Brownling
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Brownling ( Motacilla bocagii ). Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans (1892) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Motacilla bocagii | ||||||||||||
| ( Sharpe , 1892) |
The Bräunling ( Motacilla bocagii , Syn. : Amaurocichla bocagei , Amaurocichla bocagii ) is a Singvogelart that on the island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea endemic is. It was long considered a representative of the warbler-like (Sylviidae), in a more recent genetic study, however, it is more likely to belong to the family of stilts and pipits (Motacillidae). The brownling was thought to be lost between 1929 and 1990.
features
The brown body reaches a length of eleven centimeters. It is a small, short-tailed species with a straight beak and fairly long legs. The skull and upper surface, including the upper wing and tail, are solid dark brown. The sides of the head are dark brown with a faint, light stripe over the eyes and reddish-brown colored ear covers. The chin and throat center are whitish. The throat and neck sides, the chest and the flanks are reddish brown. The belly and the under tail-coverts are gray yellow-brown. The iris is dark brown. The tip of the lower mandible is light. The legs are dark pink to light flesh colored. The sexes are similar. The juvenile birds are evidently undescribed.
Distribution area
The distribution area extends from Formoso Grande and the banks of the Rio Io Grande and the Rio Ana Chaves over the region of São Miguel to the river valleys of the Xufexufe and the Quija.
habitat
The brownling lives in the undergrowth and the soil of moist primary forests. It can usually be seen under moss-covered rocks and fallen tree trunks, as well as at the edges of rivers and streams.
Way of life
The food of the brownling consists of small arthropods , which he pecks at streams, on rocks as well as under gravel and fallen leaves. It mainly looks for food on the ground and moves like a pipit . Occasionally it sits on low-hanging branches and flies to the middle level of the tree. Nothing is known about its reproductive behavior and its migrations.
status
Between 1892 and 1928 the brownling was only known from six collections. In 1928/1929, the Portuguese taxidermist and animal collector José G. Correia caught 14 specimens. Thereafter, the species was considered lost for a long time until it was rediscovered in the valleys of the Rio lo Grande, the Rio Ana Chaves, the Xufexufe and the Quija in August 1990. The IUCN classifies the tanned in the category “endangered” ( vulnerable ). It is limited to the river valleys in the central region and in the south of São Tomé, where there is still sufficient wet forest. It is still relatively common in the Agua Ribeira valleys near Formosa Grande and around São Miguel. BirdLife International estimates a population of less than 1000 specimens. However, there is currently no recognizable threat from forest destruction, as its habitat is difficult to reach.
Systematics
The brownling is monotypical and was formerly the only representative of the genus Amaurocichla . When it was first described in 1905, the rusty flank warbler from Sierra Leone was also placed in this genus, before it was transferred to the genus Macrosphenus in 1918 . The family ties of the brownling were long considered unsafe. It has similarities with species of the genus Macrosphenus . However, peculiarities show in its blunt beak and in the stunted outermost hand wings. Relationships to Neotropical species or to the timalia have also been suggested, albeit temporarily. In a study published in 2008, the relationship between the genus Amaurocichla and the stilts and beeper was shown for the first time . This was confirmed in another study in 2015. In 2018 the brownling was placed in the genus Motacilla by the International Ornithological Congress .
literature
- David Pearson: Family Sylviidae (Old World Flycatchers). In: Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, David A. Christie (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx edicions, 2006, ISBN 978-84-96553-06-4 , p. 643.
Web links
- Amaurocichla bocagii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Sao Tome Short-tail ( Amaurocichla bocagei ) . Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Bocage's Longbill (Amaurocichla bocagii) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Brownling ( Amaurocichla bocagii ) at Avibase; Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- Amaurocichla bocagii in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Johansson, US, Fjeldså, J. & Bowie, RCK (2008): Phylogenetic relationships within Passerida (Aves: Passeriformes): A review and a new molecular phylogeny based on three nuclear intron markers. Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 48: 858-876.
- ↑ a b Alström, P., Jønsson, KA, Fjeldså, J., Ödeen, A., Ericson, PGP & Irestedt, M. (2015): Dramatic niche shifts and morphological change in two insular bird species. Royal Society Open Science 2: 140364. doi : 10.1098 / rsos.140364
- ^ Fisher, Clemency T. and Warr, FE (2003): Museums on paper: library & manuscript resources. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 123A: 136-164.