Birdwatching - 3279🐦

🦉 The European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

• Ficedula fi cedulinus (medieval lat.): “A small bird that feeds on figs and turns into a black-headed warbler in winter ”(from: Jobling, 2010)
• hypoleuca hypoleucos Greek: hypo below, a little, leukos white, hypoleukos whitish

These inhabitants of mixed and deciduous forests arrive at the end of April, when the snow has almost melted. This is when the insect population increases. However, this isn't particularly significant. In cold weather, most insects retreat back into hiding, but not all.

Typically, frost-hardy insects like bedbugs thrive; they don't get cold, and almost no one eats them. Except these birds! These birds, when hungry, are capable of eating them too.