Coccothraustes coccothraustes - The hawfinch is found throughout Europe and Asia. European populations are resident; Asian populations migrate to Southeastern Asia. Hawfinches have stout necks and robust beaks with a distinctive metallic shine. Males are slightly larger than females and their plumage is brighter. The beak comes in handy for a diet consisting primarily of hard seeds taken from trees or various fruit. It will occasionally feed on insects and the softer pulp of fruit.
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The Principality of Polotsk was the earliest known state to exist in the present day area of Belarus. Polotsk came under the domination of the Kievan Rus' state in the 11th century. The disruption of the Mongol invasion in the 13th century resulted in the sacking of Kiev and allowed an expanding Lithuania to absorb the splintered fragments. Belarus remained part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the subsequent Polish-Lithuanian Union until 1795; it was then absorbed into Russia’s orbit until 1990.
