Dark red amaranth
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Dark red amaranth ( Lagonosticta rubricata ) |
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| Lagonosticta rubricata | ||||||||||||
| ( Lichtenstein , 1823) |
The dark red amaranth ( Lagonosticta rubricata ), also Dunkelamarant , Dark Red Astrild or Scarlet Astrild called, is a bird of the family of finches (Estrildidae). Its distribution area is West , East and Central Africa .
description
The dark red amaranth can reach a height of up to 11 centimeters. Its plumage is bright red. Occasionally there are tiny speckles of white on the chest. The female is similar to the male, but it is a little more dull in color. The dark red amaranth has very great similarity with the closely related Jameson's Firefinch on, only by from which it differs in that the second hand rocker is narrowed from the outside to the inside flag. It differs from the brown rump amaranth , the spotted amaranth and the Senegal amaranth by black or blackish under -tail covers .
Way of life
The habitat of the dark red amaranth is shrubbery, fern and grass on the edge of the forest, dense bank bushes on rivers, undergrowth of light forests and high grass savannah interspersed with bushes. It is usually absent in the dry steppe and in denser forest areas. Its main food is the small seeds of annual grasses. It also eats small insects. It comes to the ground to search for food, but in case of danger it immediately escapes into the thick bushes.
The vocal repertoire of the dark red Amaranten is very large and he is counted among the most gifted fine finches . His sound repertoire ranges from melodic trilling and fluting vocals to chirping and meowing sounds.
The breeding season varies depending on the location. In South Africa the breeding season falls in the southern summer, but otherwise it breeds at the end of the rainy season and at the beginning of the dry season. The dark red amaranth shows the amaranth- typical courtship in which the male dances in front of the female with a stalk or a feather in its beak. The tail is fanned out or is moved up and down. The dark red amaranth is a free breeder. The nest is usually set up low above the ground and stands individually, even if dark red amaranth do not defend any territory. The nesting material consists of dry blades of grass, coconut and sisal fibers. The female lays between three and five eggs, which are incubated for 11 to 13 days.
Systematics
The geographical variation of the dark red amaranth has not yet been conclusively described and the delimitation of individual subspecies is therefore controversial. Individual authors name up to five subspecies. The Mali amaranth , which some authors consider to be a subspecies of the dark red amaranth, is mainly classified as an independent species.
Keeping as an ornamental bird
It is no longer possible to precisely determine the beginning of the keeping of the dark red amaranth, as some subspecies were previously traded as independent species with their own name and other subspecies have species status today. However, it appears that Vieillot was keeping and breeding the species as early as the early 19th century.
The dark red amaranth is not very suitable for keeping in cages, as it remains nervous and shy in it. It is usually kept in large aviaries. If it is a garden aviary, the birds need a shelter with a room temperature not below 20 degrees Celsius. What is striking about the dark red amaranth is the short breeding season of around 12 days and the short feeding time of the young birds after they have fled the island, around 8 days. A sufficient amount of live food during the rearing phase, such as freshly skinned mealworms, is important for successful breeding. Otherwise, red millet, fine-grain finch feed and egg feed should be offered. A sufficient supply of minerals is particularly important. The dark red amaranth is one of the most peaceful finches and can be kept in a communal aviary without any problems. There are also no problems during the breeding season.
supporting documents
literature
- 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
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Lagonosticta rubricata in the Internet Bird Collection
- Lagonosticta rubricata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2013.