Bullfinch
| Bullfinch | ||||||||||||
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Bull jay ( Struthidea cinerea ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Struthidea | ||||||||||||
| Gould , 1837 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Struthidea cinerea | ||||||||||||
| Gould , 1837 |
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The bull jay ( Struthidea cinerea ), sometimes also referred to as the apostle potter crow , is a bird from the family of mud-nesting crows (Corcoracidae) found in Australia . In English usage it is called an Apostlebird . This name is based on the behavior of the birds, sometimes observed in groups of twelve individuals, creating an analogy with the Twelve Apostles . The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word cinerea , meaning 'ash gray'.
features
Bullfinches reach a body length of 29 to 33 centimeters and a weight of 110 to 155 grams. There is no sexual dimorphism between the sexes in terms of plumage color . The plumage base color in both sexes is gray. The head and neck have pointed, expressive feathers that give it a shaggy appearance. The breast is light gray, the wings brown-gray and the long control feathers black-gray. The beak, legs and feet are blackish.
Distribution, subspecies and habitat
The bullfinch jay occurs exclusively on the Australian continent. In addition to the in the center and south of Queensland , in New South Wales and northern Victoria occurring nominate Struth Idea cinerea cinerea another is subspecies known:
- Struthidea cinerea dalyi Mathews , 1923, in the Northern Territory and in the north of Queensland.
The main habitat of the species are open areas, for example bushland with individually growing trees. Since the birds show little shyness towards humans, they can also be found in agricultural areas, on camping and picnic areas and in cemeteries.
Way of life
The birds feed on insects and seeds, and occasionally also on eggs from other bird species or from small mammals. The food is mostly sought on the ground. Hard seeds or chitin shells of insects are hammered with the beak. During a mouse plague, it was observed how the birds grabbed the prey with their beak, killed them by hitting the ground and then devoured them. Bullfinch jays cultivate a pronounced social behavior and seek physical closeness to conspecifics within a family by cuddling. Outside the breeding season, up to one hundred individuals sometimes gather at watering holes to drink together. The main breeding season falls from August to February, but can vary depending on the rainy season. Usually two broods are carried out per year. Bullfinches are polygynous . They are supported by up to 17 family members from previous broods in building their nests and raising their young. The group builds the bowl-shaped nest together. It is at a height of between three and twelve meters above the ground on a horizontal branch or in the crotch of a Kasuarinen - ( Casuarina ), eucalyptus (- Eucalyptus ) or acacia made -tree (Acacia) of mud and reinforced with grasses. The individual layers of sludge are applied separately and new material is only added after a sufficient drying time. After completion, it is usually provided with three to five eggs, which are hatched in 19 to 20 days. The nestling period is 18 to 20 days. The young are provided with food by the entire group for another ten weeks and then remain in the family group as helpers for later broods. In groups with a small number of helpers, the broods sometimes suffer losses through starvation of the nestlings.
Danger
The bullfinch jay is widespread in its areas of occurrence, sometimes frequent and is therefore classified by the IUCN as a 
" least concern ". Due to the climatic drought, the extraction of the sludge required for nest building is hampered in some areas. In other places this restriction is compensated for by the creation of new, moist arable land by humans.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Ian Rowley & Eleanor Russell (2017). Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea). 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/60602 on May 3, 2017).
- ↑ dissemination
- ^ IOC World Bird List
- ↑ Social behavior
- ^ IUCN Red List
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal : Handbook of the Birds of the World, Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Volume 14, Lynx Edicions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-50-7 .
Web links
- Bullfinch jay (Struthidea cinerea) in the Encyclopedia of Life . Retrieved August 11, 2017.