Pale mockers
| Pale mockers | ||||||||||||
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Pale mockers |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Iduna pallida | ||||||||||||
| ( Hemprich & Ehrenberg , 1833) |
The pale mocker ( Iduna pallida , Syn . : Hippolais pallida ) is an inconspicuous small gray bird with an average body length of 13.5 centimeters and an average weight of 11 grams. The top is evenly brownish, while the underside appears whitish with a pale yellow line. One can distinguish it from the garden warbler by the longer beak, the flatter forehead and the indicated light stripe over the eyes. One can only distinguish it from the closely related bush mocker on the basis of the area of distribution and the song.
habitat
This species is found in Mediterranean bush and tree landscapes, especially in tamarisk thickets on the banks of water and on the seashore, also in bushes between beach dunes and overgrown orchards. They can also be found in the palm gardens of oases in the Sahara . In the south this bird is an annual bird, while in the north it belongs to the migratory birds that spend the winter in tropical Africa .
Reproduction
The singing performed from a branch tip is very long-lasting and there are many variations on it. Immediately after arriving in the breeding area, the nest is built, which is very similar to that of the yellow mocker . It is usually located in a bush or a small tree half a meter to two meters above the ground. Thorn bushes are very popular for building nests. Four to five eggs are laid in the north and usually only three in the south. In the north, the breeding season is usually in the first half of June. In the south there are two broods per year. The first in May and the second in June and July. The last boys fledge in August. During the breeding season the male shows a courtship flight near the nest. It first flies upwards while singing, only to then descend again at an angle.
food
The birds feed on delicate insects and spiders . These are collected from branches and leaves.
Subspecies
There are five known subspecies:
- Iduna pallida elaeica ( Lindermayer, A , 1843) occurs in southeastern Europe across the Middle East to Kazakhstan and Iran .
- Iduna pallida reiseri ( Hilgert , 1908) occurs in southeast Morocco and Mauritania as far as Libya .
- Iduna pallida pallida ( Hemprich & Ehrenberg , 1833) occurs in Egypt .
- Iduna pallida alulensis ( Ash , Pearson, DJ & Bensch , 2005) is common in northern Somalia .
- Iduna pallida laeneni ( Niethammer , 1955) occurs from Niger to Central Sudan .
Web links
- Iduna pallida in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 20 of 2008.
- Feathers of the Pale Mocker