Belt finch
| Belt finch | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belted grass finch ( Poephila cincta ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Poephila cincta | ||||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1837) |
The belt grass finch ( Poephila cincta ), also called belt amadine , is a species of bird from the family of the finch finches . It is assigned to the genus of grass finches and belongs to the fauna of Australia . The belt grass finch is found there in the north and northeast of the Australian continent. The pointed tail amadine , which is very similar to it, is closely related to this species and together with it forms a superspecies . Several subspecies are distinguished.
description
Belted grass finches reach a body length of up to 11 centimeters. They have a dark, pointed beak, a showy black throat, black eyes and a light gray feathered head. The underside of the body is feathered fawn. Compared to the pointed tail feathers, the middle tail feathers are much less elongated and only end in short tips. The eyes are brown and the beak is black.
The young birds are darker and more dull in color than adult birds.
Distribution and way of life
The belt grass finch was originally found from the extreme northeast of Australia, Cape York , to the extreme north of New South Wales . This original area of distribution has now shrunk to a third of the original area. The nominated form is even considered endangered. The reason for the decline in the population is the loss of basic food due to intensive sheep farming and the food competition of imported rabbits.
The belt grass finch prefers open savannah landscapes in which there are few but high eucalyptus trees and which have a dense undergrowth of grass. Similar to the pointed-tailed amadine, the belted grass finch never strays far from the water and also uses extensive stands of screw trees in coastal regions . The belted grass finch avoids the immediate vicinity of people and stays away from settlements and more densely populated regions. The food is mainly grass seeds and other small seeds. Unusual in the belt grass finch is a way of moving that is not observed in any other species of finch, apart from the pointed-tailed amadine. After each landing, they move their head vertically up and down, keeping their beak parallel to the ground. Since both species have no tail movements, it is possible that this nod of the head developed out of an equilibrium movement.
The breeding season falls in the second half of the rainy season and thus in the months of January to May. Belt grass finches are free breeders. They use grasses, plant wool, moss, feathers and plant fibers to build their nests. The nest consists of up to 1,200 stalks. The female lays between five and nine eggs. Breeding begins from the 4th egg, both parent birds breed. The breeding period is about 20 days.
Keeping as an ornamental bird
Belted grass finches were first imported to London in 1861 and to Germany in 1869 by Carl Hagenbeck . Since then, apart from the interruption caused by the two world wars and the post-war years, they have always been in trade. However, they were traded less and less than the pointed tail amadine.
Belted grass finches are often kept as ornamental birds in Europe. You need a large cage or an aviary with an outside part. During the breeding season they have to be kept individually as they tend to be aggressive towards other finches.
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
- Poephila cincta inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . 2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2013.