Aztec bearded bird
| Aztec bearded bird | ||||||||||||
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Aztec bearded bird, female |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Semnornis frantzii | ||||||||||||
| ( Sclater , 1864) |
The Aztecs Barbet ( Semnornis frantzii ), even Aztec Knackbärtling or zinc Schnabel called one is bird of the family of Toucan barbets to the just another kind, namely the Toucan Barbet belongs. Both are more closely related to the toucans than to the American bearded birds . They are therefore placed in a family of their own. No subspecies are distinguished for the Aztec bearded bird. The IUCN classifies the species as not endangered ( least concern ). The specific epithet frantzii honors the German explorer Alexander von Frantzius .
Appearance
Aztec bearded birds have an average weight of about 67 grams. The males have a wing length of 8.3 to 9.7 centimeters. The tail length is 5.7 to 6.8 centimeters. The beak becomes 1.7 to 2.1 centimeters long. Females have similar body measurements.
The males are sooty black around the base of the beak. Otherwise, the forehead, the top of the head and the cheeks are brownish olive. They have a few elongated, narrow, shiny black feathers in the middle of the neck, which form a small hood that can be opened. The top of the body is otherwise dark olive. The control springs are sooty brown-olive on the upper side, the underside is a little more yellowish. The throat and chest are dull yellowish-olive brown. The sides of the body are pale gray, the thighs are olive colored. The lower tail-cover and the lower abdomen are yellowish white. The very strong beak is pointed. The beak color is silver-gray to bluish horn-colored. The eyes are red to red-brown. Females are similar to males, but they lack the small black feather bonnet on the neck. Young birds are a little more dull in color and have tapered tail feathers.
Aztec bearded birds are generally not shy and tolerate people approaching. The flight is straight with rapid wing beats.
Distribution area and habitat
The Aztec bearded bird is only found in Central America. Its distribution area extends from the north of Costa Rica to the west of Panama . Its habitat are cloud and cloud forests with a rich moss and epiphyte growth. It occurs mainly at altitudes between 1200 and 2200 meters. In Costa Rica it is one of the most common bird species in the region between 1500 and 1850 meters above sea level. In cooler regions on the north side of the Cordilleras , it occasionally occurs at lower altitudes of around 600 meters.
It prefers forests on slopes and also uses older secondary forests, forest edges and adjacent pastures. It lives mainly in the middle and lower tree regions, but only very rarely comes to earth. During the breeding season it can usually be seen in pairs, outside of the breeding season also in small groups of about five individuals. As a resting place he occasionally uses old, abandoned nests and nesting holes of other birds.
food
The diet of the Aztec bearded birds consists mainly of fruits and berries. They occasionally chew berries slowly and only swallow the juice. The skin is spat out again. They also eat nectar and flower petals and also check mosses and epiphytes for insects during the nestling period.
Reproduction
Aztec bearded birds are cave breeders. Pair formation begins in February and March. During this time, the small squads become increasingly aggressive in fighting. The couples dig a cave in dead wood at heights between 3.5 and 18 meters above the ground. Both sexes are equally involved in the construction of the cave. The cave entrance has a diameter of about 4.8 centimeters, the narrow entrance then leads horizontally up to 7.6 centimeters into the dead wood and only then widens to the actual nesting cave. As soon as the nest box is completed, the couple will spend the night in the box.
The eggs are laid shortly after the brood cavity is completed. The clutch consists of four to five eggs. These have a white peel color and are shiny. Nesting bases are pieces of wood. Both parent birds are involved in the brood. The breeding season is about 14 to 15 days. Newly hatched nestlings are initially naked and blind. They are initially fed insects by the parent birds. After the first week of life, fruits dominate the diet. Both parent birds feed and row the nestlings.
The proven predators of the Aztec bearded bird include the tayra , other weasels, and rats. Humans also remove young birds from the nesting holes. The leek arassari probably also eats nestlings. The bat falcon also successfully preyes on the adult birds.
supporting documents
literature
- Lester L. Short, Jennifer FM Horne: Toucans, Barbets and Honeyguides - Ramphastidae, Capitonidae and Indicatoridae . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-854666-1 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ WorldBirdNames.org ( Memento of May 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Genera in the family Semnornithidae (Prong-billed and Toucan Barbets). ( Memento of the original from January 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at: birdstack.com
- ↑ a b Short et al., P. 318
- ↑ Short et al., P. 317
- ↑ a b c Short et al., P. 319
Web links
- Semnornis frantzii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2014.