Gough Moorhen
| Gough Moorhen | ||||||||||||
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Gough Moorhen on Tristan da Cunha |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Gallinula comeri | ||||||||||||
| ( JA Allen , 1892) |
The Gough Moorhen ( Gallinula comeri ) lives on Gough Island in the southern Atlantic . It was first collected by George Comer and described as a separate species by Joel Asaph Allen .
description
The Gough Moorhen looks similar to the European pond rail . The birds reach a length of 27 centimeters, their stature is rather squat. The color is generally black, the neck and back are dark brown, the underside of the short tail is white. The frontal shield and beak are red, the tip of the beak yellow. The legs are orange with yellow-green and red spots.
behavior
These birds have lost their ability to fly. Comer reported that they used the wings while running and couldn't get onto a three-foot table.
The birds are omnivores. They feed on parts of plants, seeds, insects and carrion.
The breeding season extends from September to March, with two to five eggs being laid at a time.
distribution
The Gough Moorhen was originally only found on Gough Island. In 1956 some specimens were released on Tristan da Cunha , where a stable population subsequently developed. The birds inhabit bushland and, more rarely, grassland, they are absent in the heather.
Systematics and zoological history
The gough moorhen was first collected in 1888 by George Comer, he brought six birds on board, but four of them soon died. Joel Asaph Allen described it as Porphyriornis comeri in 1892 . It has often been considered identical to the extinct Tristan island rail ( Gallinula nesiotis ), but DNA studies have confirmed its status as a distinct species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Photo of a Gough moorhen ( memento of the original from December 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , ARKive.org, accessed September 23, 2010.
- ↑ a b c d Species factsheet: Gallinula comeri . BirdLife International, accessed October 24, 2009 .
- ↑ a b Clive Roots: Flightless birds . Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn. 2006, ISBN 0-313-33545-1 , pp. 60 ( google.com ).
- ^ A b Joel Asaph Allen: Description of a new gallinule, from Gough Island . In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History . tape 4 , 1892, p. 57–58 ( amnh.org [PDF]).
- ^ Dick SJ Groenenberg, Albert J. Beintema, René WRJ Dekker, Edmund Gittenberger: Ancient DNA Elucidates the Controversy about the Flightless Island Hens (Gallinula sp.) Of Tristan da Cunha . In: PLoS one . 2008, doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0001835 .
