Bearded Finch

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Bearded Finch
Male Bearded Finch (Loxigilla noctis)

Male Bearded Finch ( Loxigilla noctis )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Family : Tangaren (Thraupidae)
Genre : Loxigilla
Type : Bearded Finch
Scientific name
Loxigilla noctis
( Linnaeus , 1766)
Female bearded finch feeding

The beard Gimpelfink ( Loxigilla noctis ) is a species of bird in the family of tanagers . The species is widespread on many islands in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean and is not considered endangered. The species , also known as the red-throated gimp finch , was first described scientifically in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné .

description

The bearded gimp finch reaches a length of around 14 to 16 cm when fully grown, the weight of the animals can be between 12 and 23 g depending on the subspecies. The color of the species shows a pronounced sexual dimorphism , the plumage of the males is predominantly black, with conspicuous red spots on the throat and above the eyes. The beak is completely black. Female specimens, on the other hand, are brownish in color on the upper side, while breast and belly are colored gray, the tips of the wing feathers show a reddish-orange color. The beak is brown and turns yellow on the underside. Juvenile bearded finches resemble adult females in terms of plumage.

The bearded finch makes itself noticeable with frequent utterances. His singing consists of three to four chirping sounds in rapid succession, which sound like quip , followed by four to five ascending whistles.

behavior

Bearded ringfinches have a very variable diet in the wild; in addition to fruits, seeds and nectar , arthropods are also consumed. To get the nectar from flowering plants, a small hole is pecked in the sepal of the flower with the beak . When eating fruits, they are held on the ground with their feet. The birds spend a large part of the day in the higher elevations of the trees, but can occasionally be found on the ground. The species is considered to be a resident bird in its entire range , if at all it only migrates over short distances.

Reproduction

Young bird on the island of Saint John

The breeding season extends over the whole year, with a peak of breeding processes in the months of April to August. The courtship behavior of the birds has so far hardly been investigated, but it is assumed that at least the red throat spot of the males plays a role. If pairs have found each other, bearded finches are monogamous , the male usually stays near his partner when they lay eggs and defends the territory around the nest if necessary. This is a spherical construction with a side entrance that is created at a height of one to five meters above the ground. Twigs, plant fibers, grass or dry leaves are used as building materials. After completing the nest building, the female lays two to four bluish-white and red-spotted eggs. After hatching, the young birds are cared for in the nest for about two weeks before they fledge and leave it.

Spread and endangerment

The species occurs on all islands of the Lesser Antilles with the exception of the Grenadines , where it can be found in large numbers. Birds are not picky about their habitat; pristine rainforests , mangroves, and dry forests, as well as man-made environments such as gardens and urban parks, are populated. The IUCN does not consider the bearded finch to be endangered ( Least Concern status ).

Systematics

Carl von Linné first described the bearded gimp finch in 1766 under the scientific name Fringilla noctis and thus placed it among the noble finches . At the moment, in addition to the nominate form L. n. Noctis , which occurs on the island of Martinique , seven subspecies of the bearded finch are considered valid. In addition to size and weight, the color of the plumage is usually used to distinguish the individual subspecies.

Until a few years ago, the Barbadosgimpelfink ( Loxigilla barbadensis ) was also considered a subspecies of the bearded gimp finch, but was granted the status of a separate species in 2006.

Web links

Commons : Bearded Finch  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, Janis Raffaele: Birds of the West Indies . Princeton University Press, Princeton / Oxford 2003, ISBN 0-691-11319-X , pp. 194 .
  2. ↑ a b Lesser Antillean Bullfinch Loxigilla noctis - Introduction. In: cornell.edu. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, accessed August 20, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c Nicole Bouglouan: Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. In: oiseaux-birds.com. Accessed August 20, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. In: https://www.iucnredlist.org . BirdLife International, August 9, 2018, accessed August 20, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis). In: hbw.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Frank Cézilly, Carla Daniel, Edward B. Massiah: A rare observation of a male Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis) on Barbados . In: The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology . No. 26 , September 11, 2013, ISSN  1544-4953 , p. 59–62 ( abstract, there also link to article as PDF [accessed on August 21, 2019]). Article as PDF