Huxiang natural calendar丨why are you fat into a ball
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 The 6th day of the autumn equinox
Autumn is high and refreshing, the appetite is wide open, and sure enough, it has reached the time of "sticking autumn fat". Not only you and me, but even the birds and finches are rounded and about to grow into full "bird balls".
The brown-headed crow was the first to form a "bird ball" because it was particularly small, no more than 13 centimeters from head to tail, of which the tail feathers accounted for about half, slightly blessed, and the small round head and the rounded body were connected to a large circle. The brown-headed crow has monotonous plumage, the whole body is roughly tan, and the head and wings are relatively bright brownish red, which makes the head particularly round and the wings particularly short.
But then again, do brown-headed jays really get fat by eating them alone? In fact, in the autumn and winter, most birds will grow thicker down feathers, these fluffy and soft feathers like cotton wool can lock in the air, maintain the temperature, and the petite brown-headed crows are wrapped in a "down jacket" and can immediately swell a circle.
In addition to down feathers, birds also have positive feathers covering the upper layer, which are controlled by the levator and descending feather muscles. When the feathering muscle contracts, the feathers will stick to the bird's body and appear thin; when it is cold, the feather lifting muscle will contract, and the feathers will be "fried" by the bird and finches that are lifted, especially fat. Comparing before and after "fattening", I have to say that the brown-headed crow is more beautiful after becoming a ball.
These cute "bird balls" are extremely common in Hunan. Brown-headed jays are mainly active in and around the shrubland to feed on small arthropods and plant seeds, so their nests are also built in shrubland, sometimes very close to the ground.
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Brown-headed jay finch, a songbird of the family Finches, is about 12 cm long. The head is brown to the top of the back, the wings are reddish brown, the tail is dark brown, and the underparts are pale yellowish brown. It is a more common resident bird.
It often inhabits sparse grass slopes, bamboo bushes, dwarf bushes and tall grasses, and in winter it mostly moves down to the edge of the mountain and plains, orchards, gardens, nurseries and reed swamps, and even appears in town parks, generally not entering dense forests.
Text/Peng Yahui Photo/Zhang Jingming Design/Zhou Ziqian Think Tank/Zhang Zhiqiang Coordinator/Zhou Yuegui Special Support/Hunan Forestry Bureau
[Editor-in-charge: Huang Lifei]
[Source: Hunan Daily· New Hunan Client]