Bergbartvogel

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Bergbartvogel
Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family : African bearded birds (Lybiidae)
Genre : Dwarf beards ( Pogoniulus )
Type : Bergbartvogel
Scientific name
Pogoniulus leucomystax
( Sharpe , 1892)

The mountain bearded bird ( Pogoniulus leucomystax ) is a species from the African bearded bird family . The small and predominantly olive-colored pinnate species occurs in East Africa on both sides of the equator, the main area of ​​distribution is south of the equator. No subspecies are distinguished. The IUCN classifies the mountain bearded bird as not endangered ( least concern ).

Appearance

The length of the mountain bearded bird is 9 cm. The males reach a wing length of 5.2 to 5.9 centimeters. The beak length is 0.9 to 1 centimeter. The tail is between 2.7 and 3.2 inches long. They weigh between 10 and 12 grams. Females have similar body measurements. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .

Males and females have a yellow-greenish head, the ear covers and the sides of the neck are a little darker olive gray. A characteristic feature of the Bergbartvogel is a white line that starts at the base of the beak and runs below the eyes and ends in the shoulder area. The back is yellow-green, the rump is golden-yellow. The upper tail-coverts are black. The control feathers are also black and have thin pale yellow-green fringes. The chin and throat, the chest, the sides of the body, flanks, thighs and the middle of the abdomen are yellowish olive. Most individuals have the darkest chest. The under tail-coverts are white with a yellow-greenish tinge. The wings are black, the edges of the inner hand and arm wings are yellow-green. The beak is slate gray to black, the lower beak base is matt white to yellow. The eyes are brown. The legs and feet are dark gray to black.

There is a possibility of confusion with the Schlichtbartvogel . The ranges of the two species overlap in the northeast of Tanzania . The Bergbartvogel is overall darker and can be distinguished from the Schlichtbartvogel by the white stripe on the face.

Distribution area

The distribution area extends from eastern Uganda , Kenya and the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania over the highlands of Tanzania to the mountains in Malawi and Zambia . There are some distribution gaps within this distribution area. The elevation distribution usually ranges from 900 to 2,500 meters. In the west of the Usambara Mountains, where the distribution area overlaps with the Schlichtbartvogel, the Bergbartvogel also occurs from 450 to 3,000 meters altitude.

Way of life

The mountain beard bird is a locally common bird of the mountain forests. It prefers dense undergrowth, but also comes into gardens and looks for individual trees when they bear fruit. In Malawi it occasionally breeds in individual forest areas that are only 0.2 to 0.3 hectares in size. As a rule, however, it needs larger suitable habitats. The diet consists of fruits and berries. He especially prefers mistletoe berries of the genus Loranthus and only seems to breed where they are available. The mountain bearded bird also eats insects, some of which it catches in flight. It is a very active, fast moving bird. It is inferior to larger bearded bird species such as the yellow tufted dwarf beardling in disputes. Occasionally the mountain bearded bird attacks nectar birds and flycatchers such as the dark- flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta).

Mountain bearded birds are cave breeders that rest and breed in tree hollows they have chopped up. The clutch consists of two to three white-shelled eggs. The breeding season is not known. The nestling period is 32 to 34 days. They occasionally raise two clutches in one breeding season.

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

  1. ↑ Pogoniulus leucomystax in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.4. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  2. ↑ Terry Stevenson, John Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Christopher Helm Verlag, 2004, ISBN 978-0713673470 , p. 254.
  3. ↑ Short et al., P. 153 and p. 154.
  4. ↑ Short et al., P. 154.
  5. ↑ Short et al., P. 155.
  6. ↑ Short et al., P. 155.

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