Cinderella Schönbürzel
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Cinderella Schönbürzel ( Estrilda thomensis ) |
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| Estrilda thomensis | ||||||||||||
| Sousa , 1888 |
The Cinderella Schönbürzel ( Estrilda thomensis ) is a monotypical species from the finch family that is native to Africa. It is classified by BirdLife International as near threatened due to severe habitat destruction . The population is estimated to be fewer than 2,000 individuals.
description
The Cinderella Schönbürzel reaches a body length of eleven centimeters. The males have a black eye stripe that extends a little way behind the eye. The skull, back and elytra are pale blue-gray. The species thus resembles the Schönbürzel . The chin, the sides of the head and the throat are light blue-gray. The goiter area and the chest are light blue-gray and tinged with reddish. The flanks, the upper tail-coverts and the rump are crimson. The back of the Cinderella Schönbürzel shows a reddish tinge. The wing feathers are brown-gray and the basal part of the outer flag is lined with a narrow blue-gray. The inner arm wings, however, are blue-gray. The tail feathers are black. The bill is black and light reddish at the base of the upper and lower bill.
The female is similar to the male, but the reddish tinge on the back is missing and the underside of the body also shows less red. The young birds resemble the adult birds. However, they lack the black eye stripe and the pink touch on the chest and coat, which is typical for adult birds. The cheeks and chin are dark and do not contrast with the coat. The flanks are mottled burgundy and gray. The beak is darker and more dull.
Overall, the Cinderella Schönbürzel appears as a paler and slightly more delicate version of the blacktail Schönbürzel . However, the range of the two species only overlaps in northern Angola. In the west of southern Africa, the Cinderella Schönbürzel replaces this species.
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area of the Cinderella Schönbürzel is West Angola and Namibia . While it is a resident bird in Angola, it migrates in Namibia during the rainy season. Its habitat is the bank vegetation of larger rivers as well as gallery forests and acacia and mopane mixed forests. It lives in pairs or in small flocks of eight, occasionally 25 to 30 individuals. Basically, Cinderella Schönbürzel are very dependent on water and accordingly often come to water points to drink. The first birds usually arrive at the water from 8 a.m., most of them gather here between 9 and 11 a.m., but only a few can be seen after 1 p.m., as they rest during the greatest heat of the day. Individual birds return to the watering holes in the late afternoon until about an hour before sunset. Cinderella Schönbürzel mainly eat small seeds, parts of plants and insects such as winged termites or tree lice.
The reproductive behavior of the species has so far been little researched. Nests are not yet known from the field. In Namibia, however, breeding begins apparently in the months of November to December. The clutch consists of three to four white eggs in captive birds. The breeding season is 12 to 14 days. The nestlings are fed by both parents.
attitude
Cinderella Schönbürzel were introduced to Europe several times in the 1960s. The first breeding succeeded in 1969. In the few Cinderella Schönbürzeln that have so far been bred in captivity, one could observe a strong building instinct. A cock's nest was built on the massive nest in which the male rests during the day. The breeding season was about fourteen days.
supporting documents
literature
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
- C. Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume VII. Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann, Claudia Mettke-Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Afrika , Series Handbuch der Vogelpflege, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8001- 4964-3
Single receipts
- ↑ Cinderella Waxbill (Estrilda thomensis) - BirdLife species factsheet ( English ) Birdlife.org. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 291
- ↑ Clement et al., P. 367 and p. 368
- ↑ a b Nicolai et al., P. 221
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 291
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 292
- ↑ Nicolai et al., Pp. 221-223
Web links
- Estrilda thomensis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2013.