Zakázanka
Menu- Welcome to Zakázanka
- In search of bygone eons
- An example of a reverse fault and a crush zone
- Folds
- A fault separating two geological periods
- Iron ore
- Exposed boundary
- What is growing here (1)
- What is growing here (2)
- Little warm lovers
- Sun lovers
- Bedrock
- Fluvial sandy gravels of the vineyard terrace
- Local denizens of the air
- A window into Prague's geological past
- Iron ore on the zoo grounds
- The rock face bears silent witness
- Regeneration of the rocky steppe
Local denizens of the air
The presence of the Vltava River and the rich mosaic of vegetation types found on the surrounding slopes provide a source of food and places of shelter and rest for many animals, including birds. Erithacus rubecula
Birds of the rock scarp
The rocky steppe itself is generous especially to birds, providing them with places where they can forage for food – seeds, berries, and small animals. However, for nesting and rest, the birds prefer the surrounding tree stands and dense shrubbery. Some species you are much more likely to hear than to see, especially in the spring. The males sing to declare their nesting territory, often perched atop a shrub or another elevated position. Most of the bird species inhabiting the rocky scarp stay on the zoo grounds all year long, though they sometimes migrate from place to place within the grounds, as the herons do. Other species, such as warblers and thrushes, migrate for the winter, as they would not be able to find enough food in the cold months to survive.
Common Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Chaffinches can be spotted throughout the year as they forage for all kinds of seeds, which form the basis of their diet. Both the gray-headed male, which sports a pink breast and belly, and the brownish female, have a vivid white band across the wings. Often nesting twice in a season, they build deep bowl-shaped nests in trees and line them with moss, lichen, and down. From spring to summer, the male can be heard uttering a pleasant call that ends in a distinctive warble.
Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
The chiffchaff is an inconspicuous little greenish bird whose presence is usually given away by its loud, albeit somewhat monotonous, song. Often transcribed as a constantly repeated "tsip-tsap, tsip-tsap", it is heard since early morning. The chiffchaffs are migratory, as their diet consists of insects and spiders. They weave a spherical nest of grass and leaves. It is hidden in grass and flawlessly camouflaged.
Great Tit
Parus major
Our largest tit, it can be seen throughout the year. They are at their liveliest during the nesting season, when the indefatigable parents constantly hunt small insects and grubs to bring back to their nestlings. They nest in tree hollows, yet will happily accept a birdhouse. Adult great tits feed mainly on insects in the summer and on seeds in the winter. They often visit bird feeders, where you can easily distinguish them by the broad black stripe that runs down their yellow breasts.
Eurasian Blackcap
Sylvia atricapilla
Blackcaps are inconspicuous birds that nest and rear their young in this country between April and the beginning of September. Its Czech name (pěnice černohlavá, or black-headed warbler) describes only the male, as the female has a brown, not a black, cap. Blackcaps use grass to build their rather simple nests, which they place on a forked branch in dense shrubbery. The male builds a second nest for himself to use as a singing perch. Adult birds forage for various insects and spiders, sometimes supplementing their diet with berries.
Common Blackbird
Turdus merula
This is, without a doubt, the best-known bird in the Czech Republic. The deep-black male and the more brownish female hop along the ground, indefatigable in their efforts to find earthworms, grubs, and other delicacies. Blackbirds will also readily feast on ripening berries. Each spring, their rich, resounding song begins to be heard again, as the males advertise their territories from elevated perches. They build their nests in trees, shrubs, and even on walls, sometimes nesting twice in a season.
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelos
Although migratory, this is a hardy bird. The first to arrive from their African wintering grounds are the males. Reaching their destination in March, they immediately set about the business of singing. Perched atop trees, they loudly and melodiously claim their nesting territories. Then, when the females arrive and pairs are formed, they build firm nests with smooth, mud-lined inner walls, in trees or shrubs. You can easily recognize a thrush by its brown back and spotted belly and breast.
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Grey herons can be found on the zoo grounds year-round. In summer, they tend to stay close to the Vltava River, returning to the rocky scarp in the evening to roost in trees. In winter, you can catch sight of them as they flap unhurriedly over bodies of water, searching for fish. When in flight, its neck folds back into an S-shape, unlike a related species, the white stork. Herons visit the zoo grounds mainly to forage for food and to rest, having built a nest here only once so far.
Common Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
The hunting kestrel is easy to recognize. It has pointed, slightly bent wings and a fan-like tail. It is known for hovering in one place on fluttering wings, looking for small rodents or large insects, especially locusts and grasshoppers. It betrays its presence also with its call – a clear, ringing "klee-klee-klee" that carries rather far. Kestrels visit the zoo grounds to hunt, nesting in the surrounding forests or in housing estates.