Australian sliding couple
| Australian sliding couple | ||||||||||||
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Australian gliding hair ( Elanus axillaris ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Elanus axillary | ||||||||||||
| ( Latham , 1801) |
The Australian glider ( Elanus axillaris ) is a bird of prey found in Australia and Tasmania from the hawk family (Accipitridae).
description
Australian sliding pairs reach a body length of 33 to 37 centimeters and a wingspan of 82 to 94 centimeters. The weight of the males was measured to be 181 to 300, that of the females 270 to 365 grams. The birds show no sexual dimorphism in the drawing . The head, back, chest and stomach as well as the relatively short control feathers are colored white. Black shoulder feathers and dark gray hand wings stand out clearly from the light gray wings . The short hooked bill is blackish, the iris is red. Legs and feet are bright yellow in color.
Similar species
Australian sliding hairs are similar to the black- axed pair ( Elanus scriptus ), but whose eyes are rimmed black, making the face look owl-like . The main difference is the black drawing on the underside of the wing, which extends from the armpit to the tip, while in the Australian gliding pair only a relatively small black area can be seen there.
Black- axed pair ( Elanus scriptus )
Australian gliding hair ( Elanus axillaris )
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distribution and habitat
The range of the Australian sliding pair includes the entire mainland of Australia and the northern part of Tasmania . The main habitat are meadow landscapes, savannahs and light forests up to an altitude of 1500 meters.
Way of life
Australian sliding hairs feed primarily on various rodents (Rodentia), for example house mice ( Mus musculus ), and also on small birds, as well as on lizards and large insects, preferably grasshoppers (Orthoptera). The prey is struck from a hover. According to one study, 77% of attacks are successful. Smaller prey animals are eaten in flight. The birds prefer to hunt during the day, sometimes also on moonlit nights. The breeding season is spread over the entire year, but spring and autumn are preferred. If there is enough food, there are two broods a year. The nest is mostly created 4 to 35 meters above the ground in tall living trees. Artificial structures are rarely accepted. The nesting material, consisting mainly of twigs, is collected by both sexes, but only used by the female. The nest diameter is 27 to 45 centimeters. The nest is equipped with two to five eggs, which are hatched in 29 to 34 days. The young usually leave the nest after 33 to 38 days, in exceptional cases after 42 days, and become independent one month later. The success rate from hatching the young birds to leaving the nest was given as 54%.
Danger
The Australian glider is widespread in Australia and Tasmania. Since it also populates agricultural areas because of the availability of suitable food (mice) there, there has even been a slight expansion of its habitat. It is therefore classified by the World Conservation Organization IUCN as 
“ least concern = not endangered”. In contrast to many other bird of prey species, the use of DDT in the 1940s did not adversely affect the thickness of the egg shell and thus the success of breeding.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e S. Debus, GM Kirwan, JS Marks: Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2017 ( online [accessed May 2, 2017]).
- ↑ occurrence
- ^ IUCN Red List
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal : Handbook of the Birds of the World, New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Volume 2, Lynx Edicions, 1994, ISBN 978-84-87334-15-3 .
Web links
- worldbirdnames - IOC World Bird List
- Australian gliding hair (Elanus axillaris) in the Encyclopedia of Life . Retrieved August 11, 2017.