Gorsachius
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Gorsachius | ||||||||||
| Bonaparte , 1855 |
Gorsachius is a genus of herons. They are counted as part of the night heron tribe. The assignment of the individual species of this tribe is not completely clear. So the African white-backed heron is partlycountedto the genus Gorsachius and not to the second genus Nycticocarax in this tribe. Gorsachius species occur exclusively in the Old World . They are medium-sized species of herons. The species in the genus are among the least explored species of heron. The grove is also considered to be the rarest species of heron in the world. Even the Rotscheitelreiher is by the IUCN as endangered ( endangered classified).
features
With the great grove, wavy heron and red-headed heron , the genus only consists of East Asian species. All have relatively small areas of distribution. The grove has the smallest distribution area, of which there are only two secured breeding areas in southeast China. Two more - one also in China and a second in Vietnam - are not yet adequately documented. The red-headed heron and the wavy heron are at least partially migratory birds. This is not entirely clear for the grove. But there are indications that point to this. Until 1962 these herons were found in Hainan. These were possibly birds that were breeding further north. The three Gorsachius species are very similar in appearance. The wavy heron and the red-headed heron are very easy to confuse in the field. All three species are medium-sized species of heron with a short, powerful beak.
The way of life of the three heron species is considered not to have been adequately investigated. Very little is known, especially about the rare grove. The wavy heron is diurnal and nocturnal, while the red-headed heron is more active at night. This is also suspected for the grouse. All three species nest alone or in small colonies. The clutch usually consists of three to four eggs. The wave heron is a relatively little water-bound species. Its primary habitat is subtropical rainforests, where it hunts for frogs and earthworms on the ground. The other two species are more strongly bound to water. The great white heron and the red-headed heron also need dense primary forests, which, however, must be located near streams or bodies of water. These very specific habitat requirements are one reason why these last two species have become so rare. In Japan, where it breeds almost exclusively, the red-headed heron can hardly find any regions that meet these requirements.
species
The following three species certainly belong to Gorsachius :
- Great Northern Heron , Gorsachius magnificus
- Red-headed heron , Gorsachius goisagi
- Malayan Night Heron , Gorsachius melanolophus
literature
- James A. Kushlan, James Hancock: The Herons (= Bird families of the world ). Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 2005, ISBN 0-19-854981-4 ( books.google.de - restricted view).
