Borodino great tit
| Borodino great tit | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sittiparus varius orii | ||||||||||||
| Kuroda , 1923 |
The Borodino varied tit ( Sittiparus varius Orii , Syn. : Parus varius Orii , poecile varia Orii ) is an extinct subspecies of the varied tit ( Sittiparus varius ), which was native to East Asia. The epithet orii is reminiscent of the bird collector Hyojiri Orii.
description
The Borodino great tit reached a size of approximately four inches. It differed from the subspecies Sittiparus varius amamii by the wide chestnut-colored band on the upper coat, the olive-green (not gray) undercoat and the orange (not white) cheek feathers. It differed from the subspecies Sittiparus varius owstonii by the generally lighter plumage, especially on the forehead, cheeks and underside. The back of the head was marked by vertical stripes. The wing length was from 71 to 79.5 mm, the tail length 57 to 56 mm, the barrel length 19 to 20 mm and the beak length 14.5 to 15 mm.
Occurrence and way of life
Their distribution area was limited to the two islands Kita-daitō and Minami-daitō in the Daitō Islands (formerly Borodino Islands). The Borodino great tit was a bush inhabitant who ate both animal and vegetable foods.
die out
In 1922, Hyojiri Orii collected the type specimens described by Nagamichi Kuroda in 1923 , which are now in the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology in Tokyo . The last confirmed sighting was in 1938. The reason for the extinction of the Borodino great tit was apparently the habitat destruction caused by phosphate mining and the construction of civil and military facilities during the 1930s.
literature
- Edwin Antonius: Lexicon of extinct birds and mammals . Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster 2003, ISBN 3-931587-76-2
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, David Christie: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, 2007, ISBN 84-96553-42-6 .
- Nagamichi M. Kuroda: Descriptions of New Forms of Birds from the Borodino Islands . Bull. Brit. Ornithole. Club 43 , 1923, pp. 120-123. (First scientific description as Sittiparus varius orii )