Brown breasted grouse

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Brown breasted grouse
Annales des sciences naturelles (1881) (18204839675) .jpg

Brown breasted bush chicken ( Aepypodius bruijnii )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Chicken birds (Galliformes)
Family : Big foot fowl (Megapodiidae)
Genre : Aepypodius
Type : Brown breasted grouse
Scientific name
Aepypodius bruijnii
( Oustalet , 1880)

The Brown Breast-Busch chicken ( Aepypodius bruijnii ) is a 43 centimeter great representative of the family of megapodes .

Appearance

Outwardly, these birds look confusingly similar to a turkey . They have a reddish orange, bald head and neck. They have elongated skin flaps hanging down on their necks and necks. The chest and belly are brown. The beak and legs are gray. The rest of the back and the tail end are black. However, completely black specimens are also known, except for the reddish, bald head and neck. Outwardly, males and females do not differ from each other in the color of the plumage. In the breeding season, the skin flaps on the neck and head of the male are more brightly colored.

Distribution and way of life

This species occurs only on the 3,155 km² island of Waigeo in the northwest of the island of New Guinea . There she lives on the ground. Life expectancy is around 13 years. The vocalizations are a jumble of cackles and grunts. They feed on insects, fruits and tubers of various plants.

Reproduction

They lay their eggs, between 12 and 30 years old, in high mounds of rotted plant material that provides the heat they need to brood. The male regulates the heat of the nest by adding or removing plant material. The young are immediately independent after hatching and are not cared for by the adult birds.

Hazards and protective measures

This species is naturally very rare. It is occasionally hunted by humans for meat consumption. In addition, feral domestic dogs chase after them or feral domestic pigs destroy their clutch. The Cagar Alam Waigeo Barat Nature Reserve was established to protect the species . The total population and the effects of bushfires in this way are documented.

Research history

This species was discovered by the Dutch merchant Anton August Bruijn at a local market. He is honored with the specific epithet bruijnii . The first description of Brown Breast-Busch chicken was made in 1880 by Émile Oustalet under the scientific name Talegallus Bruijnii . Only later was the species assigned to the genus Aepypodius . This species was not seen from 1793 to 1937. It was not until 1938 that a female of this species was caught. The next evidence came in 2001, when fresh bone fragments of this type were found. On May 14, 2002 the ornithologist Iwein Mauro discovered several breeding mounds of this type on Mount Nok at an altitude of 700 meters.

literature

  • Dominic Couzens , Simon Papps (ed.): Rare birds - survivors, evolution losers and the missing: 50 portraits. Translated from the English by Coralie Wink, Monika Niehaus . Haupt Verlag, Bern / Stuttgart / Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-258-07629-4 , pp. 204-207 (Title of the original English edition: Atlas of rare birds. New Holland Publishers, London 2010).
  • Goetz Rheinwald (ed.), Cyril Walker: Atlas of the bird world. Unipart, Remseck near Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 978-3-8122-3399-6 , p. 233.
  • Christopher M. Perrins (Ed.): The FSVO encyclopedia birds of the world. Translated from the English by Einhard Bezzel. BLV, Munich / Vienna / Zurich 2004, ISBN 978-3-405-16682-3 , pp. 192-195 (title of the original English edition: The New Encyclopedia Of Birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003).

Web links

Commons : Brown-breasted Grouse ( Aepypodius bruijnii )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files