Stubborn nun
| Stubborn nun | ||||||||||||
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Stubborn nun |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lonchura melaena | ||||||||||||
| ( Sclater , 1880) |
The thick-headed nun ( Lonchura melaena ), also known as the rust-bellied mourning nun or thick-headed reed finch , is a species of the finch family . There are two subspecies.
description
The stubborn nun reaches a body length of eleven centimeters. There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism . The head and front back are black. The rest of the back and the wings are brownish black. The rear rump as well as the upper tail-coverts, on the other hand, are very light reddish brown. The tail feathers are black-brown, with the two middle tail feathers lined with broad brown-yellow. The breast, the thighs and the under tail-covers are black like the head, the rest of the body is light cinnamon brown. There are black transverse spots on the sides of the body. The beak is unusually strong.
Fledglings are dark brown on the head, throat and all over the top.
Distribution and way of life
The nominate form Lonchura melaena melaena inhabits the island of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago . The subspecies Munia melaena bukarensis , however, occurs on the island of Buka . The habitat of the stout nun is grassland and grassy bushland. They can be seen regularly in larger flocks.
The diet of the stubborn nun consists almost exclusively of grass seeds. In New Britain, stubborn nuns breed almost all year round, whereas the breeding season on Buka falls in December and January. The nests are created in colonies in the tall grass. The clutch consists of three to six eggs.
supporting documents
literature
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Australia, Oceania, Southeast Asia. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3249-4 .
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
Web links
- BirdLife factsheet
- Lonchura melaena inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
Single receipts
- ↑ Nicolai et al., S: 223