«Russian bird»: why was varakushka called a patriot?

One of the rather bright, but little-known birds of Russia, jokingly called a patriot, is the varakushka. She received this title for the flag of the Russian Federation "hung" on her chest.

The average length of the varakushka is about 15 cm, and the wingspan is about 20 cm. Such sizes make it very inconspicuous, and its habitual behavior saves the bird from prying eyes at all. As soon as varakushka feels the slightest manifestation of interest in her person, she immediately turns her back to the observer. In this way, she hides her bright breasts and substitutes a brownish-gray back, which few people will be interested in.

Males and females differ by a speck located on a blue background in the neck area, the presence of which is a rare phenomenon for females, although it occurs. It is the color and size of this spot that is a special diagnostic factor that helps in determining the subspecies and its habitat. For example, the red color indicates Siberia, Kamchatka and Scandinavia. The white color speaks of Western and Central Europe, Transcaucasia and Northern Iran. The complete absence of a speck basically indicates that the bird is from Iran.

Also a distinctive feature from the female is a bright chestnut stripe under the throat of the male.

Interesting fact:

Varakushka perfectly imitates a variety of sounds and voices of other living beings.

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