Blue birds. Blue bird. Bluebird lifestyle and habitat. See what "Blue Bird" is in other dictionaries

While surfing the Internet, I came across a photo of an interesting bird. She simply shocked me with her colorful plumage, which aroused admiration and charged me with positivity. And in this article I will talk about the brightest birds on Earth.

After some searching, I found out its name - it was Gould’s finch, and after that I decided to find a dozen more positive birds and make a rating of the best ones. Moreover, such feathered beauties as owls, falcons or eagles will not be included in the rating due to their excessive predatory nature, which does not respond. Let's start with this first representative of birds, which so sank into my soul.

Gould's finch - bright and beautiful

This species of bird was named after the wife of the English animal artist John Gould, who discovered this colorful bird during his trip to Australia in the mid-19th century. These birds belong to the family of weaver finches and are called “Google birds” by some for their variegated colors (the Google search engine is known for its variegated colors).

This species of bird has such a variety of types of plumage and has two or three types of head coloring that it is simply impossible for ornithologists to distinguish subspecies of these birds. Moreover, in this they are “helped” by the birds themselves, who mate freely, not paying attention to the variations in the colors of their partners.

Beautiful bird with a crest - blue jay

This bird stands out among all birds with its long blue tail and the same bright blue crest. The habitat of this colorful bird of the corvid family is North America. They live in pairs or small family flocks, but during migration they form large groups.

Birds are distinguished by their ability to make unusual sounds and imitate the voices of various birds, including numerous predators from whose attacks they suffer. This allows them to warn their relatives about danger, as well as scare away other predators that have invaded their habitat.

Blue jays do not migrate and, as a result, are required to store supplies for the winter. And usually a jay prepares about 3-5 thousand acorns. Moreover, an interesting fact is that at one time these birds can bring 5 acorns - 2-3 pieces in the crop, one more in the mouth and one in the beak.

Duck beauties Carolinka and Mandarin

These two birds of the duck family, despite their bright plumage and some similarity in beauty, live in completely different places. The distribution range of the Mandarin duck is East Asia and can sometimes be found in the Russian Far East. The natural distribution area of ​​Karolinka is North America.

The difference between birds is also manifested in the habitat of these birds. So, if the mandarin duck loves the forested areas of mountain rivers, then the caralina ducks are more attracted to shady forest reservoirs. Now both of these species of birds are listed in the Red Book and hunting them is prohibited. In autumn they can often be found far from their natural habitats, since for their bright features in many European parks they are bred for decorative purposes.

The most colorful pigeon breed is the Crowned Pigeon.

There are almost eight hundred breeds of pigeons in the world, one stealing the other. Moreover, the cost of some of them reaches tens of thousands of dollars. I will talk about one of the genera of the pigeon family - the Crowned Pigeon. This genus includes three types of these beautiful birds - fan-crested, chestnut-crested and blue-crested, which, despite some external differences, have a single similarity - a bright and colorful headdress of a fan-shaped crest.

The habitat of these birds is New Guinea. Most often they live in swampy sago palm forests and live in pairs or small groups. Particularly interesting for us is the method of attracting females - the males literally beat the drum, since this is how we hear the sounds pouring from the beaks of pigeons.

Considered the most beautiful in this family fan-crowned pigeon. This individual has a chestnut-blue color on the lower part of the body, slate-blue tones on the upper part and a beautiful crest on the head, consisting of fluffy feathers, at the ends of which there are small triangular peaks.

Next in line blue-crested pigeon got its name because of its color, which, unlike the fan-shaped one, is almost entirely blue. Only on the wings can you see splashes of dark chestnut color. In these pigeons, the crest on the head does not have clear peaks and ends in a chaotic manner.

And the last representative of the genus - chestnut-breasted crowned pigeon. As the name of the bird suggests, it has a chestnut-brown color on its chest. Otherwise, it is similar to the blue-crested pigeon.

The reddest bird is the Northern Cardinal.

This beautiful, medium-sized songbird of the passerine family was discovered in the mid-19th century in both parts of America. And now the representation of northern cardinals includes 19 varieties. Their distinctive feature is the dark red color sparkling throughout the body, a black mask over the eyes and a bright coral-colored beak.

Most often, this bird can be found in the southern parts of Canada, the eastern states of the United States and Mexico. This bird, unlike most of its relatives, does not shy away from people. And very often near houses you can hear their variety of songs. It is their bright singing style that sets them apart from all other representatives of birds.

The Northern Cardinal uses a single whistle to scare away other males from its territory. The other is used to attract females. And with the help of the third, they look for their mate in the dark.

Interesting fact. This bird is the official symbol of seven American states.

Hoopoe - a colorful swear word with an interesting beak

How often have we heard the phrase “What a hoopoe you are!”, which served as a sarcastic perception of you in the eyes of others. However, this can actually be a valuable compliment, since this bird is actually one of the most bizarre representatives of the birds.

Outwardly, the hoopoe looks awkward - it has a small body with a funny crest on its head and a huge elongated beak. At the same time, he not only flies quickly, but also runs perfectly on the ground. In addition to their gorgeous red crest, hoopoes have large black and white striped wings. At the same time, the entire body of the hoopoe is covered with red feathers.

The population of these birds in autumn is extensive. They can be seen in Portugal and Finland, China and India, on the African continent and in Siberia. Hoopoes will always prefer to settle in an open area among small trees rather than choose a large noisy forest. It is especially worth noting this interesting feature. If the hoopoe is overtaken by danger on the ground, then it takes an unusual pose - it presses against the ground, spreading its wings wide and sticking its beak up.

Rainbow toucan bird with a "pleasant beak"

This colorful bird is found in the Central Americas and is the largest member of the toucan family. She has black iridescent plumage with bright yellow coloring on her chest and cheeks. However, such a “bright face” distinguishes this bird from other representatives of birds, and its unusually large and beautiful beak has a green-red tint. This toucan's beak is so huge that it occupies a third of the bird's entire body.

Another interesting feature of rainbow toucans is that they do not like to fly and often move by jumping through tree branches.
These birds usually live in small flocks of 5 - 10 individuals in tree hollows. Moreover, an interesting fact is that because of their large beak, in order to save space in small hollows, toucans sleep, hiding their beak under the wing of their neighbor.

Due to its unusual color and beak shape, as well as its good intelligence, this bird is easily tamed and can easily be found in captivity as pets.

Mythical Bird of Paradise

Birds of paradise, heroes of various myths and fairy tales, are actually the closest relatives of the familiar crows and sparrows. These beautiful and positive birds live on the islands of New Guinea and number as many as 45 species.

Due to such a huge number of species of birds of paradise, it is simply impossible to create any kind of holistic image of them. Some individuals have bright plumage, most often red, blue and yellow. Others have brightly colored plumage on their heads that makes them stand out from other bird species. And still others have a bright fluffy tail. To fully describe their unusual characteristics, it is worth citing several different representatives of these positive birds. And then everything will become clear to everyone.

• Ribbon bird of paradise with the longest tail, which is three times the length of the bird's body itself

• shows its unusual plumage only during mating games and upside down

• Six-feathered bird of paradise has six feathers on its head, comparable to the length of the bird’s entire body with tassels at the ends

• Wilson's Royal Bird of Paradise has an unusual tail with feathers curved inward

Golden pheasant - a symbol of dignitaries in Ancient China

This most colorful member of the pheasant family is native to the highlands of subtropical China. And the most favorite place for their settlement is bamboo thickets near the foot of the mountains. In the wild, they are most often accustomed to living alone or in small groups.

Now this bird is one of the most popular in pheasant farming. And they gained such popularity due to their beautiful wide crest, long mantle collar and bright tail, which consists of 18 tail feathers. Such bright coloring and beautiful plumage allowed the golden pheasant to rightfully bear the title of one of the most beautiful birds.

Interesting fact. Despite the fact that these birds can fly, when danger arises, they prefer to flee and only in extreme cases fly up onto branches.

Long-legged and romantic Pink Flamingos

The list of bright, positive birds would be incomplete without one of the most “fiery” birds - Pink Flamingos. These birds of the “morning dawn” have soft pink plumage and, due to their charm, give everyone harmony and inspiration.

Flamingos live in large colonies along the shores of lakes and reservoirs, and in some cases the number of birds in a colony reaches hundreds of thousands. Flamingos can be found in Africa and Central and East Asia, South America and the Caucasus. In Europe, they can most often be found in Spain, Italy and... in zoos. This particular bird can be found in almost any zoo in the Old World.

Interesting fact. Flamingos, like most long-legged birds, can often be seen standing on one leg. This uncomfortable and difficult position, in the opinion of many of us, actually requires absolutely no effort on the part of the flamingos, and it is used by them to minimize heat loss.

After such an interesting article about the most colorful birds in the world, it’s worth reading about ten at least that radiate positivity and make us happy.

The image of a blue bird, personifying a dream, arose at the beginning of the 20th century thanks to the famous play by the Belgian author M. Maeterlinck. Looking for it is the lot of everyone who dreams of happiness.

But only the most incorrigible romantics did not lose faith, because it was believed that such a thing did not exist in nature. Dreams of blue bird- unattainable fantasies.

Nature turned out to be richer than human ideas. Ornithologists know a species of bird called the lilac or whistling thrush, and in widespread use and according to many sources simply a bluebird.

Features and habitat of the bluebird

In addition to animal food, bluebirds eat plant food: seeds, berries, fruits. During the winter months, plant foods predominate. In captivity bluebird feeding a variety of food for birds; they love bread and a variety of greens.

Reproduction and lifespan of bluebirds

From the beginning of March you can hear the beautiful and melodious singing of purple blackbirds, reflecting the nesting time. Bluebirds, after choosing their mate, live in the same gorge, without changing the place of laying eggs for several years. Partners rarely change throughout life. Grown-up chicks are expelled from their territory.

Nests are built near water from brought roots of plants, grass, moss, stems, twigs and dirt. A thick-walled, bulky bowl is created in the crevice, out of reach of enemies. The structure lasts for many years, and if it collapses from time to time, a new nest is built on the old base.

The photo shows the nest of a bluebird blackbird

The clutch usually contains from 2 to 5 eggs, white with dark specks. Hatching lasts up to 17 days. hatched blue bird chicks parents feed larvae and insects. At first the babies are naked and helpless. Over the course of 25 days, thanks to care, the brood grows stronger and gains strength. In June, the offspring leaves their native nest, and the parents also fly away until next spring.

The lifespan of bluebirds in nature is difficult to determine. In captivity, lilac blackbirds can live up to 15 years, unlike blue bird of happiness, ageless.

Subclass: Ornithurae, or Neornithes = Fan-tailed birds, new birds

Superorder: Neognathae = New palate birds, neognathae

Order: Passeriformes = Passeriformes, passeriformes

Suborder: Oscines = Singers

Family: Turdidae = Thrushes

Species: Myophonus caeruleus = Bluebird

blue bird in appearance it resembles a thrush, but differs in its longer tail and dark purple with a lilac tint of plumage. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed; The plumage of young birds is the same color as that of adults, but duller. The beak is yellow, high and strong. The legs are long and strong. Body length is about 350 mm, wing length is about 180 mm. These birds weigh 170-200g. Bluebirds are common in mountain gorges with sparse thickets of trees and shrubs (usually near streams, mountain streams and lakes) in Hindustan, in the southeast of Central Asia, in the central, southern and eastern provinces of China. They lead a sedentary lifestyle, but birds nesting high in the mountains move to lower places in the fall. Already in March, in nesting areas, you can hear loud, but at the same time gentle and melodic singing, consisting of separate, unrelated whistles. Each pair usually occupies a small gorge, in which they subsequently stay all year round and hatch chicks for several years in a row; other individuals and grown-up chicks that have become independent are expelled from the occupied area. In hard-to-reach places, in deep crevices between rocks or stones, always near water, birds make a nest, into which splashes sometimes fly.

The nest is made from elastic roots of plants and moss. This is a bulky and dense structure in the form of a shallow, thick-walled bowl, which lies on a thick layer of moss thrown into the crevice by birds. Usually the same nest serves a couple for several years in a row: the birds only repair it every year. In May, the female lays 4-5 whitish eggs covered with reddish-brown spots in the nest. In the second half of June, the grown chicks leave the nests. Adult birds collect food for the chicks and for themselves along the banks of stormy mountain streams, less often near mountain lakes; they often catch prey in the water. Their diet is based on aquatic and semi-aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as mollusks, beetles and large ants. In autumn and winter, birds switch mainly to plant foods: they eat seeds and berries of rose hips, mulberries, wild grapes, hawthorn, etc.

BLUEBIRD (Myophonus caeruleos), a genus of birds in the thrush family.

The size of a jackdaw (body length on average 33 cm). A very beautiful bird. It differs from other blackbirds in its large size and blue color. The tail is quite long. The wings are rounded and short. The color is black and blue, with silver-violet sparkles on the back, head and chest, the wings and tail are dark blue. From a distance the bird appears black. The beak is yellow. Lives in the Himalayas, going down their slopes to the countries of Indochina. It inhabits the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai at altitudes from 1000 to 3500 m, and migrates lower in winter. In the last decade, the distribution of these birds has been noted in the Central Asian republics and in the eastern part of their range.

Lives in mountain gorges with streams and waterfalls. Common sedentary and nomadic bird. It lives alone and in pairs on rocks, stones, and less often on bushes and trees. When sitting, it raises and lowers its tail and moves it from side to side.

The cry is a sharp “jji”, the song is a set of loud flute whistles. The bluebird's voice drowns out the noise of the waterfall, but the timbre of the song is so melodic that its volume is not annoying.

It feeds on a wide variety of insects, catches fish in shallow water, and sometimes hunts for small rodents, lizards and juvenile snakes. It finishes off prey either with a powerful, hooked beak, trying to deliver a strong blow, or by hitting it against a stone.

A massive nest is built on a rock above the water, sometimes even behind a waterfall, made from moss, blades of grass, roots and dirt. The clutch consists of 4-5 pale greenish or pinkish eggs with darker speckles.

Due to its size, loud singing, limited distribution zone and low numbers, not many hobbyists keep the bird at home, although observing it in cage conditions is of significant zoological interest. Birds love to swim and are good at catching small fish that are released into the water. Feeding them in a cage does not cause problems; they eat well the traditional mixture for insectivorous birds, berries, fruits, as well as white bread and cottage cheese. They calmly deal with a mouse or vole. In general, their behavior in the house resembles the behavior of cats and dogs. So, they can gnaw a bone from soup just as well as a dog, and they play with a piece of paper or a bow on a string like kittens. The bluebird retains its aggressiveness even in captivity, not enduring any competition. It cannot be in a cage with its relatives, it pecks them to death. Of great interest is the breeding of this bird in aviary or semi-aviary conditions, given its small numbers in nature.

Encyclopedia of Pets KIRILL and MEFODIUS

Pigeons are one of the most famous bird species and can be found almost anywhere in the world. Their habitat is very wide. Almost every person walking through a park or street has seen these beautiful birds. And few people think about how many species of these birds exist in the world, but more than 300 are currently known.

Types of pigeons

Among all the variety of breeds of pigeons, they are divided into wild, decorative, homing and, oddly enough, meat ones. This family includes pigeons and turtle doves, widespread both in Europe and overseas. The greatest diversity of pigeon species is observed in South, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Most of them live in wooded areas, often in tropical rainforests. Some species, such as the rock pigeon, have adapted very well to life in urban environments and live in almost all cities of the world.

Klintukh refers to wild pigeons. The plumage of this breed has a bluish color, the neck has a greenish tint, the crop is red, the wings are gray-blue, and the tail has black stripes. The habitat of these pigeons is the north of Kazakhstan, the south of Siberia, Türkiye, Africa and China. Birds can be migratory if they live in cold regions. In warm places they lead a sedentary lifestyle.

The crowned pigeon is also a wild pigeon; this species lives exclusively in hot countries, such as New Guinea. Its most typical habitats are rain forests, mango thickets and tropical jungles. This bird got its name because of its specific crest, which can fall and rise depending on the emotions and mood of this type of pigeon.

This is interesting! One of the largest representatives of the pigeon genus is the wood pigeon. The tail reaches 15 centimeters in length. The pigeon's neck has a bright greenish tint. The wood pigeon is common in Europe and Asia. Prefers to nest in forests or parks. Easily tolerates any climatic conditions.

Among the meat breeds of pigeons that are specially bred for food purposes, it is worth noting such breeds as the king and the English modena. These pigeons are bred on special farms.

There are also carrier and flying pigeons. But at present, their ability to return to their place of permanent residence is of no interest to anyone, except beauty connoisseurs and breed lovers, because modern means of communication have long existed.

Appearance, description

The largest representative of the family should be considered the crowned pigeon from Papua New Guinea; its weight varies from 1.7 to 3 kg. The smallest pigeon is the diamond striped dove from Australia, weighing only about 30 grams.

This is interesting! Pigeons are not very large birds. Their length, depending on the type, can range from 15 to 75 cm, and weight from 30 g to 3 kg.

The physique of these birds is dense, with a short neck and small head. The wings are wide, long, usually rounded at the ends, have 11 primary flight feathers and 10-15 secondary ones. The tail of pigeons is long, at the end it can be either pointed or wide, rounded; usually has 12-14 feathers, up to 18 in crowned and pheasant pigeons.

The beak is usually short, less often of medium length, straight, thin, often with a characteristic widening at the base. At the base of the beak there are areas of bare soft skin called the wax. In addition, there is bare skin around the eyes.

In most species, sexual dimorphism (a clear difference between male and female) in plumage is not expressed, although males look somewhat larger. The only exceptions are some tropical species, the males of which have more brightly colored feathers.

The plumage is thick, dense, often gray, brown or cream tones, although in the tropics there are also brighter colors, such as in motley pigeons. The legs are usually short: four-toed, three toes in front and one in back, but well adapted for moving on the ground.

Although belonging to pigeons is quite easily determined by morphological characteristics, some birds have external similarities with other families: pheasants, partridges, parrots or turkeys.

This is interesting! The pheasant pigeon looks like a pheasant and is not considered a pigeon by many people.

Like some other birds, pigeons lack a gall bladder. Some medieval naturalists erroneously concluded from this that pigeons did not have bile. This conclusion fit perfectly into the theory of 4 body fluids - the absence of “bitter” bile gave these birds some “divinity”. In fact, pigeons still have bile, which is secreted directly into the digestive tract.

Range, habitats

Pigeons are widely represented on all continents except the South Pole. They live in a wide range of terrestrial biotopes from dense forests to deserts, and are able to settle at altitudes of up to 5000 m above sea level, as well as in urbanized areas. The greatest diversity of species is found in South America and Australia, where they live mainly in tropical rainforests. More than 60% of all species are exclusively island species, not found on continents.

Some species, such as the rock pigeon, have become widespread in many regions of the world and are common urban birds. On the territory of Russia, 9 species of pigeons live in the wild, including the rock pigeon, rock pigeon, pigeon, Japanese green pigeon, common dove, great dove, ringed and little dove, as well as two migratory species: the short-tailed dove and the brown pigeon.

Lifestyle of pigeons

Wild species of pigeons successfully live on river banks, in coastal cliffs, and gorges. The presence of agricultural land or human habitation has always attracted birds as food sources, so relationships with humans have been formed over many millennia.

Birds were easily domesticated and, noticing their abilities, man was able to tame them and use them for his own purposes. Homing and flying species of pigeons live close to humans, in places specially created for this purpose. Currently, a huge number of decorative pigeons are bred by lovers and connoisseurs of these beautiful birds; there are many clubs and associations around the world.

Diet, nutrition of a pigeon

This is interesting! The main diet of pigeons is plant food: leaves, seeds and fruits of various plants. The fruits are most often swallowed whole, after which the stone is regurgitated out. Seeds are usually collected from the surface of the ground or directly pecked from plants.

An unusual behavior is observed in the Galapagos dove - in search of seeds, it picks the ground with its beak. In addition to plant foods, pigeons also eat small invertebrates, but usually their percentage in the total diet is extremely small. Birds drink water by sucking it inside - a method that is uncharacteristic of other birds, and in search of water these birds often travel considerable distances.

Reproduction, lifespan

The reproduction of pigeons depends on the laying of eggs. An experienced pigeon breeder is able to predict the clutch in advance, since at this time the female becomes less active, moves little and spends most of the time in the nest. This behavior of a dove is typical when she plans to lay eggs in 2-3 days. Typically, pigeons lay eggs on the twelfth to fifteenth day after mating.

Both parents take part in the construction of the nest for the offspring. The male brings building material for the nest, and the female arranges it. The average lifespan of pigeons in the wild is about 5 years. At home, where there are fewer natural enemies and there is proper care, it lasts up to 12-15 years, there are unique cases when domestic pigeons lived up to 30 years.

In other parts of the world, where pigeons are common, almost all predators pose a danger to this bird species. If you keep these birds in a dovecote, then you need to take all measures so that a predator cannot get into it. The greatest danger, especially for small chicks, is the ferret and the common gray rat itself.

IUCN 3.1 Least Concern:

Spreading

The species' distribution range extends from Central Asia to the Indonesian Islands in Southeast Asia. There, the bluebird lives in mountain forests up to the forest line at an altitude of approximately 2400 to 3000 m above sea level. During seasonal migrations, this species can also be found in tropical and mangrove forests.

Reproduction

It nests more often near mountain streams. There are usually 2 eggs in a clutch.

Nesting has been recorded in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Nominative subspecies - Myophonus caeruleus caeruleus flies to Primorsky Krai.

Subspecies

There are six subspecies:

• M.c. caeruleus(Scopoli, 1786) - central and eastern China
• M.c. temminckii Vigors, 1832 – western Tianshan south to Afghanistan and east across the Himalayas, eastern Assam to Sichuan, and northern and northeastern Myanmar
• M.c. eugenei Hume, 1873 - central, eastern and southeastern Myanmar, western, northern and eastern Thailand, central and southern Yunnan, and northern and central Indochina
• M.c. crassirostris Robinson, 1910 – southeastern Thailand, Cambodia and northern Malay Peninsula
• M.c. dichrorhynchus Salvadori, 1879 - center and south of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
• M.c. flavirostris(Horsfield, 1821) - Java

Photo

Write a review of the article "Bluebird (bird)"

Notes

Literature

• Wolfgang Grummt, Harro Strehlow: Zootierhaltung: Tiere in menschlicher Obhut. Vögel. Harri Deutsch Verlag 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2, S. 628
• Morton Strange: A photographic guide to the birds of Southeast Asia including the Philippines & Borneo. Princeton University Press 2003, ISBN 978-0-691-11494-1, S. 305
• Jason A. Mobley: Birds of the World. Marshall Cavendish 2008, ISBN 978-0-7614-7775-4, S. 654

Links

• BirdLife International 2004. . IUCN 2006. Red List of Threatened Species.

Excerpt characterizing the Bluebird (bird)

- Why are you lying! - said the countess.
Natasha continued:
– Don’t you understand? Nikolenka would understand... The earless one is blue, dark blue with red, and he is quadrangular.
“You flirt with him too,” said the countess, laughing.
- No, he is a Freemason, I found out. It’s nice, dark blue and red, how can I explain it to you...
“Countess,” the count’s voice was heard from behind the door. -Are you awake? – Natasha jumped up barefoot, grabbed her shoes and ran into her room.
She couldn't sleep for a long time. She kept thinking that no one could understand everything that she understood and that was in her.
"Sonya?" she thought, looking at the sleeping, curled up cat with her huge braid. “No, where should she go!” She is virtuous. She fell in love with Nikolenka and doesn’t want to know anything else. Mom doesn’t understand either. It’s amazing how smart I am and how... she’s sweet,” she continued, speaking to herself in the third person and imagining that some very smart, smartest and nicest man was talking about her... “Everything, everything is in her.” , - continued this man, - she is unusually smart, sweet and then good, unusually good, dexterous, swims, rides excellently, and has a voice! One might say, an amazing voice!” She sang her favorite musical phrase from the Cherubini Opera, threw herself on the bed, laughed with the joyful thought that she was about to fall asleep, shouted to Dunyasha to put out the candle, and before Dunyasha had time to leave the room, she had already passed into another, even happier world of dreams , where everything was as easy and wonderful as in reality, but it was only even better, because it was different.

The next day, the countess, inviting Boris to her place, talked with him, and from that day he stopped visiting the Rostovs.

On December 31, on New Year's Eve 1810, le reveillon [night supper], there was a ball at Catherine's nobleman's house. The diplomatic corps and the sovereign were supposed to be at the ball.
On the Promenade des Anglais, the famous house of a nobleman glowed with countless lights. At the illuminated entrance with a red cloth stood the police, and not only gendarmes, but the police chief at the entrance and dozens of police officers. The carriages drove off, and new ones drove up with red footmen and footmen with feathered hats. Men in uniforms, stars and ribbons came out of the carriages; ladies in satin and ermine carefully stepped down the noisily laid down steps, and hurriedly and silently walked along the cloth of the entrance.
Almost every time a new carriage arrived, there was a murmur in the crowd and hats were taken off.
“Sovereign?... No, minister... prince... envoy... Don’t you see the feathers?...” said from the crowd. One of the crowd, better dressed than the others, seemed to know everyone, and called by name the most noble nobles of that time.
Already one third of the guests had arrived at this ball, and the Rostovs, who were supposed to be at this ball, were still hastily preparing to dress.
There was a lot of talk and preparation for this ball in the Rostov family, a lot of fears that the invitation would not be received, the dress would not be ready, and everything would not work out as needed.