Brown-breasted bearded bird

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Brown-breasted bearded bird
Brown-breasted bearded bird in the Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg

Brown-breasted bearded bird in the Hagenbeck Zoo , Hamburg

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Woodpecker birds (Piciformes)
Family : African bearded birds (Lybiidae)
Genre : Toothbeard birds ( Lybius )
Type : Brown-breasted bearded bird
Scientific name
Lybius melanopterus
( Peters , 1854)

The brown-breasted bearded bird ( Lybius melanopterus ) is a species from the African bearded bird family . The species occurs in East Africa on both sides of the equator. No subspecies are distinguished. The IUCN classifies the brown-breasted bearded bird as not endangered ( least concern ).

Appearance

The males of the brown breasted bearded bird have a wing length of 8.4 to 9.9 centimeters. The tail length is 5.8 to 6.8 centimeters. The beak length is between 2 and 2.6 centimeters. They weigh an average of 53 grams. Females have similar body measurements. As with all tooth-bearded birds , there is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .

Both males and females have a red head. At the back of the head and neck, the red is interspersed with gray-brown. The chin and throat are also red, the white feather shafts are visible here and, with heavily worn plumage, the brown base of the feathers, so that the brown-breasted bearded birds appear spotted. The middle of the back and the rump are brown and white, the upper tail-coverts are black-brown with white vertical stripes. The control springs are black with horn-colored spring shafts. The breast is black-brown, the lower breast, the belly and the under tail-coverts are white. The flanks and legs are black with fine white feather tips. The beak is horn-colored and darkens towards the base of the beak. The featherless skin of the face is gray, the eyes are reddish brown to brown. The feet and legs are gray to slate gray.

Young birds are similar to adults, but their plumage is duller. The red parts of the body are less extensive, which makes young birds appear a little brown overall.

It can be confused with the Collared Bearded Bird , which also has a red head and whose range overlaps that of the Brown-breasted Bearded Bird. The Collared Bearded Bird, however, is slightly smaller and lacks a white belly, black chest, and shorter tail.

Distribution area

The range of the brown-breasted bearded bird extends from the Shabelle River in southern Somalia along the East African coast to Mozambique . In a westerly direction, its distribution follows the course of rivers, it occurs inland from Kenya , Malawi and Tanzania . The distribution area is disjoint , as it occurs mainly along rivers. Basically, the brown-breasted bearded bird is a rather rare bird. In the interior of the country it occurs principally up to an altitude of 600 meters. Exceptionally, however, it is also observed at an altitude of 1,700 meters in Tanzania and Malawi.

Way of life

The brown-breasted bearded bird is a socially living bird that inhabits forest edges, tree plantations, large trees in localities and forests along rivers. It depends on a sufficient density of fruit-bearing trees in its environment. The flocks of the brown-breasted bearded bird comprise six to seven individuals, which are usually parent birds with their fully grown but not yet mated offspring. The food spectrum includes figs and berries and other fruits. In addition, insects are eaten, most of which it catches in the air. The small honey indicator is very likely a breeding parasite of the brown-breasted bearded bird.

Like almost all bearded birds, the brown-breasted bearded bird is a cave breeder. He uses caves he has hacked and carved into dead tree trunks or branches. Otherwise almost nothing is known about the reproductive biology of the brown-breasted bearded bird.

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. ↑ Short et al., P. 211
  2. ↑ Short et al., P. 210
  3. ↑ Short et al., P. 212

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