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Common, in places numerous resident, some birds are short-distance migrants. Inhabits the meadows, height-grass bushy steppes at altitudes up to 2000-2800 m, and the agricultural fields adjoined to foothills. On migration occurs in shelterbelts, kitchen-gardens and thickets of tall weeds. Spring migration is well defined in foothills of Western Tien Shan where birds migrate in mid-February - March (first wave) and in end of April – mid-May (second wave). Probably the second wave of migration consists of first-year, second-year specimens, or birds nesting in mountains. On breeding sites appears in mid-February to mid-April. Breeds in separate pairs, quite a close one to another. Nest is located on the ground under the grass or bush; nest is built from the dry grass and is lined with the thin grass and some hair. Clutch of 4-5 eggs is laid in mid-May – June, fledglings were observed from early June to middle of August. Only female incubates clutch for 12-13 days; juveniles feed by both parents and fledge at age 9-12 days old. In the second half of July males stop singing. Autumn migration begins in end of August – early September. At Chokpak Pass the first autumn wave of migrants registered in first ten days of September, the second one from second ten days of October up to end of this month.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 5. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1974. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.