Brown tail paradise hop
| Brown tail paradise hop | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Brown- tailed paradise hop ( Drepanornis bruijnii ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Drepanornis bruijnii | ||||||||||||
| Oustalet , 1880 |
The Braunschwanz-Paradieshopf ( Drepanornis bruijnii ), also called Weißschnabel -Paradieshopf or Braunschwanz-Sichelhopf , is a species from the genus Drepanornis within the family of the birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). It occurs exclusively in New Guinea and has so far only been little researched compared to the yellow-tailed paradise hop, which belongs to the same genus .
The species is classified as near threatened by the IUCN . No subspecies are distinguished.
features
Body type and measurements
With a body length of up to 35 centimeters, the brown-tailed paradise hop is one of the medium-sized birds of paradise. The tail plumage measures between 10.3 and 11.6 centimeters in the male. The female, which is slightly smaller than the male with an average body length of 34 centimeters, has almost the same length of tail plumage with a length between 10.7 and 11.7 centimeters.
The strongly curved beak is 7.4 to 8.3 centimeters long in the males, while the beak in the females is slightly shorter at 6.8 to 7.9 centimeters. The males weigh around 160 grams, the females tend to be a little heavier at 144 to 149 grams.
male
In the male, the head plumage and the neck are reddish brown to cinnamon brown. The elongated dark feathers on the forehead form small, erect spring horns in front of the eyes, which shine blue-violet to red-violet in certain light conditions. Under each eye there is a small round spot of small, scale-like overlapping feathers, which, depending on the incidence of light, shimmer intensely from dark blue to purple. The chin, throat and ear covers are darker than the rest of the head plumage and have a dark green tinge. The non-feathered part of the face is lead-gray with a slight purple tinge. The coat and the upper back are olive brown, the rump and the upper tail coverts are cinnamon brown. The tail plumage is also cinnamon brown on the top.
The front breast is dark olive brown and has some very elongated feathers that shimmer intensely green. The feathers on the sides of the body are elongated. They are gray-brown in color with intensely copper-colored shimmering tips. The rest of the underside of the body is gray with a light lavender shade. The thighs, the rump and the under tail-coverts are a little paler and brownish. The underside of the tail plumage is cinnamon-colored with whitish feather shafts. The long, strongly curved bill is whitish, the iris is dark brown, the legs and feet are brown-purple.
female
The female does not have any parts of the plumage that are shiny or iridescent like the male. It is only slightly smaller than the male and has a pale red-brown head. The featherless skin of the face is slightly more dull than that of the male. She has a fine, brown and white spotted beard, as well as a feathered chin and throat. The beard and throat are separated from each other by a dark brown line.
The upper side of the body corresponds to that of the male, but is a little paler overall. The underside of the body is gray-brown to red-brown with light transverse bands. The tail plumage is colored similar to that of the male.
Fledglings and subadults
Young birds of both sexes initially resemble the female. However, they have a longer tail plumage than the adult birds of both sexes.
Subadult males have a female-like plumage with individual feathers or body parts that correspond to the plumage of the adult male. With increasing age, the proportion of plumage that corresponds to that of the adult male increases until ultimately they only show a few feathers that correspond to the female plumage.
voice
So far, no vocalizations have been recorded by the females - like the females of other birds of paradise, they behave very inconspicuously. Only the males can be heard who have three characteristic sounds: a contact call, a song with which they announce their presence and courtship sounds. The contact call is a simple whenh , reminiscent of the contact calls of other species within the subfamily of the True Birds of Paradise. The males let this call be heard again and again while they are looking for food.
The song with which the males announce their presence is in no way similar to that of the closely related yellowtail paradise hop or that of one of the also closely related Epimachus species. Instead, it has similarities with that of the Little Bird of Paradise , or with those of the Magnificent Bird of Paradise . It is a series of whistling sounds, usually preceded by a few croaks. The individual differences in the calls of the individual males are striking. The call is essentially a series of five to six syllables that are widely audible and preceded by soft, lower-pitched syllables. The individual series of calls takes about 5 to 10 seconds. The calls can most often be heard in the early morning hours, from around 9 a.m. the calling frequency decreases significantly. They can then be heard again in the late afternoon. The individual males have preferred stand guard, which are located in one or two trees. The males, each defending a courtship area, call within earshot of one another.
Unlike the yellow-tailed paradise hop, the brown-tailed paradise hop has no specific courtship song. At the height of the courtship, only a quick clatter of bills can be heard as an instrumental sound. The yellow-tailed paradise hop has a specific courtship song, whereas the brown-tailed paradise hop lacks this. At the height of the courtship, only one instrumental sound can be heard from him, namely a clatter of his beak.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Braunschwanz-Paradieshof is limited to the lowlands in the northeast of Western New Guinea and the extreme northwest of Papua New Guinea . The western limit of distribution is the east side of Geelvink Bay . The distribution area probably extends to the mouth of the Taritatu and coastal regions of the Sandaun Province . In the interior, the distribution extends into the catchment area of the Sepik .
The habitat are rainforests of the lowlands. It colonizes both primary forests and rainforests with selective logging. It is particularly common in forests along rivers and it seems to have a preference for forests on limestone soils. He can be found a mile or two from the coast. The altitude distribution ranges from the lowlands to altitudes of 180 meters.
Way of life
The brown-tailed bird of paradise behaves very inconspicuously and is considered a species of bird that is difficult to observe. It stays mainly in the upper treetop area, but comes down to lower areas of the forest during courtship and when looking for food, if it occasionally joins other bird species.
The brown-tailed paradise hop covers its nutritional needs with fruits and arthropods. According to the current state of knowledge, it is much more dependent on fruits than the closely related yellowtail paradise hop. Compared to these, its beak is also stronger and wider, which supports this assessment.
When looking for animal food, brown-tailed birds of paradise examine cracks in tree bark with their beak, examine dead leaves or small knotholes. The species with which the brown-tailed paradise hop is associated while searching for food include the gray-forehead thrush ( Turdoides subrufa ) and the white-eyed thick head ( Pseudorectes ferrugineus ). He is also associated with a number of other birds of paradise, to include the Jobiparadieskrähe , the splendor of Bird of Paradise , the twelve-wired bird-of-paradise , the king bird of paradise and the Little Bird of Paradise .
Reproduction
The males are polygynous , which means that they mate with as large a number of females as possible. The partners do not enter into a marriage-like relationship after the pairing, but separate again immediately afterwards. The females build the nest on their own and raise the offspring on their own.
Reproductive biology has not yet been conclusively investigated. According to the current state of knowledge, the males occupy a courtship and possibly also a feeding ground. The defense of a Bali district is considered to be very safe, as the male controls his territory boundaries and reacts to the singing of other males. However, two males of the brown-tailed paradise hop were observed in flocks of several bird species, so that the defense of a feeding area may be less intense than in the courtship area.
The male mates in front of the female, the courtship takes place about seven to 10 meters above the ground. The male sits on a smaller, horizontal branch. The courtship is preceded by the song with which the male signals his presence. To date, courtship males have only been observed a few times in the wild and, unlike other bird of paradise species, no observations have been made of captive males. During courtship the male sits upright on his baliwart, the elongated feathers on the sides of the body and the chest, as well as the tail plumage, are raised wide. The male remained in this position for more than 10 seconds, rattling his beak. A mating has not been observed so far, so it is assumed that courtship in the brown-tailed paradise hop has not yet been fully described.
No nest has yet been found and no details are known about the rearing of the nestlings. However, it is believed that the females nest mostly in November.
Systematics
For a long time it was assumed that the brown-tailed paradise hop and the yellow-tailed paradise hop represent a super species. However, this view has been separated again: the two species show a number of morphological differences. In addition, the geographical and altitude distribution speak against such a classification. The two species are assigned to the genus Drepanornis , which is closely related to the genus Epimachus .
The distribution area of the Braunschwanz-Paradieshopf overlaps with that of numerous other birds of paradise. In contrast to many other species of this family, however, no hybrids have been described for the Brauschtail Paradieshopf, just like the Yellowtail Paradieshopf.
Dedication names
The specific epithet bruijnii honors the Dutch plumassier and natural produce dealer Anton August Bruijn . As a trader, he supported the natural scientist Alfred Russel Wallace on his trip to the Moluccas . The type specimen on which the first scientific description is based was collected by the hunter Léon François Laglaize, who collected on behalf of Bruijn in New Guinea. Bruijn had already become aware of the existence of this species four years earlier.
literature
- Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
- Clifford B. Frith, Bruce M. Beehler : The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854853-2 .
- Eugene M McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006, ISBN 0-19-518323-1 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ Drepanornis bruijnii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Accessed October 15, 2017th
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Braunschwanz-Paradieshopf , accessed on October 15, 2017
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 385.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 387.
- ↑ a b c Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 386.
- ↑ a b c d e Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 389.
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 388.
- ↑ Calls of the Braunschwanz-Paradieshopfes on Xeno-Canto , accessed on October 15, 2017
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 390.
- ^ McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. P. 228.