imitates the singing of the oriole, buzzard and other birds. It very closely imitates the cry of a raccoon, the clucking of a chicken, the barking of a dog, the sound of an ax, the creaking of a gate, and even human speech.

Hunters do not like these birds for their indefatigable restlessness and vigilance. Seeing a predator or a person, or hearing any suspicious noise, the mockingjay begins to scream loudly, warning everyone who hears it of danger.

The benefits of jays for forestry

The diet of jays is very varied. By destroying harmful insects - weevils, chafers, bark beetles, leaf beetles, longhorned beetles, and silkworm caterpillars, they improve the health of forests. They peck seeds and berries with pleasure, and in the fall they use acorns. When making supplies for the winter, jays hide acorns under stumps, fallen leaves, and moss. Very often birds forget about their “larders,” and in the spring acorns sprout far from the oak groves. Jays also hide and then forget the fruits of rowan berries, bird cherry, raspberries, hazel nuts, promoting their growth.

By destroying insect pests and spreading plants, jays bring tangible benefits to forestry.