Angola butterfly finch

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Angola butterfly finch
Angola butterfly finch

Angola butterfly finch

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Fine finches (Estrildidae)
Subfamily : Estrildinae
Genre : Blauastrilde ( Uraeginthus )
Type : Angola butterfly finch
Scientific name
Uraeginthus angolensis
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Angola Butterfly Fink ( Uraeginthus angolensis ), also Blauastrild or Blauohriger butterfly Fink called, is a African Art from the family of finches .

It is a close relative of the blue-headed butterfly finch . Both species lack the red ear mark of the common butterfly finch ( Uraeginthus bengalus ).

description

Angola butterfly finch

Angola butterfly finches reach a body length of 12 centimeters. Males and females have the same plumage coloring, but the females are more dull blue than the males. The head and top are pale brown, the rump and tail are bright blue. The cheeks, the reins and a wide stripe above the eye are also blue. The neck, chest and sides of the body also show this color, with the blue brightening up towards the back. The intensity of the blue tones in the plumage of the Angola butterfly finch varies depending on the subspecies. The subspecies U. a. natalensis has a particularly intense and rich blue.

The females have an almost black beak, which makes them distinguishable from females of other blue astrilas. The coloring of the young birds varies depending on the subspecies. But they are usually more brownish than the females.

Distribution and way of life

The distribution area of ​​this fine finch is south-east Africa. The main distribution is in Angola , Zambia , Mozambique and Tanzania in addition to isolated occurrences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Botswana , Namibia and South Africa . Their habitat are thorn bush savannahs and light acacia forests near bodies of water. They can usually be seen in the late afternoon at the edge of water holes or watercourses. They have also opened up human settlement space and are often found on the outskirts of villages and even in the gardens of larger cities. In the regions where the range of the Angola butterfly finch overlaps with that of the butterfly tribe, they prefer more open and drier terrain compared to this species. The warning call of the kind is a hard, loud and fast chack-chack-chack . The singing consists of squashed sounds.

The breeding season varies depending on the climate of the respective habitat. The nest is only built by the female, but both sexes bring nesting material. Angola butterfly finches show a halo. The male, with a blade of grass in its beak, sits down in the branches so that its tail points towards the female. He then lays his head on his neck so that the beak with the stalk is pointing towards the sky. It bounces up and down and sings with a nod. The female ready to mate then prompts the male to do the copula with a tail whirring and begging sounds. The clutch consists of three to five eggs and is incubated for 13 to 14 days. The nestling period is 18 to 20 days. Then the young birds are fed by the father outside the nest for another two weeks.

Importance to humans

Angola butterfly finches are rarely cared for and bred in cages and aviaries. The dates of the first importation and first breeding are not known.

Subspecies

According to the IOC World Bird List Version 3.3 , two subspecies are accepted:

Other authorities, such as the Handbook of the Birds of the World , see in ...

  • Uraeginthus angolensis damarensis ( Reichenow , 1904)
  • Uraeginthus angolensis cyanopleurus Wolters , 1963
  • Uraeginthus angolensis natalensis ( Zedlitz , 1911)

... further subspecies.

supporting documents

literature

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 184
  2. ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 185
  3. ↑ IOC World Bird List Version 3.3 ( Memento from September 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Commons : Angolan butterfly finch ( Uraeginthus angolensis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files