Fan-tailed cuckoo
| Fan-tailed cuckoo | ||||||||||
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Fan- tailed cuckoo ( Cacomantis flabelliformis ) in Victoria |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Cacomantis flabelliformis | ||||||||||
| ( Latham , 1801) |
The fantail Cuckoo ( Cacomantis flabelliformis ) is occurring in Australia and Oceania bird from the family of cuckoos (Cuculidae). Like numerous species of cuckoo birds, the fan-tailed cuckoo is an obligatory brood parasite . As is characteristic of the genus Cacomantis , the fan-tailed cuckoo is a comparatively small species of cuckoo. Several subspecies are distinguished.
features
Body type and measurements
Fan-tailed cuckoos reach a body length of 24 to 28 centimeters and an average weight of 49 grams. Overall, it is slightly larger than the rust-bellied cuckoo and the bush cuckoo , both of which it resembles in its physique.
The wing length of the males averages 14.4 centimeters, that of the females is slightly shorter with an average of 14 centimeters. The beak length is 2.1 centimeters in both sexes. The tail plumage accounts for an average of 14 centimeters of the body length of the males, with the females the tail plumage is slightly shorter at 13.5 centimeters.
The sexual dimorphism is only slightly pronounced in this species. Females tend to be slightly paler on the underside of the body and slightly gray speckled on the sides of the body.
Appearance of adult fan-tailed cuckoos
In both sexes, the head and neck are ash gray. The eye ring is yellow. The rest of the top of the body and the wings are blue-gray. The chin and upper throat are ash gray. The color of the chest and stomach area varies from cloudy gray-yellow to orange-brown and its intensity can vary greatly from region to region. In females, the underside of the body is usually paler and has more intense transverse banding. The long control feathers are edged in slate gray and light, on the underside dark gray and white cross-banded. They are sometimes spread out in a fan shape. The iris is dark brown, the beak blackish, legs and feet are olive yellow.
Appearance of young birds
Young birds are significantly darker and brownish on the upper side than adult birds. They are heavily spotted on the underside of the body. The head and neck are usually dark brown with a fine reddish brown spot. The chin and throat are whitish. The color changes to a light reddish brown on the sides of the neck and a light brown on the front neck. The fine spots are dark brown. The top of the body is dark brown with a reddish brown spot or training. The tail plumage is dark brown on top with light reddish brown spots along the sides. The underside of the body is cream-colored to whitish with a dense gray-brown transverse change or spotting. The under tail-coverts are pale reddish brown and have broad transverse bands in most individuals. On the underside, the tail plumage is dark brown with a noticeable lighter cross banding.
The beak of young birds is still light brown with a dark brown ridge and a rust brown beak base. Their feet and legs are still pale yellow to orange-yellow. The iris is gray-brown to brown-black. The orbital ring is pale yellow with a greenish or gray tinge.
Distribution of the individual subspecies
The fan-tailed cuckoo is found in Australia and Oceania, but is absent in New Zealand. In addition to the in the southwest, southeast and eastern Australia and in Tasmania occurring nominate Cacomantis flabelliformis flabelliformis five others are subspecies known:
- Cacomantis flabelliformis excitus Rothschild & Hartert , 1907, in the highlands of New Guinea . The upper side of the body is somewhat darker with a greenish or bluish tinge compared to the nominate shape on the upper side of the body. The chin is dark gray, the rest of the underside of the body is dark red-brown with small gray spots.
- Cacomantis flabelliformis meeki Rothschild & Hartert , 1902, in the Solomon Islands
- Cacomantis flabelliformis pyrrophanus ( Vieillot , 1817), on New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands . This subspecies has a darker upper body than the nominate form. The underside of the body is dark red-brown with a few white spots on the beak. The beak is slimmer.
- Cacomantis flabelliformis schistaceigularis Sharpe , 1900, on Vanuatu . The gray coloration of the head continues on the throat and front chest. The wings and the tail are shorter compared to the nominate shape, the beak a little more powerful.
- Cacomantis flabelliformis simus ( Peale , 1848), on the Fiji Islands. C. f. simus ost the smallest subspecies. It has a wider beak and is tinged with green on the upper side of the body. The underside of the body is paler than in the nominate form.
Hikes and local loyalty
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On the Australian continent, they show complex train movements that do not follow a clear pattern. Basically, it is assumed that the fan-tailed cuckoos that live in southeast Australia are migratory birds that migrate north after the breeding season. In some Australian regions it has also been observed that in a few years there are no migratory movements and the cuckoos stay in the area all year round. In some regions they are a common species of bird all year round, in other regions they only appear in a few years. Rainfall and thus the availability of prey can play a role in these migratory movements.
Most of the Tasmanian populations appear to move to mainland Australia after the breeding season. The train movements begin in the Australian autumn, namely in the months of March to April. The Tanzanian fan-tailed cuckoos return from August to September, the Australian late winter. Oviposition is observed in Tasmania from September to January. The peak of egg-laying falls in the months of October to November.
So far, there is only little data on the ringing of the fan-tailed cuckoo: between 1953 and 1996, a total of 1194 fan-tailed cuckoos were ringed in Australia, New Guinea and Micronesia, and 65 of them were later caught. 64 percent of the recaptures took place within a distance of less than 10 kilometers from the original location, although the recaptures occurred up to a maximum of two years later. Another fan-tailed cuckoo that was ringed as a young bird was found three kilometers from its original nest location 66 months after being ringed. This indicates that fanned-tailed cuckoos are comparatively loyal to their place, despite the migration movements described above.
habitat
The main habitat of the species are mangrove and rainforests. In New Guinea it inhabits altitudes between 1500 and 3000 meters. Basically, the fan-tailed cuckoo shows no specific preferences for a particular habitat. It colonizes tropical, subtropical and temperate rainforests if they have undergrowth. It also occurs on the edges of forests, along watercourses, in moist eucalyptus forests and dry hardwood forests. It can also be found on orchards, pastures with trees and pine plantations. It also penetrates urban areas and can be seen in parks and gardens.
Way of life
Fan-tailed cuckoos feed on insects, primarily caterpillars and other arthropods. Unlike other Cacomantis species, they mainly look for their prey on the ground or in low bushes. They can only occasionally be seen in the treetops while foraging for food. They live mostly solitary or in pairs. Occasionally they also form small groups. In general, they are shy and inconspicuous cuckoos outside of the breeding season. During the breeding season, however, their calls can be heard regularly during the night and during the day. During this time, you often sit in exposed singing stations.
Reproduction
The breeding season falls in Australia from August to December and in the Fiji Islands from November to February. Like many other cuckoo species, they are obligatory breeding parasites and lay their eggs in the nests of various host birds, including Malurus , Acanthiza , Petroica and Sericornis species. These host parents raise the young bird, but similar to the white cuckoo , adult fan-tailed cuckoos are observed near nests in which young birds of this cuckoo species grow up. When an adult female was observed, it was definitely the parent bird of the growing young bird. For five days, this female fed the young bird, which had already fledged, parallel to the host bird parents. After that, the female disappeared while the host birds fed the young bird for another two weeks.
Danger
The fan-tailed cuckoo is not endangered in its range and is therefore classified as 
“ least concern” by the World Conservation Organization ( IUCN ). A population density of between 0.02 and 1.1 birds per hectare was calculated in East Australian eucalyptus forests.
literature
- NB Davies: Cuckoos, Cowbirds and Other Cheats . T & AD Poyser, London 2000, ISBN 0-85661-135-2 .
- Johannes Erhitzøe, Clive F. Mann, Frederik P. Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2012, ISBN 978-0-7136-6034-0 .
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal: Handbook of the Birds of the World, Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Volume 4, Lynx Edicions, 1997, ISBN 978-84-87334-22-1 .
- PJ Higgins (Editor): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1999, ISBN 0-19-553071-3 .
Web links
- Fan tail cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) in the Encyclopedia of Life . Retrieved August 11, 2017.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 390.
- ↑ a b c Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 692.
- ↑ a b c d e f Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 391.
- ↑ dissemination
- ↑ IOC World Bird List ( Memento of the original from August 15, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d R. Payne (2017). Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie & E. de Juana (eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (viewed at http://www.hbw.com/node/54814 on May 6, 2017).
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World on the Fan-Tailed Cuckoo , accessed on November 28, 2017
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 694.
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 695.
- ↑ a b Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 696.
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 693.
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 697.
- ^ IUCN Red List
