Grant seed cracker
| Grant seed cracker | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Spermophaga poliogenys | ||||||||||||
| ( Ogilvie-Grant , 1906) |
The Grant Samenknacker ( Spermophaga poliogenys ) is a kind from the family of finches . The rare and shy species is found in central Africa and lives in the dense undergrowth of tropical forests.
description
The Grant Seedcracker reaches a body length of 13 to 14 cm, the wing length is between 65 and 73 mm. The tail is quite long and slightly tiered at the tip. The feet are olive to green-brown.
In the male, the entire front head with the sides of the neck, the chest and the belly up to the middle are intensely scarlet. On the flanks, the red color extends even further to the under tail coverts and is also found on the upper tail coverts. The rest of the plumage is black from the back of the head and neck with shiny areas on the back and shoulders. The eyes are brown with a pale blue eyelid rim. The lower bill shows a fairly high base, the upper bill is curved. It is metallic blue with a pink tip and edges.
In the female, only the chin, throat, and upper chest are bright red or orange. The forehead, the sides of the head and the entire rest of the upper side are dark slate gray with a bluish sheen on the back. The shiny black feather hems form a scale pattern. The underside of the body is very dark gray with white drops of drops arranged in pairs, which form clear rows towards the back of the abdomen and the lower tail covers.
The youth dress is similar to that of the female, but paler and without the red area on the breast. The white spots on the underside are also missing. However, this develops very quickly in the young females. The beak is bluish to gray-blue.
voice
The grant seedcracker calls out a hoarse chip and occasionally lets out a melodic tiee-diuh . But he is generally not very loud.
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area of the monotypical grant seed cracker stretches from the north and the northern center of the Democratic Republic of the Congo eastward to southwest Uganda . The species is a resident bird that spends most of its life in a relatively small area.
The grant seedcracker lives in the dense undergrowth of tropical primary and secondary forests. He stays there mainly near the ground. Occasionally it goes near clearings, but is rarely seen outside of cover. It eats seeds, as well as berries, insects and spiders.
Little research has been carried out into the breeding behavior of the grant seed cracker, and the exact period of reproduction has not yet been determined. Birds ready to breed have been observed in the Congo from December to February, May and August to September. Most of the young birds are observed in November. The clutch consists of three white eggs.
attitude
A pair of Grant Seed Crackers was imported into Switzerland in 1963. This was probably the first European import. No other imports are known. Observations showed that their behavior differed significantly from the red breast and red head seedcrackers . Among other things, the two partner birds always sat close together and preferred to stay in the darkest corner of the aviary.
supporting documents
literature
- P. Clement, A. Harris, J. Davis: Finches and Sparrows , Helm Identification Guides, London 1993/1999, ISBN 0-7136-5203-9
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann, Claudia Mettke-Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Afrika , Series Handbuch der Vogelpflege, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8001- 4964-3
Single receipts
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 113 and p. 114
Web links
- Spermophaga poliogenys in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved on June 14 of 2010.