Ocyceros

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Ocyceros
Female of the Malabar Gray Goose, Kerala, India

Female of the Malabar Gray Goose, Kerala, India

Systematics
Sub-stem : Vertebrates (vertebrata)
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Hornbills and hops (Bucerotiformes)
Family : Hornbills (Bucerotidae)
Genre : Ocyceros
Scientific name
Ocyceros
Hume , 1873
Wedge-tailed Toko
Ceylon gray token
Wedge-tailed tooko while eating figs

Ocyceros is a genus of hornbills (Bucerotidae), whose representatives are native to Southeast Asia. A German name is not established. However, they are sometimes referred to as Asian Tokos . They were originally placed in the genus of Tokos , a genus of hornbills native to Africa and the Middle East. However, they differ from this genus in several characteristics, so that they are now consistently placed in an independent genus.

Like all hornbills, the species belonging to the genus Ocyceros are also cave-breeders. The female spends several weeks in a tree cavity, the entrance to which is walled up except for a narrow crack. The male feeds them through this narrow gap and later also the young birds.

Three species are assigned to the genus, all of which are classified as harmless ( least concern ) by the IUCN .

features

The three species are all small hornbills. They differ from the much more species-rich tokos by their lack of a territorial defensive behavior. The males also bring the food in the throat to the breeding caves and work it out there to pass it on to the female. Ocyceros also show a different infestation of parasite species than is typical for Tockos.

The most unusual species within the genus is the wedge-tailed toko . It has an unusually pointed beak that ends in the middle of the beak. The middle pair of tail feathers is noticeably elongated and the short wings give its flight something parrot-like. The other two species have only slightly developed beak ridges.

distribution

The wedge-tailed toko has the largest distribution area among the three species. Its distribution area extends from the Punjab in northeast Pakistan, southern Nepal and northwestern Bangladesh southwards over large parts of India. The species is only absent in the southwest and east coast. It is not threatened, widespread, and quite common in a number of habitats. It shows itself to be quite adaptable and can also be found in the cultural landscape.

The range of the other two species is much smaller. The Ceylon Gray Toko occurs only in Sri Lanka. The Malabar gray toko occurs in the Western Ghats . The Western Ghats are a mountain range in western India that runs along the edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates it from the narrow strip of the coastal plain and the Arabian Sea . The mountain range starts south of the Tapti River on the border of the Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and runs for a length of about 1600 km through the states of Maharashtra, Goa , Karnataka , Kerala and Tamil Nadu almost to the tip of the Indian subcontinent.

food

The species of the genus Ocyceros , like all hornbill species, are omnivorous. However, they cover most of their nutritional needs with fruits. Wild figs play a special role in their diet. As a rule, they grab these fruits with their long beaks directly in the tree canopy from the branches. They also consume animal protein in the form of insects and small vertebrates.

species

The following three species are included in the genus:

literature

Web links

Commons : Ocyceros  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Ocyceros birostris in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed December 21, 2014.
  2. ↑ Ocyceros gingalensis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ Ocyceros griseus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ a b Kemp: The Hornbills - Bucerotiformes . P. 152.