Brown-throated wedge-tailed chicken
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Brown-throated wedge-tailed chicken ( Tetraophasis obscurus ) |
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| Tetraophasis obscurus | ||||||||||
| ( Verreaux , 1869) |
The Brown-throated wedge-tailed chicken ( Tetraophasis obscurus ) is a Hühnervogel art from the family of pheasant-like . It is native to western China and is found there in the provinces of Qinghai , Gansu and Sichuan . Its habitat is above the tree line in bushes made of juniper and other shrubs.
According to some authors, the Brown-throated wedge-tailed chicken with is Rostkehl Wedge Tail Chicken ( Tetraophasis szechenyii ) summarize a kind, others provide both a super species .
description
The brown-throated wedge-tailed chicken reaches a length of 63 cm. The tail length is 168 mm, the wing length between 211 and 231 mm. The sexes do not differ.
The top of the head is brownish-gray with dark lines on the shaft, the rest of the head and the neck are olive-brown. The beak is blackish, a narrow, elongated area around the eye is unfleathered red. It works like an eye stripe and extends to the ear covers. The iris is reddish brown. The red-brown throat is lined with faded warm beige. The front neck and chest are light olive-brown with arrow-shaped tips that appear stalked by a black shaft line. The plumage on the rest of the underside is brownish, mixed with individual reddish-brown spots and has wide, beige hems that form clear rows on the flanks. The under tail coverts are maroon and broadly bordered white. The upper side is predominantly olive brown and tipped black on the front back. The rump is more muted to gray. The upper tail ceilings also have light hems, the outer ones a black tip. The shoulder and wing plumage is mostly darker and has white tips. The dark tail feathers are broadly lined with white. The middle pair is gray-brown, marbled towards the end and has a whitish edge. The legs are an intense maroon.
A fanning of the tail when excited, which is also part of courtship, is typical for the species.
voice
The voice is similar to that of the blue ear pheasant , but is less deep and loud. The alarm call is a loud screeching, lined up zurit that can often be heard over a long period of time and into which a loud kah kah is interspersed every now and then .
Distribution and existence
The distribution of the species ranges from Lake Qinghai to the mountains of the central Gansu and south to western and northern Sichuan. According to other sources, there are also deposits in northeast Tibet . The monotypic species is not considered threatened by the IUCN .
Way of life
The brown-throated wedge-tailed grouse occurs above the tree line, where it inhabits shrubs made of juniper and other species as well as juniper forests on mountain slopes and in ravines. Even in winter, the species remains in its high-altitude biotopes. It then forms societies of around eight, sometimes up to twelve birds.
The breeding season is probably around April and May. The clutch consists of 4 yellowish beige eggs with reddish dots and spots. They are about 54 × 38 mm in size.
literature
- Heinz-Sigurd Raethel : Chicken birds of the world. Verlag J. Neumann-Neudamm GmbH & Co. KG, Melsungen 1988, ISBN 3-7888-0440-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ International Bird Collection, p. Web links
Web links
- Tetraophasis obscurus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved on October 11 of 2010.
- BirdLife species factsheet , accessed October 11, 2010
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Tetraophasis obscurus in the Internet Bird Collection
- Photos of Tetraophasis obscurus in the Oriental Bird Club image database , accessed October 11, 2010