Altai king chicken
| Altai king chicken | ||||||||||
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Altai King Chicken ( Tetraogallus altaicus ) |
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| Tetraogallus altaicus | ||||||||||
| ( Gebler , 1836) |
The Altai Snowcock ( Tetraogallus altaicus ) is a Galliformes art from the kind of snowcock ( Tetraogallus ). It is a mountain bird that can be found all year round in the alpine and subalpine belts of East Asia and lives exclusively on the ground. It is unmistakable in its area of distribution, as it does not appear sympatric with any other king hen . During the mating season, the male's loud whistle is often heard.
Appearance
The Altai king chicken reaches a body length of 58 to 65 centimeters. The weight varies between 2.5 and 3 kilograms.
There is no conspicuous sexual dimorphism , males and females are roughly the same size and show the same color. The adult Altai king hen is gray on the top of the head, on the back neck, collar and front back. The gray is separated from the rest of the back by a black neck ring. The rest of the top of the body is dark gray with a fine yellowish ray pattern.
The throat is white, the fore neck and chest are gray with a slight bluish tinge. The rear breast is also gray, but has black and white spots. The belly is white.
distribution and habitat
The Altai king hen colonizes the mountains of the Altai , the Sajan and the Changai mountains in two subspecies . It is a resident bird, but it comes down to regions with little or no snow in the winter months. It is then sometimes to be found in the foothills and the river plains, where it can occasionally be observed between domestic cattle.
The habitats of the Altai king chicken are both the rock tundra of the summit zones, which are characterized by large boulders and sparse vegetation, and flat areas with rocky moss-lichen tundra. The preferred altitude range is between 2000 and 2500 m ; in the north of its distribution area it can also be found from 1330 m . The upper limit of distribution is around 3000 m .
Way of life
Altai king chickens live in small flocks that split up into pairs from the beginning of May. The cock stays with the hen as long as it is brooding. When the dune young hatch, the rooster leaves the breeding area and then joins the troops of other males and unpaired hens.
The nest is a small depression in the ground that is laid out with dry plant material from the area. It is usually located in a sheltered place under an overhanging boulder or is built into a rock niche.
The eggs are gray-green with brown spots. The full clutch consists of seven to ten eggs.
supporting documents
literature
- RL Potapov, VE Fling (ed.): Handbook of the birds of the Soviet Union. Volume 4: Galliformes, Gruiformes. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden 1989, ISBN 3-89104-417-8
Single receipts
Web links
- Tetraogallus altaicus inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Altai Snowcock ( Tetraogallus altaicus ) . Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Altai Snowcock (Tetraogallus altaicus) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Altai king chicken ( Tetraogallus altaicus ) at Avibase; Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- Tetraogallus altaicus in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Altai Snowcock ( Tetraogallus altaicus )