Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) is a small songbird, from genus Accentor (Prunella), belonging to the order Passeriformes (Passeriformes) that inhabits alpine areas. The bird spent the summer in the high areas of the mountains in winter descends into their foothills.
I saw Alpine Accentor around the monument of Buzludza for the first time, but I have seen it below of Botev peak and Pirin Mountain.
In Bulgaria, Alpine Accentor lives in the high mountains, on rocky terrain and subalpine meadows with groups of stones at upper limit of forests up to 4-5 thousand meters above sea level. During winter, descends into the lower parts of the mountains in October or November and returned in the high mountains in April. During heavy snowfall bird migrated to the lowlands far from his native habitat.
Alpine Accentor body reaches a length of 15-18cm, wingspan of up to 18cm, and weighs about 40g. Plumage is gray-brown back and flecked with rust and black spots and stripes. Head, neck and chest are monochrome gray of the crop has a clear white spot with black and brown spots and belly rusty. There was no sexual dimorphism. The top of the juveniles is dark brown and the bottom ocher and the white spot on neck is missing.
Alpine Accentor is not cowardly bird and sometimes people can get close to a meter. This is evident from the pictures and video below.
Alpine Accentor is constant species distributed in Central and Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia from Iran to Siberia and Japan. As the population size and vastness of the area are very large, so the species does not approach the thresholds for vulnerability.
It feeds insects, eggs, larvae and worms, snails. Rarely takes plant foods - seeds and berries.
Breeding period is quite long - begins in mid-May and continues through July. Then the male sings throughout the day to attract a female.
It makes its nest in rock cavities in holes in piles of rocks, in crevices of rocks on the slopes of high rock walls. The nest built on rocky scree hidden so securely, and in the rocks. Rarely nests in cellars of buildings in mountainous areas, especially if are made of stone. The nest is a deep, cup-shaped, made of moss and grass and covered with feathers. The outer layer is made of dry grass stems, average - from moss and lining - from dry grass, roots and wool.
The female lays 3 to 6 monochrome, sky-blue or gray-green eggs. They hatch it for about two weeks by both parents. Juveniles remain in the nest for two weeks and fed by both parents. They eat mainly insects and other invertebrates. Later in the composition of the diet includes seeds of grasses and other plants.
Source: Personal observations and Wikipedia
