Ceylon gray token
| Ceylon gray token | ||||||||||
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Ceylon gray token |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Ocyceros gingalensis | ||||||||||
| ( Shaw , 1811) |
The Ceylon gray toko ( Ocyceros gingalensis ) is a monotypical species of bird from the hornbill family that is widespread in South Asia. It is one of the smaller hornbill species with slate-gray plumage without a noticeable beak attachment.
Like all hornbills, the Ceylon gray toko is a cave breeder. The female spends the breeding season in a tree hollow that is walled up except for a narrow crack. During the breeding season, they and later the young birds are provided with food by the male. He belongs to the Asian Tokos , a sister species occurring in Africa and the Middle East Tokos . All species that belong to the Asian Tokos are characterized by a lack of territorial defensive behavior and the males bring the food in the throat and not in the beak to the brood cavity.
The stock situation of the Ceylon gray coconut is classified as harmless ( least concern ).
Appearance
Ceylon gray tokos reach a body length of 45 centimeters and are therefore one of the smaller hornbill species. The tail accounts for between 20 and 22 centimeters of this. The male's beak is between 9.2 and 11 centimeters long. In females, this is a little smaller and reaches a length between 7.9 and 9.0 centimeters. Both sexes form a beak ridge, that of the female remains significantly smaller.
The weight of this hornbill is around 240 grams. The sexual dimorphism is weak. The distinguishing feature is on the one hand the size of the birds and the size of the ridge of the beak.
Appearance of the males
The head, neck and top of the body are dark gray. The spring shafts on the neck and head are also white. The underside of the body is white. The arm wings and the hand wings are black-gray, the arm wings also have white tips and a white base. The tail is blackish gray. Except for the middle pair, all tail feathers have a white tip. In older Ceylon gray tokos, the white of the three outer control spring pairs is so pronounced that they are almost completely white. The beak and the beak tip are cream-colored with black spots at the base of the upper and lower beak. The featherless skin around the eye and the bare throat patch are dark purple. The eyes are red, the legs and feet are greenish gray.
Appearance of females and fledglings
The female resembles the male in the body plumage, but is smaller overall and especially the beak attachment is smaller. The beak is black in the female with a cream-colored stripe on the upper beak. The eyes are brown.
The beak of the young birds is initially pale green. The tip of the beak is whitish. The eyes are initially blue-gray.
Distribution area
The Ceylon gray coconut is distributed in Sri Lanka. It is the only small, gray-brown hornbill in Sri Lanka. In the distribution area of the Ceylon gray coconut, the hornbill also occurs, but it is significantly larger, has black and white body plumage and a predominantly yellow beak with a conspicuous beak attachment.
In Sri Lanka, the Ceylon gray toko predominantly inhabits evergreen forests of the lowlands and hardwood forests. It occurs up to an altitude of 1200 meters. In Sri Lanka he undertakes some seasonal migrations. During the breeding season it prefers to stay in the forests of the lowlands. In the period from September to October it can be found mainly in the foothills.
Way of life
The Ceylon Gray Toko occurs in pairs or in small family groups. Large accumulations of Ceylon gray tokos occur near fruit-bearing trees. In general, the Ceylon Gray Toko is a shy bird that often sits motionless and soundless in the foliage of tree tops. It is found mainly in those parts of the forest that have a high population of climbing plants.
Like all hornbills, the Ceylon gray toko is omnivorous. However, it covers most of its nutritional needs with fruits. Wild figs play a particularly important role in its diet. But it also eats small lizards, tree frogs, scorpions and insects such as praying mantises.
Reproduction
The reproductive biology of the Ceylon gray coconut has not yet been adequately investigated. However, the breeding season falls from mid-March to early July. The clutch consists of one to three eggs.
Like all hornbill species, the Ceylon gray toko is a cave breeder. It mainly uses natural tree hollows that are between two and 21 meters above the ground. Occasionally, however, it also breeds breeding caves that the sultan woodpecker has built. The entrance to these breeding caves is often just big enough for the female Ceylon gray tokos to slip into.
The male provides the female and later the young birds with food while they are in the breeding cave. In one pair it was observed that the female flew out one month after the young birds had hatched but had not yet left the cave. However, it did not help the male feed the young birds for a period of four weeks.
literature
- Mark Cocker, David Tipling: Birds and People . Jonathan Cape, London 2013, ISBN 978-0-224-08174-0 .
- W. Grummt , H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 .
- Alan Kemp: The Hornbills - Bucerotiformes . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 0-19-857729-X .
- Theo Pagel , Bernd Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-8001-5192-9 .
Web links
- Ocyceros gingalensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- Calls of the Ceylon gray tokos on Xeno-Canto
Single receipts
- ↑ Ocyceros gingalensis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ↑ a b c Kemp: The Hornbills - Bucerotiformes . P. 155.
- ↑ a b c Kemp: The Hornbills - Bucerotiformes . P. 156.