Bestiary 2 by Milano Animal City

Codirosso, Redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus Francesca De Ponte

Biological description The redstarts are minuscule birds, 13-15 cm of length . They have a distinctive bright orange-rufous rump and tail, which are particularly conspicuous in flight and during this speciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; characteristic tail-quivering displays. The male common redstart has bluish-grey upperparts, a black throat, and a black face except for a white forehead and a white stripe extending back from above the eyes. The common redstart is usually orange-rufous on the underparts, shading to buff or white on the belly. The undertail and wings are brownish , and the two central tail feathers are blackish-brown. The bill and legs are black. The female common redstart is generally duller, mid-brown to grey-brown on the upperparts, and buff-white on the underparts, which are tinged and streaked with orange. The rump and tail are orange-red, less bright than the male, and the tail has dark central tail feathers. The female also has a narrow, pale whitish ring around the eyes, a thin, pointed, dark bill and blackish legs.

Francesca De Ponte

REDSTART

scale 1:1

8/9 cm

13/14 cm

8/10 cm

Habitat Time and Space Its areal includes all Europe, in the North until the Norway and the northern Asia, and in the south until the North-western Africa. During the spring and the summer, the breedingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s period, it usually lives in the northern areal, where it stays in areas on the edges of the forests, or even in the towns. During the winter it migrates to South of Sahara until the Central Africa to find a warmer environment. In Italy the species is common in the northern and central regions, especially in Lombardia, Veneto, Toscana and Emilia Romagna. The species is considered vulnerable and its presence in Europe is declining. The main reason is the cutting of the mature trees in the forests, that for them are ideal place to nest. Another factor is the dryness in Africa where they spend time during the winter.

Francesca De Ponte

RE A DS T I TAR B A H T’S ummer s ngi r sp _ L

NOR TH ER N

A E AR

ON I T A R G I M

MIGRA T I O N

AREAL_autumn-winter RN HE UT SO

Habitat How it live in the space In the natural northern environment it usually lives in the bordering of wood of broad-leaved trees, as farmlands surrounded by fences. In the urban environment it’s frequent to find it in parks, large gardens and cemeteries. Depending on where it is, it nests in the cavity of the tree’s trunk or in the fissures of the walls.The nest is typically placed one to six metres above the ground. During the winter in Savannah it spends the most of time flying from a tree to another. It is a shy bird, and it isn’t common to see it in the cities. It crosses the space really fast, flying from the nest to the ground to hunt insects. Its movements are really rapid. One of its peculiarity is ever-moving rust tail. It usually moves it even when during the rest moments on the branches. Another particular behaviour is the “bow” it usually does when it’s nervous. It’s more probable to hear its short and shrill song than to see it .

Francesca De Ponte

URBAN E NVI parks ROM EN gardens T cemete ries

arm in la g nd of s

NAT bor URA L f der

EN w V

NT E OM R I

DAY NIGHT

ne nestzo hunt zone

ER NT WI

IG RA TI ON

TO SAVA NNAH

Food The redstart is an insectivorous bird, its diet consists primarily of invertebrates that live in the ground like insects, beetles, snails, worms and spiders. It could also feed on berries, fruits and seeds . It typically forages from bushes or the lower branches of trees, flying out to pick prey items from the ground and returning to the perch to feed. It very rarely probes or searches in the leaf-litter. The common redstart also makes short sallies after flying insects, and will also pick prey from trunks, branches and leaves, sometimes hovering briefly near vegetation to seek out prey.

Francesca De Ponte

BERRIES WORMS

BEETLES

SEEDS

FLIES

SNAILS SPIDERS

Biological description The redstart is a monogamous species. It choose its partner in the first year of life, and spend with it the rest of its existence, that usually for a redstart is maximum ten years. The male performs various courtship displays to attract a female, including crouching and facing a potential mate with its wings raised and the tail fanned, displaying the bright orange-red colouration. It will also show off potential nest sites to the female by perching on or near possible nest hole. It usually breeding between April and July. In the spring migration the males arrive in Europe first and choose the best place to nest, in few days the females join them, and start to build the cupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shape nest, into trees or walls, with dry herbs, roots, musk and plumages. Then they lay 5 or 6 bluish-green eggs, that brood for 15 days. When the chicks come into the world they are nourished for two weeks by both parents with insects, spiders, worms and snails. The chicks remain in the nest for around 12 to 15 days before they fledge, and are dependant on the adults for a further 10 to 14 days after leaving the nest.

Francesca De Ponte

Stereotype The redstart hasn’t a personal stereotype, it’s a shy bird, it usually doesn’t get in contact with men, so there isn’t a common idea of it. But it belongs to the order of passeriformes and its features are similar to the ones of the sparrows. Probably its stereotype could be considered the same of it. The sparrows are typically considered by the humans as the most tender animal among the winged creatures. Sparrows appear in a several number of movies and cartoon, as loving animals which sing and fly all the time bringing happiness to everybody. They represent the most innocent aspect of the nature, the wood’s creatures which don’t hurt nobody.

Francesca De Ponte

Redstart’s Perspective Redstarts are quite diffident animals, probably when they look at humans they just see huge creatures in slow-motion. When some of this enormous creatures provide to build small artificial houses for them, perhaps they are grateful; or maybe they just ask to each other why the giants don’t stop to destroy their natural habitat. And when the colossal animals try to feed them, pronouncing sweet words in a strange and cacophonous language it’s plausible that they just ask themselves: why? It wouldn’t be so surprising if their perspective on humanity would be only a mammoth doubt.

Francesca De Ponte

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Relation with other species Redstart is a shy bird, it really doesn’t interact with others species, and for a man is more probable to hear its sing than see it. However there is an exception, its relation with cuckoos. The cuckoos are an extremely diverse group of birds with regards to breeding systems. They lay their egg in communal nests, although this behaviour is not completely cooperative; a female may remove others’ eggs when laying hers. It’s common that they do it in the redstart’s nests. When the cuckoo’s chick, generally just one, come into the world the first step is to remove the other eggs if its mother didn’t provide it before. The redstart, which is a prodigal bird, provides to feed the parasite son as it was its own son. In few days the cuckoo become extremely bigger than the adoptive parents, creating a paradoxical image.

Francesca De Ponte

Denis Diderot (1713-1784)

Merlo, Blackbird, Turdus merula Mattia Di Carlo

Biological description The Common Blackbird is an elegant bird, rather territorial in breeding period. Its melodious song is appreciated by humans and it lives closer and closer to them. The common blackbird of the nominate subspecies T. m. merula is 15 to 25 centimetres in length, has a long tail, and weighs 80â&#x20AC;&#x201C;125 grammes. The adult male has black and glossy plumage overall. Bill and eye-ring are yellow. The eyes are dark brown and the legs are blackish. The female is a bit more reddish-brown, slightly mottled with paler tinge on the underparts. Her throat can be paler, separated from the face by an indistinct buffy-brown malar stripe. Bill is brownish with yellow base. Eyes and legs are dark brown. Juvenile is dark brown, streaked with buff on the upperparts, and underparts slightly mottled too. Bill is brownish. The young male of one year still keeps the brown flight feathers, whereas its dark bill turns yellow. The Common Blackbird tends to suffer albinism. Some birds may have several white feathers contrasting with the black plumage. Albinism is the entire lack of pigment.

Mattia Di Carlo

18 - 25 cm

80 - 125 gr

15 - 20 cm

Habitat Common Blackbird lives in some different habitats, from mountainous regions to big cities centres. It frequents the open forests and their edges, cultivated areas, parks and gardens, if the cover is close for hiding. Common Blackbird comes close to habitations, victim of habitat degradation with the heavy deforestation. Now on our house doorsteps, it learned how to benefit from the remainders of bread or not consumed fruits, and its familiarity is always increasing. Usally it could be seen on the top of trees of urban parks, in fact is so common in Milan in Parco Sempione and Indro Montanelli Public Park. Common Blackbirds lives in couple on the top of trees and buildings, are territorial and strongly defend their territory, mainly in urban area where each pair has their own little space. Females may fight too, to defend a good nest-site.

Mattia Di Carlo

Reproduction Common Blackbirds are monogamous, and the established pair will usually stay together as long as they both survive. During the year, from spring to summer, they nest three times (rarely even four). It builds a cup-shaped nest of dried grass, bound with mud, and lined with fine grasses. A characteristic of the blackbird is to build the first nest close to the ground, sometimes also directly on it, in dense bushes or brambles. The second brood will take place in a nest built in higher position and the third will be higher still. The female will lay from 4 to 6 blue and grey eggs. At the hatching, wich lasts 12-15 days, provides expecially the female, while the male is controlling the enviroment looking for the arrive of predators and alerting the partner. Blackbirds, like most of the birds, born blind and featherless but very soon they will redress with a grey and brown plumage. The young fledge in 10-20 days but you are still fed by both parents until three weeks after leaving the nest.

Mattia Di Carlo

Migration and Use of Space Common Blackbirds is common in cities and gardens, but it is always present in the countryside. It is sedentary in its habitat, and we are glad to see it all year round. Blackbirds that reach our country come mainly from Central and Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and northern Croatia), but can also come from northern latitudes, such as the Southern Finland. The analysis of recoveries of marked individuals abroad show that the first migrants arrive in Italy at the end of August, even if the post-reproductive significant movements only begin in October and reach its peak in the last decade of the month. As concern as the migration movement from Italy to foreign countries the Ital ian population could be considered as sedentary. A limited percentage of recoveries indicates however, as a fraction of those nesting in Italy make movements around Italy, even crossing small stretches of sea. As concern as the use of the space they spend the majority of their time looking for food jumping in the ground searching worms and insects.

Mattia Di Carlo

Feeding The common blackbird is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, seeds and berries. It feeds mainly on the ground, running and hopping with a start-stop-start progress. It pulls earthworms from the soil, usually finding them by sight, but sometimes by hearing, and roots through leaf litter for other invertebrates. Animal prey predominates, and is particularly important during the breeding season, with windfall apples and berries taken more in the autumn and winter. The nature of the fruit taken depends on what is locally available, and frequently includes exotics in gardens.

Mattia Di Carlo

Stereotype Nor.

Mattia Di Carlo

Relation with humans City-dwelling blackbirds typically produce more highpitched songs than their country counterparts, and researchers say the urban birds prefer shrill sounds to make their voices heard over road traffic. An analysis of the frequency and amplitude of the birdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; songs show that the animals were able to produce higher tones at higher amplitudes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; meaning the higher pitched the song, the louder it could be, which could explain the blackbirdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; preference. By actively selecting high-frequency sounds, the city birds can increase their capacity to sing loudly and in this way counteract the acoustic masking of their song by the ambient noise. What is so interesting is the fact that at the same time they are also able to adapt its song to something that comes from the enviroment dividing the sounds. This peculiarity is also used by humans. It happens that sometimes the noise produced by the blackbird could result so annoying becouse of its repetitiveness, so a group of researchers tried to diffuse in the enviroment some music. As the result the blackbird, listening and separating that music form enviromental noise, completely changed its singing copying that song.

Mattia Di Carlo

Relation with other animals The male of the common blackbird defends its breeding territory, chasing away other males or utilising a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bow and runâ&#x20AC;? threat display. This consists of a short run, the head first being raised and then bowed with the tail dipped simultaneously. If a fight between male blackbirds does occur, it is usually short and the intruder is soon chased away. The female blackbird is also aggressive in the spring when it competes with other females for a good nesting territory, and although fights are less frequent, they tend to be more violent. A particular behaviour

Mattia Di Carlo

LOOK AT ME!! I’M NOT FEEL SO GOOD!

Capinera, Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla Selcan Emer

Biology The genus Sylvia, the typical warblers, forms part of a large family of Old World warblers, the Sylviidae. The blackcap and its nearest relative, the garden warbler, are an ancient species pair which diverged very early from the rest of the genus at between 12 and 16 million years ago. In the course of time, these two species have become sufficiently distinctive that they have been placed in separate subgenera, with the blackcap in subgenus Sylvia and the garden warbler in Epilais . The blackcap is a mainly grey warbler with distinct male and female plumages. The nominate subspecies is about 13 cm long with a 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8 cm wing length. The weight is typically 16â&#x20AC;&#x201C;25 g, but can be up to 31 g for birds preparing to migrate.The adult male has olive-grey upperparts, other than a paler grey nape and a neat black cap on the head. The underparts are light grey, becoming silvery white on the chin, throat and upper breast. The tail is dark grey, with an olive tint to the outer edge of each feather. The bill and long legs are grey, and the iris is reddish-brown. The female resembles the male, but has a reddish-brown cap and a slightly browner tone to the grey of the upperparts. Juveniles are similar to the female, but their upperparts have a slight rufous tinge, and the breast and flanks have a more olive tone; young males have a darker brown cap than their female counterparts.

Selcan Emer

Habitat The blackcapâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s main breeding habitat is mature deciduous woodland, with good scrub cover below the trees. Other habitats, such as parks, large gardens and overgrown hedges, are used as long as they meet the essential requirements of tall trees for songposts and an established understory. Where other Sylvia warblers also breed, blackcaps tend to use taller trees than their relatives, preferably those with a good canopy, such as pedunculate oak. In prime habitat, breeding densities reach 100â&#x20AC;&#x201C;200 pairs per square kilometre in northern Europe, and 500â&#x20AC;&#x201C;900 pairs per square kilometre in Italy. Densities are much lower in poorer habitats such as conifer forests. Breeding occurs in Europe at altitudes up to 2,200 m. The preferred winter habitat around the Mediterranean is scrub and olive orchards, where densities approach the levels found in the best breeding areas. The British wintering population is atypical, with 95% found in gardens, mostly in towns at altitudes below 100 m . In Africa, habitats include cultivated land, acacia scrub, mangroves and forest, and these warblers are found at altitudes up to 3,600 m in the east of the continent.Wintering birds wander in search of good fruit supplies, but often stay in good feeding areas, and return in subsequent winters. Migrants may occur in a wide variety of habitats, such as reed bed and fen, but show a preference for shrubland.

Selcan Emer

Temporality The blackcap has a widespread distribution, breeding across Europe, Asia and North Africa, from western Europe to south-western Siberia, and south to the Mediterranean, Turkey and south-western Russia. It also occurs on islands in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Azores, Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands and Madeira. This species is a partial migrant, with birds from the north and east of the range generally moving southwards to spend the winter in western and southern Europe and in Africa. In contrast, those on the Atlantic and Mediterranean islands usually remain in the breeding areas year-round. Blackcaps in parts of western Europe and the Mediterranean region are partially migratory, with the exact direction in which they travel having a genetic basis. In recent decades, an increasing number have been moving north and west to spend the winter in the United Kingdom.

Selcan Emer

Food cycle The blackcap feeds mainly on insects during the breeding season, then switches to fruit in late summer, the change being triggered by an internal biological rhythm. When migrants arrive on their territories they initially take berries, pollen and nectar if there are insufficient insects available, then soon switch to their preferred diet. They mainly pick prey off foliage and twigs, but may occasionally hover, flycatch or feed on the ground. Blackcaps eat a wide range of invertebrate prey, although aphids are particularly important early in the season, and flies, beetles and caterpillars are also taken in large numbers. Small snails are swallowed whole, since the shell is a source of calcium for the birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s eggs. Chicks are mainly fed soft-bodied insects, fruit only being provided if invertebrates are scarce. In July, the diet switches increasingly to fruit. The protein needed for egg-laying and for the chicks to grow is replaced by fruit sugar which helps the birds to fatten for migration. Aphids are still taken while they are available, since they often contain sugars from the plant sap on which they feed. Blackcaps eat a wide range of small fruit, and squeeze out any seeds on a branch before consuming the pulp. This technique makes them an important propagator of mistletoe. The mistle thrush, which also favours that plant, is less beneficial since it tends to crush the seeds. Although any suitable fruit may be eaten, some have seasonal or local importance; elder makes up a large proportion of the diet of northern birds preparing for migration, and energy-rich olives and lentisc are favoured by blackcaps wintering in the Mediterranean. ated land, acacia scrub, mangroves and forest, and these warblers are found at altitudes up to 3,600 m in the east of the continent.Wintering birds wander in search of good fruit supplies, but often stay in good feeding areas, and return in subsequent winters. Migrants may occur in a wide variety of habitats, such as reed bed and fen, but show a preference for shrubland.

Selcan Emer

Reproduction Blackcaps first breed when they are one year old, and are mainly monogamous, although both sexes may sometimes deviate from this. A male attracts a female to his territory through song and a display involving raising the black crown feathers, fluffing the tail, slow wingbeats, and a short flapping flight. He also builds one or more simple nests, usually near his songpost. The final nest, which may be one of the cock nests or built from scratch, is a neat cup of roots, stems and grasses lined with fine material such as hair. The nest is typically 5.5 cm deep and 10 cm across, and is built in the cover of bramble, scrubs or trees. It is constructed mainly by the female, and may be up to 0.5 - 4.5 m above the ground. The clutch is typically 4–6 eggs, which are usually buff with grey and brown blotches and a few dark brown spots. The eggs are incubated for an average of 11 days . Both adults incubate, although only the female stays on the nest at night. The chicks are altricial, hatching naked and with closed eyes, and are fed by both parents. They fledge about 11–12 days after hatching, leaving the nest shortly before they are able to fly. They are assisted with feeding for a further two or three weeks. If the nest is threatened, the non-incubating bird gives an alarm call so that the sitting parent and chicks stay still and quiet. A male blackcap may mob a potential predator, or try to lure it away with disjointed runs and flaps on the ground. The blackcap normally raises just one brood, but second nestings are sometimes recorded, particularly in the milder climate of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic islands. Of eggs laid, 65–93% hatch successfully, and 75– 92% of the chicks go on to fledge. The typical life expectancy is two years, but the record is 13 years and 10 months for a bird in the Czech Republic

Selcan Emer

Increase of Blackcaps | Europe [Birdsâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;watch]

Stereotype There are two thoughts when of talking about the blackcap. Primary they are known as northern nightingales, because of their lovely song. Although they look rather different from their close relatives, garden warblers, the song is virtually identical - close enough even to confuse each other. Those with a keen ear can tell the two apart, as the blackcap has longer pauses in its performance . But since it is almost a hidden bird which one would mostly only recognize by its voice, the German have a descriptive definition of the so called „Mönchsgrasmücke“ (Mönch - monk, Gras - gras, Mücke - midge). Since the blackcap likes to nestle in the grass and seems to be as small as a midge and is therefore almost invisible. The name derives from the medieval time.

Selcan Emer

“It was the nightingale and not the BLACKCAP !?“

Bird perspective The human can surely be seen as a thread by blackcaps. Like no other „predator“ the human could be someone who wants to steal the breed and feed on them. Well, it is more likely to trap them and to use them later as shill for the lark‘s and thrush‘ hunt. Countries such as Italy still believe in the tradition of birth hunting even though there has been many restrictions and prohibitions by the European law. As a positive example we have a phenomena occuring in the United Kingdom since the 1960ies. The United Kingdom is well known for its Bird watching and interest of Birds. The provision of food by humans has been driving a fascinating change in the migratory behaviour of blackcaps from continental Europe. Instead of travelling to southern Spain, increasing numbers of blackcaps are overwintering in the United Kingdom, perhaps taking advantage of milder winters and food supplied on bird tables.One blackcap overwintered in Germany by feeding on a whole cake.

Selcan Emer

Bird perspective Blackcaps are caught by Eurasian sparrowhawks in the breeding range, and by Eleonora‘s falcons on migration. Eurasian jays and Eurasian magpies take eggs and young, as do mammals such as stoats, weasels and squirrels. Domestic cats are the most important predator, possibly killing up to 10% of blackcaps. Blackcaps are occasionally hosts of the common cuckoo, a brood parasite. The level of parasitism is low because the cuckoo‘s eggs are often rejected. Blackcaps have evolved adaptations which make it difficult for the parasitic species to succeed, despite the cuckoo‘s tendency to lay eggs which resemble those of their host. Blackcaps are good at spotting alien eggs, and their own eggs are very alike within a clutch, making it easier to spot the intruder. There is, however, considerable variation between different clutches, making it harder for the cuckoo to convincingly mimic a blackcap egg. The open habitat and cup nest of the warbler make it a potential target for the cuckoo. But the blackcap is not only surrounded by predators it gets along with other different singing birds.

Selcan Emer

Pigliamosche, Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata Yulia Filatova

Biological characteristics ~16cm; 11g / undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. Adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with some streaking on the breast. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores.

Behavior /helpless young - their babies are not very well developed and are utterly incapable of taking care of themselves /ambush predator - If ambushers chase their prey at all, they do so for only a short time, as most of them are not capable of a prolonged pursuit /migration - the usually seasonal movement of animals in pursuit of food, suitable breeding sites or to escape bad weather or other environmental conditions. /adapted to flying - the ability to move through the air under your own power /acoustic communication - sending and receiving of messages using sound. Most acoustic communication is not language, in the sense that humans use it, although language is one aspect of this adaptation. /egg layer - eggs, inside which the young then develop before hatching occurs.

Yulia Filatova

Habitat They are birds of deciduous woodlands, parks and gardens, with a preference for open areas amongst trees. In case of eating flying insects, they should live basically near markets or bogs, places with big concentration of those insects. Maybe it could be useful for them to live near big trash-bins to help the whole nature to be more clean and beautiful. /Oak wood /Farmland /Beech wood /Hedgerows /Parkland /Broadleaf forest /Coniferous forest /Urban: Churchyards, cemeteries, parks, mature gardens.

Yulia Filatova

Temporality The Spotted flycatcher can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia, Europe, Mediterranean, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales, Ynys-hir nature reserve. They are one of the latest spring migrants to arrive, not turning up until late April or early May. They leave around September.

Yulia Filatova

Food cycle Flying insects, such as moths, butterflies, damselflies, crane flies and other tasty morsels â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are their food. If the weather is bad, they can search trees and shrubs for other insect food. Spotted flycatchers hunt from conspicuous perches, making sallies after passing flying insects, and often returning to the same perch.

Yulia Filatova

Reproduction /Open-fronted nest-box /Nest height: between 2m and 4m above ground with a clear outlook /The nest is made of miscellaneous materials, including spidersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; webs and lined with feathers and leaves /4 or 5 eggs. Off white, usually mottled reddish. / Incubation time: 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14 days /Nestling fledge after 13 -16 days /Eggs laying starts between mid-May and mid-August. 1 or 2 broods.

Yulia Filatova

Stereotype At first glance, spotted flycatchers might seem dull brownish-grey and a bit boring. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better to think of them as beautiful in an understated way. They secure our calmness by eating disgusting insects.

Yulia Filatova

Perspective to the humans “ People are strange. They need stairs to move up and down. They pollute environment immediately, when they appear somewhere. And now they are hiding underground and destroying the kernel of the Earth. People eat everything without any differences. They can eat even each other, if they want. They don’t need to hunt for their food, that’s boring, food is here, you don’t need to move, you can lie and food will come to your mouse it selves. And what about the buildings. How can you live in this huge buildings? “

Yulia Filatova

Relation with other species Flycatchers are quite small species. In the list of animals from fly to elephant they are too close to flies. But it doesn’t mean that they are not friends with elephant’s. Around them flycatchers can find lots of food – flying insects. Good for them to have elephant as a big friend.

Yulia Filatova

Cinciallegra, Great Tit, Parus major Elisa Fiscon

How to recognize it The great tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is about 12.5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;14.0 cm in length, and has a distinctive appearance that makes it easy to recognize. The great tit has a bluish-black crown, black neck, throat, bib and head, and white cheeks and ear coverts. The breast is bright lemon-yellow and there is a broad black mid-line stripe running from the bib to vent. There is a dull white spot on the neck turning to greenish yellow on the upper nape. The rest of the nape and back are green tinged with olive. The wing-coverts are green, the rest of the wing is bluish-grey with a white-wingbar. The tail is bluish grey with white outer tips. The plumage of the female is similar to that of the male except that the colours are overall duller; the bib is less intensely black as is the line running down the belly, which is also narrower and sometimes broken. Young birds are like the female, except that they have dull olive-brown napes and necks, greyish rumps, and greyer tails, with less defined white tips. The colour of the male birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breast has been shown to correlate with stronger sperm, and is one way that the male demonstrates his reproductive superiority to females. Higher levels of carotenoid increase the intensity of the yellow of the breast. The width of the maleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ventral stripe, which varies with individual, is selected for by females, with higher quality females apparently selecting males with wider stripes. The eggs of the Great Tit are white with red spots. The great tit is, like other tits, a vocal bird, and has up to 40 types of calls and songs. In adapting to human environments its song has been observed to change in noise-polluted urban environments.

Elisa Fiscon

The time of its life The great tit is a very active bird, popular because of its acrobatic performances fluttering among the branches and hang upside down to catch ants and plant lice. During the course of the year we can see cyclic variations on its activity. In order to analyze it I cross the dates about its behavior, its reproduction and its food cycle with the change of seasons. It emerges that the highest activity takes place at moments of transition between the summertime and the cold season, and conversely. So the peak points are on spring and autumn. The first one coincides with the nesting, the brood and the breeding; the second one is the introducing moment before the winter, when groups of great tits join together diffusing their lively calls and begin to rack up food in view of the cold. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s useful to point out the changing of degree of activity to have an overview on all the cycle of its life, deeply determined and characterized by the transition trough these two moments of the year.

Elisa Fiscon

Where find it It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa in any sort of woodland. It lives in flat and hilly areas and it has adapted well to human changes in the environment. We can find it in a wide variety of environments, including forests, shrubs, like as urban parks, gardens and cultivated fields. In its habitat it needs to find a cavity, natural or artificial, beside, as all tits, it is a cavity nester, breeding in a hole that is usually inside a tree, although occasionally in a wall or rock face, and they will readily take to nest boxes. Very active, curious and cheerful, the Great Tit usually stays on branches of trees but also on shrubs or on natural ground, following the availability of food: insects, worms during the warm seasons and seeds and berries in winter. In Lombardy itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s present throughout the region, especially in countryside and urban parks, during the whole year and it is missing only from areas at high altitudes.

Elisa Fiscon

The time of reproduction Great tits are monogamous breeders and establish breeding territories. They are seasonal breeders. The exact timing of breeding varies by a number of factors, most importantly location. In Europe the breeding season usually begins after March. Great tits are cavity nesters, breeding in a hole that is usually inside a tree, although occasionally in a wall or rock face, and they will readily take to nest boxes. The nest inside the cavity is built by the female, and is made of plant fibres, grasses, moss, hair, wool and feathers. Every year the couple makes two or sometimes three broods. Usually, for each one the female lays 12 eggs white with red spots, one per day and it begins to brood when they are 8-10. The incubation period is between 14-15 days. The female undertakes all incubation duties, and is fed by the male. The chicks, like those of all tits, are hatched unfeathered 16 to 22 days, with chicks being independent of the parents eight days after fledging. Feeding of the fledgeling may continue after independence, lasting up to 20 days in chicks from the first brood, but as long as 50 days in the second brood. Nestlings from second broods have weaker immune systems and body condition than those from first broods, and hence have a lower juvenile survival rate.

Elisa Fiscon

The time of feeding Great tits are primarily insectivorous in the summer, feeding on insects and spiders which they capture by foliage gleaning. Invertebrate prey that are taken include cockroaches, grasshoppers and crickets, lacewings, earwigs, bugs , ants, flies, caddis flies, beetles, scorpion flies, harvestmen, bees and wasps, snails and woodlice. During the breeding season, the tits prefer to feed protein-rich caterpillars to their young. A study published in 2007 found that Great Tits helped to reduce caterpillar damage in apple orchards by as much as 50%. In autumn and winter, when insect prey becomes scarcer, great tits add berries and seeds to their diet. Seeds and fruit usually come from deciduous trees and shrubs, and include the seeds of beech and hazel. Where it is available they will readily take table scraps, peanuts and sunflower seeds from bird tables. The great tit is prey of some other animal, common in forests but less diffuse in towns. The Eurasian sparrowhawk is a predator of great tits, with the young from second broods being at higher risk partly because of the hawkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greater need for food for its own developing young. The nests of great tits are raided by Great Spotted Woodpeckers, particularly when nesting in certain types of nest boxes. Other nest predators include introduced Grey Squirrels and Least Weasels, which are able to take nesting adults as well. The hen flea Ceratophyllus gallinae is exceedingly common in the nests of blue and great tits.

Elisa Fiscon

The time of social relation Great tits live in pairs during the breeding season. They will usually remain near or in their territory year round; young birds will disperse from their parents’ territory, but usually not far. The spring is the period more difficult for the relation with other species. During the breeding the bird is more vulnerable and attacked by its predator. In the rest of the year, especially in urban landscapes, they live in little groups. It’s easy to see and listen groups of them in autumn and before weather changes. They’re not very friendly with other species; it’s frequent to see some great tits attack smaller birds, in particular during winter, if the food is lacking.

Elisa Fiscon

Stereotype of human on it In former times, folk tales said that the “sawsharpening” call of great tit was a foretelling of rain. In countryside it was considered the announcer of winter because, when the cold season was coming, huge groups of these birds came and sang together. It was such a popular knowledge that in Canti di Castelvecchio written by Giovanni Pascoli use the description of the great tit and the reproduction of the sound of its call to write about the arriving of winter. [...] Per le faggete e l’abetine, dalle fratte e dal ruscello, quel canto suona senza fine, chiaro come un campanello. Per l’abetine e le faggete canta, ogni ora ogni dì più, la cinciallegra, e ti ripete: tient’a su! tient’a su! tient’a su! Di bosco è come te, la cincia: campa su la macchia anch’essa. Sa che, col verno che comincia, ti finisce la rimessa. La cincia è come te, di bosco: sa che pane non n’hai più. Va dove n’ha rimesso il Tosco: tient’a su! tient’a su! tient’a su! Le gemme qua e là col becco picchia: anch’essa è taglialegna. Nel bosco è un picchierellar secco della cincia che t’insegna. Col becco qua e là le gemme picchia al mo’ che picchi tu. Va, taglialegna, alle maremme... tient’a su! tient’a su! tient’a su! Ha il nido qua e là nei buchi d’ischie o d’olmi, ove gli garba; e pensa forse a que’ tuoi duchi, grandi, dalla lunga barba. Nei buchi erbiti dove ha il nido, pensa al gran tempo che fu; e getta ancora il vecchio grido: tient’a su! tient’a su! tient’a su! [...]

Elisa Fiscon

Its vision on humans If we imagine the point of view of great tits on humans we could see the advantages offered by artificial world. The great tit has generally adjusted to human modifications of the environment and in winter it usually uses nest boxes and it feeds by bird tables. They avoid the direct contact with humans but sometimes, offering seeds, it is possible to approach them. Another diffuse kind of approach with these kind of species is the birdwatching, a form of wildlife observation as a recreational activity, entertaining for humans and not invasive for animals.

Elisa Fiscon

In Milan As we see in the page analizing the habitat, Great Tit is present in Lombardy throughout the region, except at high altitudes. Thanks to its flexibility and adactability to human environments it is present also in the wide urbanized territory of Milan. We can find it in the urban parks, gardens, cultivated fields but also along tree-lined avenues. The city is a quite place to live for this kind of bird. It takes advantage of the absence of predators. Especially in winter, they stay in town because of higher temperature and to find more easily their feeding.

Elisa Fiscon

Taccola, Jackdaw, Corvus monedula Marco Gatti

Biological characteristics Jackdaw, or corvus monedula, belongs to the family of crow family and measuring 34â&#x20AC;&#x201C;39 centimetres (13â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 in) in length. Most of the plumage is a shiny black, with a purple (in subspecies monedula and spermologus) or blue (in subspecies cirtensis and soemmerringii) sheen on the crown, forehead, and secondaries, and a green-blue sheen on the throat, primaries, and tail. The cheeks, nape and neck are light grey to greyishsilver, and the underparts are slate-grey. The legs are black, as is the short stout bill, the length of which is about 75% of the length of the rest of the head. There are rictal bristles covering around 40% of the upper mandible and 25% of the lower mandible. The irises of adults are greyish or silvery white while those of juveniles are light blue, becoming brownish before whitening at around one year of age. The sexes look alike, though the head and neck plumage of male birds fades more with age and wear, particularly just before moulting. Immature birds have duller and less demarcated plumage.The head is a sooty black, sometimes with a faint greenish sheen and brown feather bases visible; the back and side of the neck are dark grey and the underparts greyish or sooty black. The tail has narrower feathers and a greenish sheen. There is very little geographic variation in size. The main differences are the presence or absence of a whitish partial collar at the base of the nape, the variations in the shade of the nape and the tone of the underparts. Populations in central Asia have slightly larger wings and western populations have a slightly heavier bill. Body colour becomes darker further north, in mountain regions and humid climates, and paler elsewhere. However, individual variation, particularly in juveniles and also during the months before moulting, can often be greater than geographic differences.

Marco Gatti

Corvus monedula spermologus [western Jackdaw]

Corvus monedula [eastern Jackdaw]

Corvus monedula soemmerringii [north-eastern Jackdaw]

Crown Nape Scapulars

Supercilium Orbital feathers Bill

Mantle

Auricular

Median converts

Malar

Greater converts

Throat

Primary converts Uppertail coverts

Belly Crown Tibial feathers Tarsus Toes

Tail Undertail coverts Femoral tract

Habitat Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) are resident over a large area stretching from North West Africa through virtually all of Europe, including the British Isles and southern Scandinavia, westwards through central Asia to the eastern Himalayas and Lake Baikal. They are resident throughout Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and north-west India. The species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 kmÂ˛. It has a large global population, with an estimated 10 to 29 million individuals in Europe. A small number of jackdaws reached the northwest of North America in the 1980s, presumably ship-assisted, and have been found from Atlantic Canada to Pennsylvania. They have also occurred as vagrants in Canada, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Mauritania, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Jackdaws are regionally extinct in Malta and Tunisia. Jackdaws inhabit wooded steppes, woodland, cultivated land, pasture, coastal cliffs, and villages and towns. In towns, Jackdaw lives upon the trees, on the roofs and sometimes stopping in the high-voltage. Among the species of corvids in Italian cities the Jackdaw is the one that occupies more easily the core areas. The expansion of the Jackdaw in Italian cities can be attributed to the fact that in large urban centers, the species finds the ideal conditions for settlement : high density of pigeons, reduced predation pressure and human persecution and suitable sites for nesting.

Marco Gatti

Roofs

Electric towers

Trees

Temporality The populations of Jackdaws are mostly resident in Europe, but the northern and eastern populations are more migratory, relocating to wintering areas between September and November and returning between February and early May. Their range expands northwards into Russia to Siberia during summer, and retracts in winter. They are vagrants to the Faroe Islands, particularly in the winter and spring, and occasionally to Iceland. Elsewhere, western jackdaws congregate over winter in the Ural Valley in north-western Kazakhstan, the north Caspian, and the Tian Shan region of western China. They are winter visitors to the Quetta Valley in western Pakistan, and are winter vagrants to Lebanon, where they were first recorded in 1962. In Syria, they are winter vagrants and rare residents with some confirmed breeding taking place.

Marco Gatti

Winter migration process South

North

Food cycle The Jackdaw search food especially on the ground in open areas and to some extent in trees. Rubbish tips, bins, streets, and gardens are also visited, more often early in the morning when there are fewer people about. Various feeding methods are employed, such as jumping, pecking, clod-turning and scattering, probing the soil, and occasionally, digging. Flies around cow pats are caught by jumping from the ground or at times by dropping vertically from a few metres onto the cow pat. Earthworms are not usually extracted from the ground by western jackdaws but are eaten from freshly ploughed soil. The western jackdaw tends to feed on small invertebrates up to 18 millimetres in length that are found above ground, including various species of beetle (particularly cockchafers of the genus Melolontha, and weevil larvae and pupae), Diptera, and Lepidoptera species, as well as snails and spiders. Also eaten are small rodents, bats, the eggs and chicks of birds, and carrion such as roadkill. Vegetable items consumed include farm grains (barley, wheat and oats), weed seeds, elderberries, acorns, and various cultivated fruits. Examination of the gizzards of western jackdaws shot in Cyprus in spring and summer revealed a diet of cereals (predominantly wheat) and insects (notably cicadas and beetles). The diet averages 84% plant material except when breeding, when the main food source is insects. A study in southern Spain examining western jackdaw pellets found that they contained significant amounts of silicaceous and calcareous grit to aid digestion of vegetable food and supply dietary calcium.

Marco Gatti

84% Plant Material 16% Insects

Reproduction The jackdaws become sexually mature usually in their second year of life. Genetic analysis of pairs and offspring shows no evidence of extra-pair copulation and there is little evidence for couple separation even after multiple instances of reproductive failure. Some pairs do separate in the first few months, but almost all pairings of over six monthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; duration are lifelong, ending only when a partner dies. Widowed or separated birds fare badly, often being ousted from nests or territories and unable to rear broods alone. Western jackdaws usually breed in colonies with pairs collaborating to find a nest site, which they then defend from other pairs and predators during most of the year. They nest in cavities in trees or cliffs, in ruined or occupied buildings and in chimneys, the common feature being a sheltered site for the nest. Nests are lined with hair, wool, dead grass and many other materials. The eggs are a lighter colour than those of other corvids, being smooth, a glossy pale blue or blue-green with darker speckles ranging from dark brown to olive or grey-violet. Egg size and weight varies slightly between subspecies; those of subspecies monedula average 35.0 by 24.7 millimetres and 11.1 g in weight, those of subspecies soemmerringii 34.8 by 25.0 millimetres in size and 11.3 g in weight, and those of subspecies spermologus 35.0 by 25.2 millimetrer in size and 11.5 g in weight. Clutches usually contain 4 or 5 eggs, although a Slovakian study found clutch sizes ranging from 2 to 9 eggs. The eggs are incubated by the female for 17â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18 days until hatching as naked altricial chicks, which are completely dependent on the adults for food. They fledge after 28â&#x20AC;&#x201C;35 days, and the parents continue to feed them for another four weeks.

Marco Gatti

17–18 day of incubation

fledge after 28–35 days 35-24 mm

feed 4 weeks by parents

11,1 g

2-9 Egg

Wood

Paper

Bones

Plastic

Plumage Wool

Hair

Dead grass

Stereotype In some cultures, a jackdaw on the roof is said to predict a new arrival; alternatively, a jackdaw settling on the roof of a house or flying down a chimney is an omen of death, and coming across one is considered a bad omen. The 12th century historian William of Malmesbury records the story of a woman who, upon hearing a jackdaw chattering “more loudly than usual,” grew pale and became fearful of suffering a “dreadful calamity”, and that “while yet speaking, the messenger of her misfortunes arrived”. An ancient Greek and Roman adage runs “The swans will sing when the jackdaws are silent”, meaning that educated or wise people will speak only after the foolish have become quiet. Popular beliefs in Europe indicated that the verse croaking and the irregoular flight of this specimen, indicating the arrival of bad weather, which is why it was very taken into account before making any activity.

Marco Gatti

Perspective on the man Nothing of this can be seen by one who moves on his feet or his wheels over the city pavements And, inversely, from up here you have the impression theat the true crust of the earth is this, uneven but compact, [. . .] and it never occurs to you to wonder what is hidden [. . .]. This Is how birds think, or at least is how Mr. Palomar thinks, imagining himself a bird. “It Is only after you have come to know the surface of things,” he concludes, “that you can venture to seek what is underneath. But the surface of things is Inexhaustible.” I. Calvino, Dal terrazzo, Palomar, Einaudi

Marco Gatti

Relation with other species Jackdaws will ride on the backs of sheep, cow and other mammals, seeking ticks as well as actively gathering wool or hair for nests, and will catch flying ants in flight. In their diet also includes eggs and young pigeon, and for this, in many cities have been introduced with the aim of reducing the colonies of pigeons. The result was the creation of two colonies cohabitants, where jackdaws have quickly begun to eating garbage, avoiding the risk of raiding nests within an entire colony of pigeons.

Marco Gatti

Cornacchia grigia, Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix Alberto Giacopelli

Flight The Hooded Crow lies in pure muscular power to carry its flight, making this animal a fast yet short-ranged predator. Since its natural habitat were the mountain peaks its also capable of gliding, yet it is observed that animal in captivity and in urban environment tend to rely only in muscular flight.

Manipulation In recent years it is been observed that Hooded Crows have the capacity to bend metal wires or manipulate other object in order to produce artifacts aimed to reach or facilitate the access to the food; in some cases they where observed using car traffic as nutcracker placing nuts nearby traffic lights.

Intellicence Due to its capacity of manipulatin, problem-solving, social interaction and langage complexity, the Hooded Crow, with all the Corvae family itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top-ranked in the animal QI chart surpassing many primates and some apes.ons and humid climates, and paler elsewhere. However, individual variation, particularly in juveniles and also during the months before moulting, can often be greater than geographic differences.

Alberto Giacopelli

FACTS AND TRIVIA

Habitat Back Then The Hooded Crow was once a Mountain volatile, but since the spread of agriculture in Po valley it gathered closer to $ elds and towns, where it could find aboundance of food and no natural predators. Now The growth of cities like Milan brought the Hooded Crow in contact with a new environment: the urban fabric, where the Corvae family proliferated due to food aboundance, absence of any predators the presence of low density greenery for nesting and hunting, of high speed nutcrackers for comfort and the capability to ignore human affairs, making the city the perfect habitat for this bird.

Alberto Giacopelli

CONQUERING CITIES

Temporality Habitat In the last centuries the Crow moved from the mountain to the city in quest for a place where the species could proliferate and prosper, they found it in our cities, near our home, in our gardens. Intellligence During the last decades the inurbization of the crow kin led to an increase in their longevity, thus a greater accumulation of information that the Crows managed to communicate through their language, a language that evolved and gained complexity as the information it had to carry grew and becamo more complex. Crows are now observed to be able to spread new discoveries just usig verbal communication. Lifespan The increase in the well-being of the Crows led to an impressive increase in their life expectation, now ranging around 20 years, from 10 until 20 years ago; this led to an even greater proliferation of the species and the creation of larger clans sharing common experiences and knowledge.

Alberto Giacopelli

TIME GOES BY

Reproduction More than a Simple Couple The Hooded Crow lives in clans made of family groups of 3 exemplars, a maing couple and a male exemplar whose never going to reproduce. while the couple will last for the life of both the animals, the male can have affairs with non affiliated females of the same clan. Strategies The presence of the third meber of the family let the group effectively defend the only fertilized nest, in fact Hooded Crows built many fake nest with unfertilized eggs to reduce the chanche that the curlew sandpiper may kill the offspring.

Alberto Giacopelli

2+1+N

Food Chian Higher than the Eagle In the wilderness the Hooded Crow has just one predator in his adult form: the great birds of prey. This situation recently shi& ed as it was observed in many occasion a group of crows attacking and succesfully overcome bald eagles, buzzards and hawks, using their great social skills and strategically forcing the other animal to be in an inferior position.

Alberto Giacopelli

A NEW KING RISES

Man Perspective Norse In Norse Mithology Odin, King of Gods, uses two ravens (a Hooded Crow and a Regal Crow) to spread his word and to bring back news from the Midgard, the human reign, the Hooded Crow it is the incarnation of the memory, the all knowing being that distibutes glimpse of the future through the infinite loop of time. American In many American mithologies the Hooded Crow is the creator of the world, wile his sister (or in some cases his elder self) itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the representation of trickstery and betrayal moved by shimmering gold. European In European tradition, probably due to the frequency of wars and the tendency of crows to eat corpses, it was always associated with the concept of death and despair, plague and famine. The tendency of Crows to recognize and familiarize with humans was associated with witchcra& thus the crow became a loyal yeoman, still it will always betrays anyone for some gold, if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough...

Alberto Giacopelli

ONE IN THREE

Animal Perspectice Caw In the re$ ned mind of the Hooded Crows, the species have the ability to recognise and salute, or taunt human beings; their intelligence let them remember a peculiar person an greet him or dislike him just by their features, the difference in the pose, the tone of the caw and the position (on the grownd rather than on a tree) itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characteristic of an expression.

Alberto Giacopelli

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

Relation with Other Animals Mainly They are all Food The Hooded Crow, now that it sattled in the city, has the bad habits of feasting on any corpse, any lesser bird or little mammal, fearing not dogs or such, conscious that the pack will held any danger.

Alberto Giacopelli

FEAST ON THEIR FLESH

Passero dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Italia, Italian Sparrow, Passer italiae Andrea Govi

Anatomy The italian sparrow is the typical “Passeriformae” bird. It is between 5 cm to 10 cm long and it has a brown color. The color depends on the sexual gender and the age of the sparrow. The female one have softer colors instead of the male sparrows that have stronger and darker colors. The sparrow has wings that do not permit long flights, in fact sparrows do not move from the place where they are born. The legs are stronger because the bird stays a lot of time on the ground in search of food. The beak is strong too because it permits the sparrow to eat many different kinds of food.

Behavior The Italian sparrow’s behaviour is similar in many ways to that of the house sparrow. It is a social bird, which feeds mostly on seeds and insects. It is mostly sedentary, but it wanders to some extent outside its breeding season. The animal likes people presence and it is common to see it in squares and pavements. In Milan sparrows are common in every area with presence of people and a little of nature. For example Piazza della Scala is an interesting area for sparrows, because it is a rare spot of green and it is a very crowded square, with a lot of people. It represents the perfect habitat for sparrows. In most of its range, the Italian sparrow is an abundant and familiar bird of houses. It has been one of the wild birds most commonly consumed as food in Italy. Portrayals of the Italian sparrow or one of its relatives have been found at Pompeii. Like the house sparrow, the Italian sparrow is considered a biological indicator of pollution.

Andrea Govi

Habitat The Italian sparrow is found in northern and central Italy, Corsica, and small parts of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia.Its distribution was described by Italian zoologist Enrico Hillyer Giglioli in 1881. The Italian sparrow is associated with human habitations, inhabiting towns, cities, and agricultural areas. The Italian sparrow’s breeding population is believed to comprise 5 to 10 million pairs. It has a population density of 58 to 160 pairs per square kilometer. Up to the mid-1990s, its population increased steadily, probably due to increased urbanisation. Between 2000 and 2005, the Italian sparrow’s population in Italy declined by 27.1 percent, mirroring the declines of the house sparrow throughout Europe. From 1998 to 2008, urban populations declined by about 50 percent. A study of the Italian sparrow’s status listed a large number of potential causes for the Italian sparrow’s decline, including shortages of insect food, agricultural intensification, and reductions of green areas.The Italian sparrow is among the most common birds in Italian cities. City habitat The sparrow makes its nest in some parts of the buildings that offers shelter from the rain or the wind. The sparrow lives in this spaces, on the trees and on the ground where he can found food. It is important for the sparrow to find some green areas so the perception of the city for the sparrow is disconnected. The short flights do not permit the sparrow to explore all the city so the sparrows concentrate in some areas that are perfect habitats and completely ignore some other parts. the abundance of food in these areas is sufficient to not search food in the parts of the city without green or pedestrians.

Andrea Govi

Reproduction The nesting habits of House Sparrows plays a significate role in the birds life and activities. Since these birds use the nest nearly year around. In spring and summer the birds use the nest for raising young, up to four broods a season will be raised. In fall and winter it is used for resting in the day and roosting at night. The nest can be located in any available place in buildings, trees, and birdhouses near human habitation. The adaptability and the number of broods raised is what causes this birds numbers to multiply. The nest building is done almost year around. You are likely to notice most nest building activity in spring and fall. The main one is in spring just before breeding. Both the male and female build the nest. The nest is spherical in shape, 8 to 10 inches in outside diameter and is made of coarse material on the outside such as, straw, twigs, paper, leaves, grasses, and any other available material. The inside is lined with feathers or fine grasses. The female begins laying eggs about a week after nest building begins. Typically 4 eggs are laid but some nest can have up to 7 eggs. The eggs are white to dull brown and speckled with brown. For the most part, incubation of the eggs is done by the female. Incubation last for about 12 days and the young leave the nest in 15 to 17 days after hatching. Both the male and female feed the young. After the young birds have fledged, the male continues feeding the fledglings while the female begins the next brood.

Andrea Govi

REPRODUCTION NUMBERS

IN THE NEW NESTS THE FEMALE DEPOSES NEW EGGS THE MALE ONES MAKE NEW NESTS THE HALF ARE MALE 5 EGGS FOR A CHOSEN NEST 4 NESTS FOR EACH MALE 1 COUPLE

Temporality The sparrow lives from 4 to 6 years. We analized a time of 4 years and we see that the bird is sexually active for three quarter of its life. During this period of time the sparrow can complete also 5 reproductive cycles. In spring and summer the sparrow could make 4 nests that are used again the next year. In the nests the female can depose 3 groups of eggs every year. It is also analized an important decrease of the sparrow popoulation in the last 4 years. The sparrow in our cities are the 50% less and we do not know why. We can make hypotesis on the smog, the lack of shelters or the increase of predators.

Andrea Govi

Feeding As an adult, the house sparrow mostly feeds on the seeds of grains and weeds, but it is opportunistic and adaptable, and eats whatever foods are available. In towns and cities it often scavenges for food in garbage containers and congregates in the outdoors of restaurants and other eating establishments to feed on leftover food and crumbs. It can perform complex tasks to obtain food, such as opening automatic doors to enter supermarkets, clinging to hotel walls to watch vacationers on their balconies, and nectar robbing kowhai flowers. In common with many other birds, the house sparrow requires grit to digest the harder items in its diet. Grit can be either stone, often grains of masonry, or the shells of eggs or snails; oblong and rough grains are preferred. Several studies of the house sparrow in temperate agricultural areas have found the proportion of seeds in its diet to be about 90%. It will eat almost any seeds, but where it has a choice, it prefers oats and wheat. In urban areas, the house sparrow feeds largely on food provided directly or indirectly by humans, such as bread, though it prefers raw seeds. The house sparrow also eats some plant matter besides seeds, including buds, berries, and fruits such as grapes and cherries. In temperate areas, the house sparrow has an unusual habit of tearing flowers, especially yellow ones, in the spring. Animals form another important part of the house sparrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diet, chiefly insects, of which beetles, caterpillars, dipteran flies, and aphids are especially important. Various non-insect arthropods are eaten, as are molluscs and crustaceans where available, earthworms, and even vertebrates such as lizards and frogs. Young house sparrows are fed mostly on insects until about fifteen days after hatching. They are also given small quantities of seeds, spiders, and grit. In most places, grasshoppers and crickets are the most abundant foods of nestlings. True bugs, ants, sawflies, and beetles are also important, but house sparrows will take advantage of whatever foods are abundant to feed their young. House sparrows have been observed stealing prey from other birds, including American Robins.

Andrea Govi

Stereotype The sparrow is seen as a domestic and very social bird and it is commonly represented in art and images. There are examples of ancient paintings, as the one by Guercino, where are represented sparrows, also in a religious theme. The sparrow is a symbol of the house, of the family and an example of fidelity. It is also very common in drawings and images for children, as the stories by Beatrix Potter or the Walt Disney’s movies. It is a common theme also in poetry, one the famous examples of wrtigins about a sparrow is “Passero Solitario” by Giacomo Leopardi. The sparrow is also a common nickname for little person, used in a very familiar context. In some cases also famous people were called by media sparrow, for example Edith Piaf, which name is now the french dialect for the word sparrow.

Andrea Govi

Social behaviour with other animals The italian sparrow is a very social bird but it has not have a great interaction with other spiecies, he ingnores other passeriformae in the everyday life, and it is not aggresive with other birds. The italian sparrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main predators are cats and birds of prey, but many other animals prey on them, including corvids, squirrels, and even humansâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the house sparrow has been consumed in the past by people in many parts of the world, and it still is in parts of the Mediterranean. Most species of bird of prey have been recorded preying on the house sparrow in places where there are extensive records. Accipiters and the merlin in particular are major predators, though cats are likely to have a greater impact on house sparrow populations. The italian sparrow is also a common victim of roadkill; on European roads, it is the bird most frequently found dead.

Andrea Govi

Vision on humans The house sparrow has an extremely large range and population, and is not seriously threatened by human activities, so it is assessed as Least Concern for conservation on the IUCN Red List. However, populations have been declining in many parts of the world.These declines were first noticed in North America, where they were initially attributed to the spread of the house finch, but have been most severe in Western Europe. Declines have not been universal, as no serious declines have been reported from Eastern Europe, but have even occurred in Australia, where the house sparrow was introduced recently. In Great Britain, populations peaked in the early 1970s, but have since declined by 68% overall, and about 90% in some regions. In London, the house sparrow almost disappeared from the central city. The numbers of house sparrows in the Netherlands have dropped in half since the 1980s, so the house sparrow is even considered an endangered species. This status came to widespread attention after a female house sparrow, referred to as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dominomusâ&#x20AC;?, was killed after knocking down dominoes arranged as part of an attempt to set a world record. These declines are not unprecedented, as similar reductions in population occurred when the internal combustion engine replaced horses in the 1920s and a major source of food in the form of grain spillage was lost. Various causes for the dramatic decreases in population have been proposed, including predation, in particular by Eurasian sparrowhawks; electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones;and diseases. A shortage of nesting sites caused by changes in urban building design is probably a factor, and conservation organisations have encouraged the use of special nest boxes for sparrows. A primary cause of the decline seems to be an insufficient supply of insect food for nestling sparrows. Declines in insect populations result from an increase of monoculture crops, the heavy use of pesticides, the replacement of native plants in cities with introduced plants and parking areas, and possibly the introduction of unleaded petrol, which produces toxic compounds such as methyl nitrite.

Andrea Govi

Fringuello, Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs Enrico Guidetti

Biological description 1 Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae Subfamily: Fringillinae Genus: Fringilla Species: Fringilla Coelebs All true finches have 12 remiges and 9 primary rectrices. The basic plumage colour is brownish, sometimes greenish; many have considerable amounts of black, while white plumage is generally absent except as wing-bars or other signalling marks. The common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), usually known simply as the chaffinch, is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. Their body length is around 14 to 18 centimeters, and they weigh a delicate 20 grammes approximately. It can live up to three years.

Enrico Guidetti

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Biological description 2 1 The chaffinch is a partial migrant; birds breeding in warmer regions are sedentary while those breeding in the colder northern areas of its range winter further south. 2 Chaffinches run on the ground with a rhythmical head-nodding. Their flight is an up and down wavelike undulating motion. 3 This species forms loose flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with Bramblings. This bird occasionally strays to eastern North America, although some sightings may be escapees. Chaffinch feeds in large groups in winter, taking seeds in farmlands and gardens. But in breeding season, this bird is strongly territorial. They usually feed on the ground and often mix with other Fringillidae and Sparrows. It walks on the ground with fast and short steps, hops, and flies from tree to tree. 4 The powerful song is very well known, and its fink or vink sounding call gives the finch family its English name. Males typically sing two or three different song types, and there are regional dialects too. 5 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very lively and friendly bird, indeed in many european country it is widespread also as pet bird in houses.

Enrico Guidetti

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Biological description 3 Upperparts are soft reddish-brown on back, whereas the rump is green. Upperwing is black with two conspicuous white bars, and buffy-white edges to flight feathers. The tail is black with white outer rectrices. Underparts are pinkishbrown. Vent and undertail coverts are whitish. On the head, forehead is blackish. Crown, nape and neck sides are grey. Cheeks and ear-coverts are pinkish-brown, as underparts. In winter plumage, Chaffinch male has same pattern but duller plumage. The pointed bill is greyish-blue in breeding plumage, and rather pinkish in winter. Eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are pinkishbrown. Adult female is duller, with greyish-brown plumage, paler on the underparts. The wing-bars are creamy-white and narrower than in male. Head is brownish with paler nape patch. Bill is pale pink with blackish tip. The dark eyes are bordered by buffy-white feathered eye-ring. Juvenile resembles female.

Enrico Guidetti

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Biological description 4 A number of subspecies of the chaffinch have been described based principally on the differences in the pattern and colour of the adult male plumage. The list of subspecies can be divided into three groups: the “coelebs group” that occurs in Europe and Asia, the “spondiogenys group” in North Africa and the “canariensis group” on the Canary Islands. Some studies about genotype and phenotype concluded that the common chaffinches on the islands are sufficiently distinct in both genotype and phenotype to be considered as a separate species within the Fringilla genus. In the table i listed the known subspeces divided in the three groups just to show how many different “similar” subspecies are recognisable under the same species as the Fringilla Coelebs. I also wanted to point out that one of the main difference between the subspecies is about the pattern and colour of the plumage and that even two similar phenotype might have a quite different genotype.

Enrico Guidetti

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Habitat 1 1 This is a predominantly forest species, present in hardwoods, and in those of conifers, pure or mixed, as long as the trees are not too thick. The higher densities of Finches are however observed in the complex of conifers open and sunny. 3-4 However, the finches do not disdain even gardens and urban parks for nesting; in the cold season it is also found in agricoltural areas. In cold weather, in the business of getting food, it is also found in agricoltural areas of the plain, after making several kiloneters from the nests located at the edge or inside the woods. They are likely to be found in more open areas in autumn and winter, when large groups of visiting birds search for seeds to sustain them through the winter. In Lombardia it is homogeneously distributed, indeed, it has no particular preference for the choice of habitat. 4 It settles in urban areas that are more compact and provide some form of arboreal vegetation. In urban parks rows, clearings, fields and open and bright thickets are preferred. In Milan chaffinch is mostly present in parks, even central ones (e.i. parco Sempione or Montanelli) and in small wooded areas bordering houses. 3 Chaffinches tend to avoid bird feeders, preferring to forage on the ground beneath bird tables, or under hedges. You may see them hopping around in these areas, or perched on branches. They can become bolder if they are regularly exposed to human contact, so if you regularly eat outside you may find them waiting on the sidelines for stay crumbs.

Enrico Guidetti

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Habitat 2 In this table I wanted to show the main relations that the Chaffinch sets up according to the possible different environments. I highlined mainly the relations with its food cycle and its behaviours. 1 In the houses environment the Chaffinch has relations with humans that feed it and it behaves as a lively and friendly bird although it doesn’t sing, indeed, it sings only to attract partners during the breeding season. 2 In cities’ gardens its food cycle can be linked to the “bushes environment” because of the absence of big trees. Depending of the bigness of the gardens we can enjoy its wavelike motions during flying. In this situations it mainly travels alone since it doens’t move to make long journeys but just to get food. 3 In urban parks both the food chain and the behaviour can be similar to the one of its natural environment (forests). Of course everything depends on the park: whether it’s big or small, more or less anthropized and so on. We can assume though that in moderate big urban parks the Chaffinch can find a very thriving environment especially because of the absence of many natural predators. 4 In forest, Chaffinch’s natural environment, we can more or less notice all of its characteristic behaviours. The loud song during the breeding period, the ondulatory wavelike motion (typical of all passerine birds), and its journey as partially migratory bird. Regarding the food chain in the forests it reaches the highest complexity, indeed, it involves both the primary and the secondary chains that take the Chaffinch into account both as a predator and as a prey.

Enrico Guidetti

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Time Chaffinch is found throughout Europe. It lives from Western Europe to Wester Asia, Middle East, North Africa and the Macaronesian Island in Atlantic Ocean. This species is resident or partially migratory according to the range. Birds of the northern parts of the habitat move southwards in winter. Territory is occupied in January by oldest males. The youngest birds establish their territory in February or later. Chaffinch usually returns to the same territory every year. Male is very aggressive, chasing away intruders or other birds. Female arrives in March. Mates stay together about six weeks before to breed. The male performs courtship displays but the female may be aggressive towards him. However, they feed together on the ground. Resident birds are mostly sedentary with juveniles moving only short distances from the place where they were hatched. Between September and March, the population increases with 10-20 million immigrants from Scandinavia and Western Europe looking for food. These birds are usually found in large flocks on open farmland, whereas resident British birds are usually in woodlands and hedgerows.

Enrico Guidetti

non-breading

winter

resident

summer

breeding

Food Cycle They have a short, thick and conic beak. By using this small but strong beak they can easily release seeds from hard shells. As well as seeds of all kinds, the food of the Chaffinch also consists of berries, fruits and insects. Some courageous Chaffinches can be fed in presence of humans with fine breadcrumbs or seeds. However Chaffinch feeds mainly on seeds taken on the ground, but also some fallen fruits such as apples. Concerning insects it prefer invertebrates such as earth worms. As shown in the table, there are mainly two kinds of environment that allow the finch to get the food; they are the forestal environment and the bushes environment. This two habitats summarize the large variety of places in which the bird could live. 1 The predominant forestal environment have trees as starting point of this food cycle: trees give food to small insects that are eaten by bigger insect such as bugs, dragonfly and ladybug that are, in turn, eaten by the chaffinch. 2 The predominant bushes environment have shrubs as starting poitn: bushes produces small berries and seeds that are eaten mainly by small invertebrates that are, in turn, eaten by the chaffinches. These two environment are largely diffuse around the rural and urban areas, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the Chaffinch can easily adapt to many environmental configurations. 1-2 The concurrence of these two allows the bird to best adapt to the environment, in fact it varies its diet according to the seasons. During the breeding period it rather small invertebrates and insects to feed its chicks.

Enrico Guidetti

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Food Cycle 2 The other food cycle that can be drawn regarding the Chaffinch is the one that it generates itself as starting point. The eggs and nestlings of the Chaffinch are predated by crows, red and grey squirels, domestic cats and by stoats and weasels. Clutches begun later in the spring because of less predation pressure, an effect that is believed to be due to the increased vegetation making nests more difficult to find. The bird itself is predated by bird of prey, feline such as cats and foxes and snakes. One of the most dangerous animal for the Chaffinch in urban and semi-urban contexts is the house cat. In a wild forestal environment the predators pressure is much higher compared to the one of the more urban context and this could have also led to population increasing inside urban and sub-urban areas.

Enrico Guidetti

Reproduction 1 The Chaffinch lays his eggs in the nest and its construction does not begin until April or even early May. The nest is built by the female alone in about a week; the process can take as few as three days or as many as eighteen days. She builds a neat, deep cup, tightly fitted into a shrub or tree fork. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made using twig, moss, grass, feathers, flakes of bark and spider web to bound all the elements. 1 The nest cup has four layers. Strands of silk (attachment) join the cup to the branch. The outer layer (decoration) of lichens and spider silk looks green or grayish, providing camouflage. The cup (structure) is built with fine grasses and moss, in which grasses are prominent. The fourth element (lining) consists of a few feathers, fine grasses, wool, fur, and plant down. The soft materials adhere well together so taht many nests blend with lichened or mossy branches and are hard to find. The cup is strong and flexible enough to expand as the chicks grow. The female uses two movements to attach the spiderwebs. First, a thread is attached to a branch; the leaning bird passes it around the branch, retrieves the end and so encircles the twig. She may make several loops in this way. Second, moss is stuck to the loops and more silk may be attached and secured elsewhere. Moss and grass are the inserted into the cup by stabbing movements of the bill. The whole is shaped from the inside as the bird turns around and around, making the cup a perfect fit for the incubating bird.

Enrico Guidetti

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Reproduction 2 Chaffinches first breed when they are one year old. They are mainly monogamous and the pair-bond for residential subspecies such as gengleri sometimes persists from one year to the next. The date for breeding is dependent on the spring temperature and is earlier in southwest Europe and later in the northeast. In Britain most clutches are laid between late April and the middle of June. A male attracts a female to his territory through song. The eggs are laid in early morning at daily intervals until the clutch is complete. The clutch is typically 4–5 eggs which are smooth and slightly glossy but very variable in colour. They range from pale-blueish green to light red with purple brown blotches, spots or steaks. The average size of an egg is 19 mm × 15 mm with a weight of 2.2 g. The eggs are incubated for 10–16 days by the female. The chicks are altricial, hatching nearly naked with closed eyes, and are fed by both parents but mainly by the female who broods them for around six days. They are mainly fed caterpillars. The nestlings fledge 11–18 days after hatching and disperse. The young birds are then assisted with feeding by both parents for a further three weeks. The parents only very rarely start a second brood, but when they do so it is always in a new nest.

Enrico Guidetti

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Stereotype 1 In the spring the male starts loud singing to mark its breeding area, and can be heard to sing his song from February to September. The song itself lasts a maximum 5 seconds, and can easily be repeated 10 times in a minute. A Chaffinch generally sings 2 or 3 different songs in several versions, and in different areas of the world, regional dialects of different calls can be heard. The song is learned from the father or other chaffinches, but in places where other finch species, for example canaries, are also found the chaffinch can copy the call of a canary or other finch as part of its repertoire. Some studies determined that if the Chaffinch is not exposed to the adult male’s song during a certain critical period after hatching, it will never properly learn the song. It has been also found out that in adult chaffinches castration eliminates song, but injection of testosterone induces such birds to sing even in November, when they’re normally silent. That probably means that the song is a very important part of the breeding process and that it involves the sexual characteristics of the bird. Chaffinch’s typical call when perched is a “pink-pink” very sharp. We can also hear a thin “seee” as alarm call. The flight-call is a “yup-yup”. The song is a short and vigorous series of descending notes ending in a “chip-chip-chip-chip-chett-chett-chett-chett-diddipdiddiooo” very variable. 2 Common Chaffinch is also considered a very happy and lively bird, probably due to its happy song and its ondulatory way of flying. Indeed, it’s widespread as a domestic animal in houses all around Europe

Enrico Guidetti

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Perspective of the humans 1 Vision is the most important sense for birds, since good eyesight is essential for safe flight, indeed birds have the largest eyes relative to their size within the animal kingdom. 1-6 Birds, unlike humans but like fish, amphibians and reptiles, have four types of colour receptors in the eye. One of these receptors gives some species of birds the ability to perceive also the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, and other adaptations allow for the detection of polarised light or magnetic fields. 5 Birds with eyes on the sides of their heads have wider visual field. 2 The main structure of the bird eye are similar to those of other vertebrates. The retina is a structure containing the photosensitive rod and cone cells with the associated neurons and blood vessels. Towards the centre of the retina is the fovea which has a grater density of receptors and is the area of gratest forward visual acuity. 4 Most bird, including Chaffinch, there is a second fovea for enhanced sideways viewing. It is like having two lenses at the same time: zoom and macro. The pecten seems to be well supplied with blood vessels and appears to shade the retina from dazzling light or aid in detecting moving objects. 3 Cones detect specific colours of light. Most bird are tetrachromatic, having four types of cones cells. In some birds, the maximal absorption peak can also detect UV light. UV sensitive sight can be useful for courtship. Many bird show plumage patterns in UV that are invisible to humans; some birds whose sexes appear similar to the naked eye are distinguished by the presence of UV reflective patches on their feathers. 7 Birds can resolve rapid movements better than humans that have flicker thresholds of 50Hz, indeed some bird have a flicker thresholds up to 100Hz.

Enrico Guidetti

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Perspective of the humans 2 This table shows one of the possible ways in which the Chaffinch sees us. I treated this about a matter of proportion showing how huge we are compared to them. Since they have a fish eye view they also have an effect of bigness if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re below us. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re probably scary at their eyes for our dimensions and for our colour. Chaffinches can see UV light. All the colour appear like glowing under the UV spectrum, especially the light one, like the whiteish and pinkish shades.

Enrico Guidetti

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Relation with the other animals The Chaffinch has a lot of possible relations with other animals. I decided that relations inside the spaces where it or, at least, spend some time of The spaces are actually the habitat and houses, cities’ secret gardens (private urban parks and forests.

different to show may live its life. they are: gardens),

1 As regards the houses it can be in close contact with people and domestic animals such as cats and dogs. The people are the “animal” that have the closest contact. 2 As regards the cities’ secret gardens the bird can be in strict contact with people, insects and again domestic animal. It is anyway in a closer contact with domestic animal since the bird in the gardens is let free and hopefully the pets as well. 3 Regarding urban parks the Chaffinch is side by side with people, insects, pets, smaller bird and small animal. It is though in closer contact with small bird and small animal that are free to interact with it. 4 In the context of the forest, the natural environment of the Chaffinch though, it is in contact with predators (other bird or wild animal), big wild animal, a big variety of insects and small bird. Of course it has to pay attention to predators and wild animal that can kill it. This is just a simple scheme of one of the possible hundreds relations it might have with other animals, wheter in the wild environments and in the urbanized contexts

Enrico Guidetti

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Verzellino, Serin, Serinus serinus He Ruoyu

Biological characteristics The European serin, or just serin, (Serinus serinus) is the smallest European species of the family of finches (Fringillidae) , passeriformes order and aves class. Serin is a small short-tailed bird, 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 cm in length and 8Âˇ5-14 g in weight. The body temperature is usually 42Â°C and the resting heart rate is approximately 274 beats/min. It breathes 60-80 times/min and has a 6-15 years life span. About the appearance, the upper parts are usually dark-streaked greyish green, with a yellow rump. The yellow breast and white belly are also heavily streaked. Male has a brighter yellow face and breast, yellow wing bars and yellow tail sides. The song of this bird is a buzzing trill, very familiar in Mediterranean countries.

He Ruoyu

The population an the distribution In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 8.3-20 million breeding pairs, equating to 24.9-60 million individuals (BirdLife International 2004). Europe forms 75-94% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 26.5-80 million individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. They breed most common around the Mediterranean, but has expanded its range northwards since the 1800s. It breeds in well-lit forests, gardens, parks and cemeteries. Breeds in Europe (except British Is and almost entire Fennoscandia) E to E Baltic, W Russia and Belarus, S to Mediterranean islands, N, W & CS Turkey, C Georgia, Canary Is (Tenerife, Gran Canaria), N Africa (N & C Morocco E to N Tunisia and NW & NE Libya), Lebanon and Israel; winters SW & S Europe and N Africa E to N Egypt, also Iraq.

He Ruoyu

The season migration The European Serin is resident and migratory according to the range. Populations of C Europe move to SW and SE to winter in S Europe, around Mediterranean Basin. The birds of the mountains reach lower areas too. Populations of S Europe are largely sedentary or move short distances after the breeding season.

He Ruoyu

Living space and social behaviour The European Serin frequents woodland edges and clearings, open cultivated areas, tall hedges, orchards, plantations, urban parks and gardens. This species can be seen in large cities and towns. It is also found in ravines and gorges where there are trees and shrubs. The European Serin can be seen from sea-level to mountains, up to 2000-2500 metres of elevation. It forages actively on the ground in bushes and small trees. It walks on the ground or makes short hops. It uses the feet to hold the plant while extracting the seeds with the bill. It plucks petals at flowering bushes before to extract the seeds from the flower heads. The European Serin may forage alone or in pairs and in small groups outside the breeding season, and even in large flocks with other finches at food sources.

He Ruoyu

Food cycle The European Serin feeds mainly on seeds, buds, shoots and flowers of numerous plant species. It also consumes small invertebrates such as Aphididae and moth larvae, and spiders. The chicks are fed with seeds. In the other hand, they will get eaten by their natural enemies as well, for example, the snakes and the cats.

He Ruoyu

Reproduction The breeding season occurs between February and early August. This species produces a single brood, but often two in C Europe. This species is monogamous. It breeds solitary, but sometimes several pairs may form loose groups. The female builds the nest assisted by the male and its collection of materials. The nest is a small, compact platform made with small twigs, stems and down, pieces of bark, roots, grasses, moss, feathers and animal hair. It is placed at about 3-6 meters above the ground, in outermost branches or against the trunk, in crown in tree or bushes. The female lays 3-4 pale eggs with fine dark markings. The female incubates alone during 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by both adults but during the first days, the male regurgitates the food to the female. The young fledge 15-18 days after hatching, and are independent 9-10 days after leaving the nest.

He Ruoyu

Stereotype Nowadays, serin is rarely seen in urban open spaces but generally raised in cages. People love the song serin sings, so they are kept in cages as pet birds. Their appearance and song may decorated humanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, however, as bird they are totally deprived from freedom, they are just like living phonograph.

He Ruoyu

Perspective on the humans Since the serin are kept in cages which are just like a jail to them, in their perspective, they always see human between the iron bars of the cages.

He Ruoyu

Coexistence with other spicies Generally, European serin is a very friendly kind of bird, it can possibly live with any other friendly kind bird, but statistically, the are more likely to live mixing with other finches especially the goldfinch.

He Ruoyu

Verdone, Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris Eleftheria Kerameianaki

Cardellino, Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis Antonio La Marca

Biological characteristics The average goldfinch is 12â&#x20AC;&#x201C;13 cm long with a wingspan of 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;25 cm (B) and a weight of 14 to 19 grams; the beak (A), however, is about 1,5 cm long, necessary to be able to obtain food in meadow areas. The sexes are broadly similar, with a red face, black and white head, warm brown upper parts, white underparts with buff flanks and breast patches, and black and yellow wings. On closer inspection male goldfinches can often be distinguished by a larger, darker red mask that extends just behind the eye (C). In females, the red face does not reach the eye. Another difference is the brown stain (D) on the breast of the passerine, very well defined in males, nearly to depict a fungus. Another feature to point out is the conformation of the legs (E). In fact, these are suitable for life in the trees, making identifying the goldfinch like a typical arboreal bird that hardly laying on the ground, where it looks clumsy and awkward in his movements.

Antonio La Marca

Habitat - Preferences The goldfinch is a passerine that because of its shape favors or not certain environments where spend their day. Surely in urban areas, the passerine prefer to live in areas with trees and meadow areas. But down in the detail, because the legs it prefers to stay on the trees that elects as its home. In fact here it finds its natural habitat, a totally natural, sheltered from the weather and from other species. We find it to zero when it is mainly in search of food, mainly in meadow areas, and rarely find it in pedestrian routes because it has developed a sense of fear towards humans. Moreover, from a few years it is pushing towards the balconies, adapting to lifestyle human: in fact, when it is in search of food but most of shelter, you wont find these passerines on balconies feed on crumbs and hide among the various objects, then find a habitat very quiet.

Antonio La Marca

Cardellino Time Goldfinch suffers a lot of seasonal change, and in particular the change of temperature. In fact are represented two completely different realities and habits, the cold period and the warm period of the year. The warm period of the year is one of greater intensity and activities for the goldfinch; one of these is represented by the nesting of the female and the period that precedes it, courtship by the male. The warm period, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely calmer, where prevail rest periods and some passerines, in colder countries, migrate to warmer countries. Another main difference we can find the feeding: in summer the grassland have more seed and then food for finches; with lower temperatures, decreases the amount of seeds and with it the feeding of passerines.

Antonio La Marca

Seeds - Cardellino - Shrike The goldfinchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferred food is small seeds such as those from thistles (the Latin name is from Carduus, a genus of thistles) and teasels, but insects are also taken when feeding young. It also regularly visits bird feeders in winter. But in the food cycle of passerine, itself not only covers the role of the hunter. In fact is not very rare that this species is attacked by another bird, also passerine, the shrike. Shrikes are medium-sized birds, up to 50 centimeters in length, with gray, brown, or black and white plumage. Their beaks are hooked, like that of a bird of prey, reflecting Their predatory nature, and their calls are strident. A peculiarity of these birds is to reproduce perfectly the song of goldfinches. This way they can approach without being seen and without scare their prey and catch them off guard so that they can attack.

Antonio La Marca

Reproduction Reproduction of a goldfinch has changed a lot over the past few years, in which it has had to adapt to the changes of the city but also the behavior of other species. The courtship begins in the spring, when the male increases the volume of calls to attract the female. The courtship is to flutter around the nest chasing, stopping from time to time when the male partner provides the regurgitated seeds; this behavior continues in the weeks of hatching: this allows her to not having to provide food for itself. The young are initially fed on small insects but before dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;involvo are accustomed to a diet granivora. But what is important to emphasize is the nesting place. The species of goldfinches always nested in the trees; then in the city it has always preferred to wooded areas, perhaps in the vicinity of grassland so as to provide the food more easily. For some years, however, is not hard to find nests of goldfinches positioned on the balconies of the big cities, where they find a sheltered environment for their nest, constantly sought out by other species.

Antonio La Marca

The Goldfinch and the Man Since always, the goldfinch was one of the birds most appreciated by man. This is undoubtedly due to the beauty of this passerine, the colors of its plumage, but above all for his singing. It has always been the subject of works of art of the most famous artists, such as Raffaello in “La Madonna del cardellino”, or Bronzini in “Giovanni de ‘Medici”. In addition to paintings, the goldfinch has also inspired many writers who extolled its aesthetic qualities but mostly sound. Finally, it was a source of inspiration in 1728 for one of the greatest Italian composers, Antonio Vivaldi. In a series of concerts, we find in fact a work entitled “Il Gardellino”, where the flute mimics perfectly the sweet song of passerine.

Antonio La Marca

The Man and Goldfinch The goldfinch is one of the endangered animal species for which hunting is prohibited, and the collection in nature. Always, though, it is the object of desire of many people. Its plumage, its elegance and its song makes it one of the birds most desired on the Italian territory. To meet these demands, despite many prohibitions imposed on the whole country, are hunted and caged thousands of specimens; are subsequently resold illegally. The goldfinch has therefore changed, over the years, his attitude towards the man, raising a feeling of hatred and fear that require him to flee and not go to the same places.

Antonio La Marca

The Goldfinch and the Birds The goldfinch is a bird species that has no enmity towards other species. In fact, with the exception of its predators - mainly the shrinke - and man, it is posed with a welcoming attitude to anyone else tent to approach to it. It is not uncommon to see large flocks of sparrows mixed with other passerines, or blended with other birds in the trees to fight the most of the winter. This, as well as to its nature, it is definitely possible thanks to his singing skills and those to imitate perfectly the song of the species with which it tends to spend his time.

Antonio La Marca

Corriere piccolo, Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius Chiara Lippi

Little Ringed Plover_Image and Description The Little ringed plover is a widespread, long distance migratory bird of the wader group. Very similar to Ringed Plover and care needs to be taken when distinguishing between the two species. Adult summer Little Ringed Plovers can be identified by the yellow ring surrounding the eye, as well as the thin all dark bill. The breast band also tends to be thinner in comparison to Ringed Plover. Female Little Ringed Plovers tend to have a browner face mask than males, but this is not a reliable feature, and during breeding period, the plumage has slightly narrower eyering. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill. The legs are flesh-coloured and the toes are all webbed. Both adults in non-breeding plumage show more dark brown than black pattern, and mainly in breast band. We can see a tinge on forehead. The juvenile is brownish with much duller head pattern and plumage than adults. The breast band is often broken in two lateral patches. The upperparts are paler than in adults with feathers edges involving scaled effect. They eyering is dull yellow. Legs and feet are yellowish.

Chiara Lippi

Little Ringed Plover_Habitat Breeding period: They breed in Europe from the end of March to the end of July. Primary breeding habitats are bare or sparsely vegetated sand, gravel structures of freshwater areas, pebbly shores of shallow standing freshwater pools, lakes or slow-flowing rivers, including river islands, dry, stony riverbeds, sand, shingle or silt flats. The species prefers lowland habitats and is rarely found above 800 m in Europe, but where river banks, dry riverbeds, or islets offer suitable habitat it will penetrate further upstream, reaching higher than 2,000 m. It is also very rarely found them on the coast, although it may occasionally visit saline inland pools and flats, intertidal areas on the seashore, mudflats, tidal creeks and brackish estuaries or lagoons. Non-breeding: In its wintering grounds this species favors extensive sandbanks, muddy and sandy shores of rivers and lakes, residual flood waters, short grassy areas on dry ground around villages or near water, airfields and pastures. It less commonly inhabits coastal areas such as saltpans, estuaries, creeks or rainwater pools on dry salt-flats bordering. The species prefers lowland habitats during the winter as well as during the breeding season and is rarely found above 800 m. The Little Ringed Plover usually forms small groups of 10-12 birds when migrating. They fly low over the ground with rapid and direct flight. As well as sand, nests appeared to be on concrete, rubble, lime and crushed limestone. The nest is completely exposed on flat ground, the birds relying for concealment on their camouflage and that of their eggs. Due to river regulation and damming (in particular to hydropower), this habitat type is one of the most threatened in Europe. Although the Little Ringed Plover was faced with a decline in central Europe, the species managed to use artificial nesting sites such as quarries, fishponds, gravel pits, farmlands, reservoirs, sewage works and saltpans. Today, more than 90% of its European population breeds in secondary habitats.

Chiara Lippi

Little Ringed Plover_Time Ageing: The Little Ringed Plover could be divided into 3 types of ages: Juvenile with sandy upperparts and wing coverts with feathers pale edged; brown breast band and sometimes incomplete; central tail feathers with buff tips. 2nd Year Spring can retain some juveniles recognized by larger numbers of brown feathers on breast band than adults. Finally adult with wing coverts, without buff edges; black breast band or with some brown feathers; central tail feathers without broad buff tips. In autumn similar to juveniles, but with active moult on flight feathers; the dark pattern on head and breast poorly marked; central tail feathers without broad buff tips. Moult: The adults have a complete postbreeding moult, which starts in June and finished in winter quarters. Partial postjuvenile moult including most of the body feathers, tail, wing coverts and inner secondaries. Both types of age have a prebreeding moult early spring including most of the body feathers, wing coverts, scapulars and tertials. Breeding: The Little Ringed Plover is a migratory bird. The breeding season varies with range, March-July in Europe, and December-June in Asia. Usually four eggs are laid per brood, at intervals of one to three days, and are subsequently incubated by both the male and female for some 21 to 27 days. The juvenile birds are really precocial in leaving the nest: they fledge 24-29 days after hatching, and are independent 8-25 days thereafter but few survive past their first year, although those that do may live to 10 years of age. The female usually starts a new brood before the young have fledged.

Chiara Lippi

Little Ringed Plover_Food Cycle The species is carnivorous, its diet consisting mainly of insects such as beetles, flies (especially larvae and pupae), ants, bugs, mayfly and dragonfly larvae, caddisflies, crickets and larval Lepidoptera, as well as spiders, freshwater shrimps and other small crustaceans, mussels, worms and snails. Vegetation (such as the seeds of grasses, sedges,Polygonum and Compositae) is taken rarely and is likely to be ingested incidentally along with animal matter. This species forages on both dry wet surfaces, and also in shallow water, in tidal mudflats, pools, open short sgrasslands amd bare ground. Their hunting style is a characteristic hesitant stop-run-peck, in a hunched position, usually higher up on the shore on drier sand or mud. They are often observed â&#x20AC;&#x153;foot-tremblingâ&#x20AC;?, standing on one foot while rapidly vibrating the toes of the other foot on the surface. A few seconds later they run forward to peck at something. Probably, this vibration disturbs prey to betray their presence.

Chiara Lippi

Little Ringed Plover_Breeding moment This species breeds in temperate, the season varies with the range, March-July in Europe and December-June in S. India. Little Ringed Plovers perform courtship display flights of butterfly-like movements, with the male endlessly circling with slow and deliberate wing-beats. Although courtship is noisy, when the pair finally nest, they become secretive. They are monogamous for the first brood and occasionally for several years. They usually nest solitary on in loose groups with well-spaced nests. They may breed near aggressive shorebirds which are able to keep predators away from the area. The Little Ringed Plover is territorial and highly aggressive. Their nest is a shallow scrape, sometimes lined with stones and some vegetation. It is made on the bare ground or in low vegetation, close to the water. Eggs are laid between April and mid-July in a nest which is no more than a shallow scrape in the ground lined with pebbles and vegetation. The nests are usually fairly isolated from others, but in areas with high food abundance, the nests may be arranged in loose groups, with between 5 and 100 metres between each one. There is a high degree of site fidelity, meaning that more often than not, breeding birds will return to the same area to nest each year. The parents are extremely aggressive around the nest and will fiercely defend it by calling loudly and swooping at intruders. Usually four eggs are laid per brood, at intervals of one to three days, and are subsequently incubated by both the male and female for some 21 to 27 days. The chicks fledge after around 24 days in the nest, but few survive past their first year, although those that do may live to 10 years of age. The female lays 3-4 eggs and both parents incubate during 22-28 days. There are sometimes one or two birds beside the parents, which acts helpers in nesting duties. These helpers be male or female and are believed to be the offspring or former partners from the previous season.

Chiara Lippi

How humans see it_Stereotype For its being small and cute, the Little Ringed Plover attracts the humans and it is object of their attentions but just in a facile way. It holds their interest only for being feeded and being picture protagonist. This species is not usefull but it seen as a funny attraction. Humans generally do not know this species even if they are quite common and they do not have any other relationship with them. We are used to idealize them as sweet and pretty, as many other animals, but just for few moments, just for the duration of a photo, and after that we restart ignore them. For this missing knowledge about this species, humans become often object of disturbance for them, which need tranquillity and solitude, expecially during breeding-period.

Chiara Lippi

Relationship with human: how they see us? This species is threatened primarily by the degradation and loss of its preferred habitats. Many of the speciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; breeding sites are also disturbed by human recreational activities and food regulation. Increased flood regulation and pollution from oil and tar along the Mediterranean coast and the River Jordan has resulted in the degradation of the breeding sites in those areas Human disturbance affects Ringed Plovers in their breeding area because the bird tends to avoid areas of high commotion and, in addition, because of the accidental trampling of many nests by people walking on the riverfronts. Although their nests are expose mishaps in the shingle, their eggs are camouflaged perfectly, making them virtually invisible.

Chiara Lippi

Relationship with other species The Little Ringed Plover is territorial and often defends a good feeding area by chasing off other birds. They use the bold facial and breast patterns while displaying and fighting. During aggressive encounters, males stand facing each other, making conspicuous their facial markings. The aggressor runs towards the neighbor with head down and fanned tail. Then, both walk together, up to a meter apart, along the territory boundary. The wings are dropped towards each other, the tail is fanned and the back feathers are slightly raised. These movements can be stopped by bouts of posturing. This behavior is performed to establish the territory and to defend it in non-breeding period. During breeding the birds become more aggressive or they appear to purposely nest near aggressive shorebirds whose behavior helps to keep predators away. Besides the parents, sometimes another bird (or even two) may help out with incubation, raising the young and even defending the territory. These helpers may be male or female and are believed to be the offspring or former partners from the previous season.

Chiara Lippi

Vespertilio maggiore, Greater Mouse eared Bat, Myotis myotis Marco Lonardi

Biological characteristics Bat of medium size, length between hte head and and the body is 67 - 84 mm, the length of the forearm between 55 and 67 mm, the tail length between 45 and 60 mm, the length of the ears is about 24 - 28 mm and weighing up to 45 g. The fur is short and dense. The dorsal parts are brownish-gray with the base of the hairs dark brown, while the ventral parts are lighter and grayish. The muzzle is short and wide. The ears are dark brownish-gray, long and wide with the anterior margin curved backwards, with 7-8 longitudinal folds on the inner surface of the ear lobe and with a round the base of the outer margin. The tragus is broad at the base, lanceolate, long about half of the ear, and often with a black tip. The wing membranes are dark brownish-gray and attached to the rear of the base of the toes, which are relatively large. The end of the long tail extends beyond the large â&#x20AC;&#x153;uropatagioâ&#x20AC;?. It emits ultrasonic pulses in the form of intermediate duration in initial frequency modulated 88 kHz, 22.2 kHz and maximum final energy at 37.1 kHz.

Marco Lonardi

Open position 1:1

Second finger

Wrist

Third finger

Forearm

Fourth finger

Upper arm

Fifth finger Knee

Elbow Wing membrane

Foot Tail membrane

Calcar

Tail

EAR Hi frequency receiver

Tragus

Antitragus EYES sight working but little developed

MOUTH AND NOSE

Close position

Strong sense of smell Hi frequency emitter

Sharp teeth

Ear

Habitat Species present in warm-temperate areas of hill and plain, but also in mountainous areas. This species is widespread in Western and Eastern Europe up to Western Ukraine, in Anatolia and the Middle East up to Palestine. Two observations were reported in England and southern Sweden. In Italy is present on all the territory excluding Sardinia. He attended forests without undergrowth and open environments. The species is also present in populated areas, which are particularly exploited in the most cold of the north and at high altititude. Primarily forest species, can adapt to urban context, provided they are not far away from the woods and characterized by a sufficient food availability. The breeding colonies are located in buildings or in underground environments. Isolated individuals were observed in tree cavities and nest boxes . In summer Greater Mouse-eared Bats roost in attics, old tunnels and trees. In winter they hibernate in caves and quarries and usually return to the same roosting or hibernating places for most of their lives. This bats lives also in the batbox but, these houses, must be placed in specific areas and they must respect a series of precautions that ensure a right micro-climate and protection.

Marco Lonardi

trees

trunk holes

wall cracks

batbox

underground

soil cave

penthouse

Migration The Greater Mouse-eared Bat usually doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t perform far migration. He travel between the summer places and the winter sites. He usually travels from hundred meters to fifty kilometers but migration about more than two thousand kilometers have been registered. An interesting aspect is the flying method when the bats leave the winter site, they come out from the cave and they spread out in radial directions in order to find the perfect reproduction site. When the summer ends they can return to the same winter site or even change if they find a better one or if the old cave has been destroyed.

Marco Lonardi

RADIAL MOVEMENT FROM THE WINTER SITES TO THE SUMMER SITIES

WINTER SITES

MER SIT SUM ES

MER SITE S SUM

MER SITE SUM S

MER SIT SUM ES

MIGRATION FROM THE SUMMER SITES TO THE WINTER SITES

Food cycle This bat is hunted by a large part of the birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and other nocturnal birds like owls. Another species that can feed on bats is the cat that can extract the animal from its burrow during the day. His diet is based mainly on insects caught on the surface of the soil, mainly Coleoptera Carabidae but also on Pseudoscorpiones, Scorpiones, Gryllidae, Forficulidae, Heteroptera, Homoptera, Lepidoptera, Tipulidae, Diptera, Formicidae, Ichneumonidae, Hymenoptera and Staphilinidae. He can hunt also during the flight and he can catch mosquito, house flies and other flying insects, was discovered that a bat of medium dimension is able to eat about two tousand insects in one night. Thanks to this capacity of feed on insects this bat was well liked in the countryside because he helped the peasantry to eliminate the insects in the coltivated fields. This bat, for the same capacity to feed on insects, is also useful in cities where animals that hunt mosquitos and flies are less and less.

Marco Lonardi

Bird of prey and cats: Eagles, Ospreys, Kites, Hawks, Buzzards, Vultures, Falcons, Owls

Bats

Insects: Pseudoscorpiones, Scorpiones, Gryllidae, Forficulidae, Heteroptera, Homoptera, Lepidoptera, Tipulidae, Diptera, Formicidae, Ichneumonidae, Hymenoptera, Staphilinidae

5 -15 m

0.3 - 0.7 m

Reproduction The greater mouse-eared bat spends the winter in small communities about fifty bats. During these month they remain dormant and never go outside their cave. During february they start to wake up and search for a place that will be the reproductive colony. When they find a shelter that has perfect microclimate and space they start to accumulate themselves. In march they complete the colonies which can reach about two thousand bats. Every colony is composed mainly of female bats and one or two male bats control the arem. During march every male bat fecund more than one female. The pregnancy contine about two month and in June they begin to give birth, Every mother gives only one bat, at most two twins. They remain in the colonies and the mother take care of the newborns which in four-seven day they open their eyes. After twenty days the newborns learn to fly and they start with the first flights. Only after fourty days the newborns beacame indipendent so the colony can divide itself and the bats start to search a place for the winter.

Marco Lonardi

November December January February

March

Small communities from

Creation of reproduction clonies

10 to more than 50 bats are colonies reach 2000 bats spending the winter arem are controlled by

1 or 2 male

April May

Pregnancy

June July

Birth

1 newborn to each females 4-7 days newborns open their eyes 20-24 days newborns start to fly 40 days newborns become independent

August September October

Stereotype The legends and superstitions surrounding these nocturnal mammals are thousands. The most popular is undoubtedly the one that when you hang up in the hair to get rid of it is necessary to cut all the hair. The bats that come at night in lighted rooms have no interest in our hair, they look for only the insects, especially mosquitoes and nocturnal butterflies attracted by the lamps. Then there is the vampire legend that harboring human blood. However, of the 1,100 existing species on the planet, only three, living in Central and South America, are specialized in feeding on the blood of animals and birds. All other content with fruits and insects. At the beginning of the last century 1910-1920, when they were fighting to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes, in the Agro Pontino (near Rome) were built large wooden buildings to house colonies of bats considered the largest and most efficient destroyers of these insects.

Marco Lonardi

Perspective on man The most strangeness of this animal is the sleeping method. He he clings to some projection with the paws and stays upsidedown during all the day. He sleeps during the day beacuse he is very sensible to the light. Only after the sunset he goes out from his cave to hunt. When he moves in the environment he uses mainly the hear to orientate himself, which capture the rebound of the high frequency waves which is able to emit from the mouth. his sight infact is not very enveloped, but he is not blind and he sees in black and white. Italian people, especially southern, they know well the expression, “act like a Taddarita”, which is used to describe a person that, while wiggling, emits acute sounds (Taddarita is the sicilian name for the greater-eared bat). The distinctive sound of this bat can be heard by human ears and that’s why men always knew about its existence.

Marco Lonardi

Relation with other species This bat, even though he lives in group, hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t relation with other animals, exept those due to the hunting. Relation with other bats are however reported, in fact he frequently creates mixed breeding colonies with Myotis blythii, M. capaccinii, Miniopterus schreibersii and, sometimes, with rhinolophids. Compared to the sister species M. blythii, almost identical from the morphological point of view, has a clear differentiation of trophic niche, corresponding to a different selection of microhabitats during hunting activities. The breeding colony seems to be the only mixed activity with other bats species. The different species in fact, although they are almost all insectivores, they tend to separate the micro areas of hunting, for instance some species prefer to hunt in open field, other between the trees or in the tall grass

Marco Lonardi

Myotis carapacinii

Myotis blythii

Breeding colonies Myotis myotis Winter site

HUNTING

REPRODUCTION

HABITAT

Miniopterus

Pipistrello albolimbato, Kuhlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii Marta Lorenzi

Wings as hands Kuhl’s Pipistrelle is a type of bat of little dimensions that is heavy only 10 g. The lenght of the body and the head is only 5 centimeters. The adult specimen has yellow brown back, while the young one is darker. The hears, the face and the alar membranes are dark brown. Pipistrelle is the unique exemplar of mammal that can fly bacause in centuries its hand-arm structure changed in wings. Each wing is formed by one thin vascular membrane called ‘patagio’ which is included between two films of skin. This membrane is supported by four fingers streched to form the structure of wings. Moreover the membran increases since the posterior extremity, reducing the capability of movement on the ground. In fact bat is a very agile flying animal while is anable to walk.

Marta Lorenzi

Inside the holes This mammal can live in forest or in brush, but his preferred habitat is the urban one. It is an antropod animal because It takes shelter near human establishment. In fact It lives in colony inside the building’s holes as the wall cavity or the space under the roof’s shingles. It also lives in the construction sites. In the city of Milan there are many bat boxes to preserve and increase his presence inside the urban biodiversity. Kuhl’s Pipistrelle uses the bat box especially during that hours in which it doesn’t forage.

Marta Lorenzi

Day and night The most important and well known think about Pipistrelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stily life is that It is a night animal. It lives relaxed during the sunny hours since the foraging behavior starts shortly before the sunset. This activity goes on till the sunrise, when pipistrelle retourns inside its shelter.

Marta Lorenzi

Maternity Female Pipistrelle gives birth only one or two puppy for years, because of the long duration of its life. The reproduction period is usually during spring and the gestation is long about two months. There arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any particular nest for the birth of puppy that It happens in high part of buildings. After the birth mum remains in Its shelter with the puppy that is totally depending from her. In the first months of life mum nurses and takes care completly of its puppy that remais attached to her by the nails. During all the period of gestetion since the first months of puppies life, famales live in colony isolated from the male. They are totally indipendent on feed theirselves and the puppies. Male pipistrelle come back to live with female only at the end on this nursery period.

Marta Lorenzi

Street lamps The colony live relaxed during the sunny hours since the foraging behavior that starts shortly before the sunset. This activity goes on till the sunrise, sometimes stopped by short breaks. It feeds insects. Pipistrelle caughts prey in mid-air. It is very agile, in fact It’s able to capture prey only using the tail membrane. The detection of prey occurres at distances of 1,14−2,20 m. To individuate the pray, bat emits ultrasound that define the insect’s distance from the echo returning from the prey. Furthermore, bat stops emitting signals several centimeters before It reaches the insect. Bat is hunted by some night animals as the barn owl but they aren’t so common in the urban contest. So cats are Its gratest enemy in the city.

Marta Lorenzi

Dracula In common thought pipistrelle is a scary animal. This reputation derives from some commonplace, first of all the fact that It is a night animal. People link to it the idea of oscurity, and in many chases they think that It feeds human blood. This idea occured almost by the charachter of Dracula in moviesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; history.

Marta Lorenzi

Blurred eyes Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not true that Pipistrelle are completly blind. On the contrary they have a perfect optical system, similar of the human one. However They have developped a strong myopia caused by the fact that They are night animals. To individuate elements during their flight They emit ultrasounds of about 200 kHz and They define objectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distance from the time of echo retourning.

Marta Lorenzi

Bat boxes In the city of Milan in last years many bat boxes are been placed. Untill March 2013 the municipality started to use bat boxes as a tool to kill mosquitos in a natural and biological way. So the common opinion about pipistrelles started to change. In fact their presence in the city is precious to regulate the number of insects. For this reason the municipality inserted the bat boxes in the main parks of the city, getting to the result of 400 new “houses”. Bat boxes are used by pipistrelles espetially during the houres in which they don’t forage. In the same box we can find pipistrelles of differents species that live in the city as Nano Pipistrelle, Kuhl’s Pipistrelle or the Savi one. Generally Pipistrelle live in colony of same specie, but during the gestation period when famine isolate thirselves, this mix can take place among male pipistrelles.

Marta Lorenzi