Gold-necked beetle
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Gold-necked pipit ( Macronyx flavicollis ) |
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| Rüppell , 1840 |
The gold- necked pipit ( Macronyx flavicollis ) is a songbird species from the family of stilts and pipiters , which is native to the mountainous plateaus of northern, central and southwestern Ethiopia .
The species is listed by the IUCN on the early warning list ( near threatened ). While the species endemic to Ethiopia was previously described as common, studies in the mid-1990s revealed a different picture. Most likely, the expansion of agriculture that has accompanied population growth has led to local decreases.
description
The gold- necked beetle is about the size of a song thrush with a body length of 20 cm . Like all species of the genus, it is characterized by a very long and curved rear toe. The upper bill is blackish gray, the lower bill rather gray. The iris is brown. Legs and feet are brownish flesh-colored or yellowish in color.
Adult males are brownish black on top, lighter colored towards the back. Cinnamon-colored feather hems make the back and rump look streaky. The eye-catching stripe above the eyes is saffron-yellow in front of the eye and a lighter yellowish beige behind the eye. The wide eye stripe is olive brown. The chin and throat are brightly colored saffron yellow and framed by a dark olive-brown stripe of beard that widens on the sides of the neck and merges with a chest band of very variable width. The ear covers and sides of the neck, like the front breast, are lightened yellowish beige to whitish. The underside is yellow-beige to cinnamon-colored, slightly lightened on the flanks and thighs and roughly dashed black-brown on the chest sides. The middle of the abdomen has a yellowish tint. The wings of the hand and arm are olive-brown with light-colored edges, the upper wing-coverts are black-brown with whitish, yellow, beige and cinnamon-colored edges. The axillary feathers are white, the under wing-coverts white with darker centers. The control feathers are lined with dark olive brown and yellowish beige. The outside of the tail is white, with the white on the outermost control feathers comprising almost the entire outer vane and a part of the inner vane, and the white portion on the three further inside. On the underside, the control feathers are light olive brown with a cinnamon tint.
The underside of the female is lighter and more dull in color than the male. Immature birds are yellowish beige to cinnamon on the chin and throat, the surrounding band is brown and the chest band is stained.
voice
The singing is a clear trill. It is brought forward from a control room or in a singing flight. The call is softly whistling (audio sample).
Way of life
The gold-necked beetle inhabits open, grassy plateaus between 1200 and 3000 m. Mostly, however, it can be found at altitudes between 1800 and 2750 m. It feeds on insects and other invertebrates , which it usually picks up on the ground. Broods were found in June and August, and occasionally also in February. The bowl-shaped nest is made of grass and is lined with fibers or animal hair. It stands on the ground between grasses or young cereal plants. The clutch consists of two to three eggs.
literature
- Stephanie Tyler: Abyssinian Longclaw (Macronyx flavicollis) (2004), in: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, AD Christie, E. de Juana (eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive , Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2014
Web links
- Macronyx flavicollis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved on July 6, 2015.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Macronyx flavicollis in the Internet Bird Collection
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Abyssinian Longclaw ( Macronyx flavicollis )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Call of the Goldneck Beeper : Abyssinian Longclaw · Macronyx flavicollis. Accessed January 2, 2019 .