Gold throated pitta

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Gold throated pitta
male gold throated pitta

male gold throated pitta

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Screeching Birds (Tyranni)
Partial order : Screaming birds of the old world (Eurylaimides)
Family : Pittas (Pittidae)
Genre : Hydrornis
Type : Gold throated pitta
Scientific name
Hydrornis gurneyi
( Hume , 1875)

The 18.5–21 centimeter large gold-throated pitta ( Hydrornis gurneyi , Syn . : Pitta gurneyi ) is one of the most threatened bird species in the world.

Appearance

The male of this bird species has brown dorsal plumage, the belly, head and beak are black. The back plumage and the wings are brown, the legs are orange. Noticeable are a blue, thick stripe on the back of the head and the white throat area.

female gold throated pitta

The female has a yellow belly with many thick black stripes. The front part of the head is brown, the back black. The throat is provided with a thick, elongated, yellow stripe. The back is brown, the legs are orange and the tail end is metallic bluish in color.

Distribution and way of life

The range of this species is a 500 km wide stretch of land, which extends from the northwest of the Malaysian Peninsula , along the west coast of Thailand to the south of Burma . The Goldkehlpitta lives in the pristine forests there from the plains up to a height of 900 meters. The birds are very territorial. They eat insects, snails and worms, which they look for in the foliage of the jungle trees. To crack housing shells or the like, they use small stones as an anvil. The male calls in the morning and evening with a loud double call, flapping its wings and bobbing its tail up and down.

Reproduction

The female lays 1–7 white or light brown oval eggs in a spherical nest made of roots and twigs, which is created in tree hollows. The incubation period is up to 17 days. When hatched, the young weigh between 5 and 10 grams. The young remain in the nest for up to 3 weeks and are looked after by both parents.

Hazards and protective measures

The main reasons for the decline of this species are the destruction of the primeval forests by slash and burn , logging , conversion into agricultural areas ( palm oil plantations ), hunting by domestic cats and the catch and illegal trade for bird lovers, which seriously threatens their population. Between 1952 and 1986 this bird species was thought to be lost. When it was rediscovered in 1986, the wild population of this species was only one pair and in 2004 24 specimens worldwide. Today this species only occurs in an area of ​​50 km² in southern Myanmar and Thailand. The Lenya National Park was established to protect this species . In addition, scientific studies have started in their habitat in order to establish further concrete measures to protect the species.

literature

  • Christopher M. Perrins (Ed.): The FSVO encyclopedia birds of the world. Translated from the English by Einhard Bezzel. BLV, Munich / Vienna / Zurich 2004, ISBN 978-3-405-16682-3 , pp. 418-420 (title of the English original edition: The New Encyclopedia Of Birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003).
  • Evžen Kůs, Václav Pfleger: Rare and threatened animals The great color encyclopedia: Publisher: Gondrom 2000 Page: 106 ISBN 3-8112-1830-1 .
  • Miloš Anděra, German Translation by Günter Brehmer Endangered animals. Publisher: Werner Dausien, Hanau 1998 Page: 130, 131 ISBN 3-7684-2800-1 .
  • Christopher M. Perrins: The Great Encyclopedia of Birds. From the English, Orbis-Verlag, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-572-00810-7 , pp. 239, 241.

Web links

Commons : Goldkehlpitta ( Pitta gurneyi )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files