Angola shrike

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Angola shrike
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Vanga shrike (Vangidae)
Subfamily : Spectacled Shrike (Prionopinae)
Genre : Prionops
Type : Angola shrike
Scientific name
Prionops gabela
Rand , 1957

The Angola helmetshrike ( Prionops gabela ), also Gabelabrillenwürger is a species of the subfamily of helmetshrike (Prionopinae) within the family of Vangawürger (Vangidae), which in embankments near Gabela and Quiçama National Park in the Angolan province of Cuanza Sul south of Porto Amboim and east of the port city of Sumbe . Its distribution area, which is severely fragmented as a result of deforestation, covers an area of ​​4,640 km².

description

The Angola Shrike was not discovered until 1957 and was first described by the Canadian ornithologist Austin Loomer Rand . The plumage of the approximately 19 cm tall bird is black. The body is slate gray, the tips of the tail white. The eyes, wrinkles and beak are red. Little is known about his way of life because researching the region and population is difficult due to the aftermath of the civil war .

Existence and endangerment

Birdlife estimated the population at 1000 to 2500 specimens in 2001, although this bird has only been sighted occasionally since 1978. In October 2005, British ornithologists took the very first photos. As a resident of treetops, the forked shrike is primarily endangered by agriculture and forestry. The habitat destruction is due to the fact that in some areas the forests have been cleared to 70 to 95 percent and the ground vegetation has been removed to make room for bananas, sweet potatoes, coffee, cassava and corn. In 1996, the IUCN classified the forked gag shrike in the "endangered" category.

literature

  • Austin L. Rand: Two new species of Birds from Angola. Fieldiana - Zoology Vol 39 No. 5. Chicago Natural History Museum. 1957.

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