Bearded sparrows

Panurus biarmicus is a small but very active bird. They live in reeds in wetlands, or around lakes, rivers and streams and are present in many parts of Europe, Central and West Asia. We have quite a special song. They called them "bearded sparrows" because they looked like sparrows but had two black fur streaks running from their eyes to the sides of their necks, looking like long mustache.

Strangely enough, in this species Panurus biarmicus, this "beard" is only found in males, and females are completely absent. Another point of distinguishing the roof is: The male has a ash-gray head, and the female head is yellow-brown. The upper part of the male and female birds are all golden brown; the body is slightly gray. The long tail, also brownish yellow and white on the wings, has white lines. Its beak is weak compared to other parrot birds. The mature Panurus biarmicus bird has a body about 16cm long.

Bearded sparrows love to eat insects. In winter, when food is scarce, they eat whole grains and other nuts. Normally, they often jump in reeds, but sometimes go to the ground to find insects.

Although the body is small and seems to be less likely to fly far away, it is common to have beards that often wander over very long distances, even bearded sharks living in the North sometimes migrate to the direction. South to avoid winter.

Whenever coming to the breeding season, people often catch funny scenes. Birds resist dancing to attract females, which make the top of their head bob up and down. The males also have a "mustache" to show off "beard" and spread their tails very well.

This bird knows to live together faithfully for life. Both males and females are nesting together. The nest is hidden between the reeds. Eggs are alternately incubated by both males and females for 10 - 13 days. Both the father and the mother bird take care of the baby. It takes about 14 days for young birds to grow from full-fledged to full-blown flight. Each year the female lays 2 - 3 litters.

This kind of interesting bird is very shy and often stays away from where people live.Sharing with easy-to-die beards in the winter, the number of places in many places is significantly reduced, sometimes only a few remain. Panurus biarmicus is considered a rare species and is currently included in the list of special protected species.