Dick-beaked nun
| Dick-beaked nun | ||||||||||||
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Dick-beaked Nun ( Lonchura grandis ) |
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| Lonchura grandis | ||||||||||||
| ( Sharpe , 1882) |
The thick-billed nun ( Lonchura grandis ) is a species of bird from the finch family . The species is occasionally kept as an ornamental bird.
description
Thick-billed nuns reach a height of twelve centimeters and weigh on average 14.3 grams. There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism . Chest and head are black, the large beaks are silver-gray and thus clearly separated from the plumage. The rest of the top of the body is maroon. The rear rump and the upper tail-coverts are glossy orange-yellow. The tail feathers are pointed and lined with yellow. The underside of the body is black. They lure with a soft goodness . The males whistle, but occasionally at such a high pitch that the human ear can no longer hear it.
distribution and habitat
The range of the thick-billed nun is the southeast and the north of New Guinea . It is common locally, but sparsely widespread, and lives gregariously in grass and reed areas by rivers and in swamps. The altitude distribution extends up to about 1,280 meters. Together with the gray-haired nun , the splendor nun who Braunbrust nun , the grief Munia and the height nun , the nun Fiordland grass regions of the highlands has settled, in the originally only Arfaknonne and the Black-breasted nun occurred.
The breeding season falls in the rainy season. The nests are built individually or in colonies in the outer branches of bushes and trees on the edge of marshy terrain. The male participates in nest building. The clutch consists of three to five eggs. The two parent birds incubate the clutch alternately for 13 to 14 days. The nestling period is 21 to 22 days. After another 14 days, the young birds are independent.
attitude
The first thick-billed nuns were only introduced to Germany in 1969. However, no self-sustaining ornamental bird population appears to have been established from these birds. More thick-billed nuns were introduced to Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since then, the thick-billed nun has been regularly drawn in small numbers by some keepers.
supporting documents
literature
- Horst Bielfeld : Knowing and caring for 300 ornamental birds. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-5737-2 .
- 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 Fact Sheet , accessed May 30, 2010.
- Lonchura grandis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2013.