Green paradise crow
| Green paradise crow | ||||||||||||
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Representation of a green paradise crow ( Manucodia chalybatus ) |
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| Manucodia chalybatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Forster , 1781) |
The green paradise crow ( Manucodia chalybatus ), also called green manukode or green manucodia , is a crow - like -looking bird from the family of the birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). The green paradise crow occurs in New Guinea and neighboring islands. The species belongs to the few monogamous species of the birds of paradise.
The IUCN classifies the population of the green paradise crows as harmless ( least concern ). No subspecies are distinguished.
description
Body type and measurements
The green paradise crow is a comparatively large bird of paradise within the genus of the Manukoden with a long, tiered tail plumage.
It reaches a body length of up to 36 centimeters, of which between 12.8 and 15.2 centimeters in males and between 12 and 14.4 centimeters in females are due to the control springs . The beak is 3.4 to 4.4 centimeters long. The males weigh between 164 and 265 grams, the females weigh almost the same at 160 to 255 grams. The sexes differ only slightly. The females are usually slightly smaller than the males, which is only noticeable when compared directly. They are also colored a little more dull. Their plumage shimmers more greenish blue than purple.
Appearance
The head, neck and neck are blue-black with a blue-green tinge on the tips of the feathers. The feathers above the eye are noticeably dense and somewhat elongated, but not as strong as in the bird of paradise . These feathers can, however, be raised by the green bird of paradise and then form narrow eyebrows. The shiny metallic feather tips form an inverted V on the chin and throat.
The coat, the back, rump, the wing-coverts and the top of the tail plumage are blue-black with a very intense purple sheen. The shine on the coat can also be a little bluish. Unlike the head plumage, the feather tips are matt. Due to the matt feather tips, a transverse banding consisting of shiny feathers and matt feather tips is created on the jacket in particular. Under certain light conditions, the tail plumage can also appear blackish, cross-striped.
The plumage on the lower throat, front neck and front chest has slightly elongated hems that appear wrinkled. These feather hems have a striking greenish bronze sheen. The rest of the underside of the body is black-blue with a purple sheen and, with certain incidence of light, magenta-colored highlights.
The beak is black, the legs and feet are also black, the iris is blood red.
Green paradise crows that are not yet sexually mature are similar to the adult birds, but their plumage has an even less intense purple shimmer.
Distribution area and habitat
The green paradise crow inhabits the forests of the foothills of New Guinea. The distribution area is not contiguous, but disjoint . It is also found in the forests of the lowlands of Misool , a 2041 km² island in the Raja Ampat archipelago off the coast of western New Guinea ( Indonesia ). The altitude distribution in New Guinea ranges from 600 to 1500 meters, but individuals are also repeatedly found in lower altitudes or at altitudes up to 1700 meters. They roam larger areas: a green paradise crow equipped with a remote transmitter stayed in an area of 45 hectares for a week.
Way of life
The green paradise crow is mostly found in the middle and upper treetop area. It is a shy bird that reacts very quickly to disturbances by flying up and does not tolerate any approach of humans. While foraging for food, the green paradise crow is often associated with other bird species. Similar to the Jobiparadiescrow, these are predominantly birds in which the brown and black parts of the plumage predominate.
The green paradise crow probably mainly eats fruit. She has already been seen defending fruit-bearing trees against other fruit-eating species. In addition to fruit, it probably also eats invertebrates.
Reproduction
The reproductive biology of the green paradise crow has not yet been conclusively investigated. The breeding season falls at least in the period from July to September. In Baiyer River Sanctuary , Papua New Guinea, captive birds showed courtship behavior in January and September. Courtship is a chase in which the male follows the female. Green paradise crows, like all manukods, are monogamous birds.
The nest is built in forks of branches. The clutches found so far contained one or two eggs. Nothing is known about the incubation period and the period between the hatching of the nestlings and their escape.
literature
- Bruce M. Beehler , Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
- Clifford B. Frith, Bruce M. Beehler : The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854853-2 .
Single receipts
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World on the Green Paradise Crow , accessed July 8, 2017
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 220.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 222.
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 221.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 224.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 223.
