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Common, in places abundant breeding migrant. Inhabits the shrubby forest edges and open places with meadow-steppe vegetation, on plains and in mountains at altitudes from 500-700 up to 2800-3000 m. On migration occurs on cereal fields (sunflower fields especially), in shelterbelts, gardens, treeless xerophytic mountains, and in thickets of tall weeds. Appears in end of February – early March (latest in mid-April) in south of Kazakhstan, and in end of March – early April in northern areas. Migrates mainly in flocks of 25-40 birds, but sometimes in small groups and in pairs. Breeds in separate pairs quite a far one to other. Nest is built by female (male escort her) in bush (deciduous or juniper), tall grass (Lasiagrostis, wormwood), rare in pine or on the ground under the grass; nest is from thin twigs, grass and rootlets and is lined with hair and plant fuzz. Clutch of 4-5 eggs is laid in first ten days of April to mid-July. Female incubates clutch 13-16 days, both parents feed nestling which fledge at age 12-14 days old, in first ten days of June to end of August. Long breeding season is explained not only by different phenology on different altitudes, but also by re-nesting after loss of first clutch, and double breeding per season in some places. After fledging broods for some time disperse, then join in flocks, and in end August – September begin to migrate in groups of 20-50 birds. In Ural valley birds migrate in October mainly. Winters in southern Kazakhstan in small numbers.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Издательство Уральского университета, 2000.