African rush rail

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African rush rail
African rush rail (Podica senegalesin)

African rush rail ( Podica senegalesin )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Crane birds (Gruiformes)
Family : Rush claws (Heliornithidae)
Genre : Podica
Type : African rush rail
Scientific name of the  genus
Podica
Lesson , 1831
Scientific name of the  species
Podica senegalensis
( Vieillot , 1817)

The African rush rail ( Podica senegalensis ), also known as the African rush grouse or spotted rush rail , is the largest member of the rush rush family . It is also the only species within the genus Podica . There are four subspecies.

The stock situation is indicated with LC IUCN 3 1st svg(= least concern - not endangered ).

Appearance

Depending on the subspecies and gender, African rush rushes reach a body length between 35 and 59 centimeters. The males are significantly larger and heavier than the females. The body is slender and streamlined, the beak corresponds to the length of the head. One of the anatomical features of the African rush claw is a claw on the wing, which makes it easier for them to climb in the bushes on the banks. As is characteristic of rush rushes, they have swimming rags on their toes.

The plumage is brown on the neck and neck as well as on the wings and back. The chest and belly are light ocher. A white stripe begins at the eye and runs along the side of the neck to the nape of the neck. The males have a gray throat patch, the females a white one. The arm covers and the back are lightly spotted, the flanks are transversely banded. The control feathers are dark brown and strongly stiffened. The bill and legs are bright red.

Distribution of the individual subspecies

This species occurs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to East Africa and south to the Cape. The subspecies occur in the following regions:

  • Podica senegalensis senegalensis : Senegal to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, north-west of Tanzania and Ethiopia
  • Podica senegalensis somereni : Kenya and northeast of Tanzania
  • Podica senegalensis camerunensis : South of Cameroon to Gabon, Republic of the Congo and north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Podica senegalensis petersii : Angola to the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Mozambique and the east of South Africa.

Habitat and way of life

African rush rail

The African rush rail is found in forests and tree-lined savannahs in the dense bushes of riverside rivers and in mangrove swamps. It generally avoids fast-flowing or stagnant waters and it is rarely found outside of the bank vegetation. It spends most of its time on the water and, when disturbed, usually takes refuge in the bushes on the banks. She is a fast runner and good climber on land.

The diet consists mainly of aquatic insects, mollusks and other invertebrates. They also eat small fish, frogs and snakes and occasionally parts of plants.

The African rush rail is a territorial resident bird and defends a territory all year round. The breeding season usually falls during the time when the flowing waters of their respective habitat carry the most water. The nest is built by the female either in the bushes above the water or on alluvial plant material directly on the water. The clutch comprises 2 red-brown to cream-colored eggs. It only breeds the female.

literature

Web links

Commons : African Rush Rail  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Single receipts

  1. ↑ a b Podica senegalensis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ a b W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 278.
  3. ↑ African rush rail on Avibase , accessed September 20, 2016
  4. ↑ W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 277