How to recognize the birds in my garden (and our advice to take care of them): Femme Actuelle Le MAG

7 species to recognize

The robin, sedentary

This pet with a pretty breastplate pecks insects, spiders and larvae in the turned over soil. Sedentary and territorial, your garden is his property that he defends tooth and nail. It lives more than 10 years, nests on the ground and gorges itself on berries in the fall.

The finch, insatiable

Sociable and cheerful, this bird hops but also likes to play acrobats. He spends his time scanning the soil and visiting the shrubs in search of insects, berries or fruit. This loyal visitor to the feeders skilfully hulls the seeds.

The blue tit, tribal

Cheerful, curious and sometimes turbulent, this 10 gram passerine bird evolves in family. It performs acrobatic figures, inspects fruit trees and clings to branches with its sturdy legs. The chickadee can live 15 years.

The sparrow, city dweller

This little shy and even cheeky piaf has invested the cities where he begs for his pittance on tables and public benches. It nests in holes in walls but also in swallows' nests that it squats. In Paris, 3 out of 4 sparrows have disappeared in 10 years.

The swallow, migratory

If it is not springtime, its return from Africa is still awaited. This migratory passerine feeds exclusively on insects captured in flight. It builds its clay nest under a roof and gathers in colony on the electric wires.

The troglodyte, nosy

Cute with its 8 gram plump body and metallic song, this bird with an erect tail sneaks everywhere. This stealthy nosy finds its food on the ground in compost, branches and stones. Its ball nest always leans against a wall or a rock face.

The goldfinch, graceful

Elegant with its red head and its wings with a bright yellow band, this seed eater eats the seeds of thistle but also of aster, birch and pine. Its rapid and undulating flight is always accompanied by little cries. It nests in the fork of trees and loves baths.

Find in pictures the birds of the garden

The right actions to take care of birds

I optimize the food

Feeding birds year round is bad for many species. Only install seeds and grease balls during cold weather (mid-November to late March). Insectivores and robins love dried up insect buns and fat balls with berries. The chickadee prefers unroasted peanuts. Granivores love sunflower seeds. Blackbirds love wilted apples and pears.

Balls of fat are only useful in the winter. © Getty Images / iStockphoto

I plant smart

All plants that harbor parasites (rosebush, nasturtium, fruit tree, vegetable plant) are inspected by insectivores. The grain-eaters find their meals in aster, sunflower, flax, cosmos, echinops (blue thistle) or even scabious. The fruits of ivy, elderberry, cherry, rowan or ornamental apple are a treat for everyone.

The cosmos. © Getty Images

I keep shelters

At nightfall, the diurnal birds in our gardens return to their roost, sheltered from predators and rain. The most comfortable shelters are the dense hedges, the bamboo groves, the conifers but also all the evergreen trees. Climbers with trellises on the facade, such as the rose bush, bougainvillea, clematis and bignone, are quickly squatted by sparrows and blackbirds.

Bamboos. © Getty Images / iStockphoto

Think about it

Hang a bell on the cat's collar, inspect the hedge before pruning it so as not to disturb the broods, clean the nesting boxes after the small ones are gone, and disinfect the feeders and waterers to avoid salmonellosis which kills the birds.

I make a refuge on my balcony

1 I hang a birdhouse against a wall and a trellis for climbing plants on the street side.
2 I regularly change the water in the bird bath.
3 I sow a gardener with borage, officinal sage and knapweed.
4 I stick anti-collision stickers on the windows.
5 For the winter, I install a silo feeder attached to the railing and inaccessible to pigeons.
More info on: boutique.lpo.fr

Discover our selection of birdhouses

Observe and count them

Some 20,000 people counted the passerines during the operation "Confined but on the lookout" organized by the Natural History Museum. The data collected was 4.5 times greater than last year. You can continue to register on Vigie-nature and count the birds in your garden every day, once a month or occasionally.

More invested? In your garden, on your balcony or in your business, create an LPO refuge and commit to protecting nearby nature. Online registration on: refuge.lpo.fr

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