Gray royal tyrant
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Gray King Tyrant ( Tyrannus dominicensis ) |
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| ( Gmelin , 1788) |
The gray royal tyrant ( Tyrannus dominicensis ) is a species of bird in the tyrant family . It is widespread in the Caribbean region, where it mainly inhabits coastal and wetlands. The species was first described in 1788 by the German scientist Johann Friedrich Gmelin .
Description and behavior
The Gray King Tyrant is a large representative of the tyrants, who can reach a weight of 43 g with an average height of 23 cm. The wingspan is between 37 and 41 cm. The plumage is gray on the back and the top of the head, which gives it its name, the throat and lower abdomen are white. Tail and wing feathers are predominantly black, with white banding at the tips. The strong beak also shows a black color, which continues as a mask around the brown to dark brown eyes of the birds.
The species prefers to stay near bodies of water, on whose banks the birds often build their nests. Gray royal tyrants are considered to be extremely aggressive when defending their territory, and attacks on significantly larger enemies such as red-shouldered buzzards or turkey vultures are not shied away from. The main part of the food of the gray king tyrant are insects such as wasps , bees and beetles up to the size of a dragonfly . Furthermore, depending on availability, berries and fruits are also accepted, which can make up up to a fifth of the diet. Small lizards and hummingbirds are also hunted in some regions . The hunt starts from an exposed seat guard , the prey is usually struck in flight, and insects are less likely to be caught by leaves while hovering. In Barbados , researchers also observed gray king tyrants who, as opportunists, stole the prey of other bird species - in particular the coastal pigeon and the mourning racket - sometimes directly from their beaks. The gray king tyrant is considered to be an extremely vocal bird, its call is described as a high- pitched pe - cheer - y with the emphasis on the second syllable.
Reproduction
During the courtship , both birds take off from a branch vertically into the air and circle each other while chirping loudly. The Gray Tyrant's Nest is a cup-shaped construction made of twigs, grasses and roots that is lined with soft grass. The materials are often only woven so loosely that the eggs are visible from below. Depending on the available nesting place, the nest can be between 1.20 m and 12 m above the ground. In coastal areas, mangroves are often chosen as a location, while further inland, taller trees such as pines and oaks are preferred. Electricity masts are also used for this in cities . Once the nesting site has been selected, it is sometimes visited for several years in a row, but a new nest construction is created and old nests, if they still exist, are not used again. After the completion of the nest construction, the female typically lays three, more rarely four or five light pink eggs that are speckled with brown, gray and lavender-colored spots. Eggs are usually laid between April and July and peak in May. The details of brood care have so far been little researched, but it is known that both parents aggressively defend the brood, and attacks on people who came too close to the nest have been documented, although the species is otherwise considered to be less susceptible to disturbances by humans. In addition, both adult birds provide the young with food after they hatch.
Spread and endangerment
The Gray King Tyrant inhabits all the islands of the Caribbean and the northern part of South America, some coastal regions in Central America and the extreme southeast of the United States. In large parts of its range, the species is considered a migratory bird , only part of the South American population, as well as those in Hispaniola , Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles, can be found all year round. The IUCN currently classifies the Gray King Tyrant as not endangered (status least concern ) due to its large distribution area and the stable population development .
Internal system
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Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the species for the first time in 1788 in his extended edition of Carl von Linné's work Systema Naturæ as Lanius dominicensis and thus placed it among the real stranglers . In addition to the nominated form T. d. dominicensis still the subspecies T. d. vorax ( Vieillot , 1819) considered valid. It occurs in the southern Lesser Antilles, where the nominate form is accordingly missing.
Trivia
Because of his aggressive territorial behavior and the fact that he does not shy away from confrontations with much larger opponents, the Gray King Tyrant became an unofficial national symbol of the American territory of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican independence movement in particular likes to use the bird's behavior as a metaphor for their own aspirations for self-determination.
literature
- Arthur Cleveland Bent: Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies . Ed .: Smithsonian Institution. tape 9 , no. 2 . Dover Publications, Mineola, NY 1963, ISBN 0-486-25831-9 , pp. 29–50 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
Web links
- Gray King Tyrant at audubon.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Gray Kingbird Identify. In: whatbird.com. Retrieved November 6, 2019 .
- ^ Arthur Cleveland Bent: Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies . Ed .: Smithsonian Institution. tape 9 , no. 2 . Dover Publications, Mineola, NY 1963, ISBN 0-486-25831-9 , pp. 41 .
- ↑ Sarah E. Overington, Laure Cauchard, Kimberly-Ann Côté: kleptoparasitism by Gray King Birds (Tyrannus dominicensis) in Barbados . In: The Wilson Journal of Ornithology . tape 120 , no. 3 , 2008, p. 655-657 .
- ^ Bent, p. 43
- ↑ Bent, p. 31
- ↑ Bent, p. 33
- ↑ Bent, p. 32
- ↑ Bent, p. 50
- ↑ Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis. In: iucnredlist.org. BirdLife International, 2016, accessed November 5, 2019 .
- ^ Johann Friedrich Gmelin: Caroli a Linné systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (Editio decima tertia) . 1788, p. 302 .
- ↑ Graukönigstyrann · Tyrannus dominicensis · (Gmelin, JF, 1788). In: xeno-canto.org. Retrieved November 6, 2019 .
- ^ Pierce Brodkorb: Geographical Variation in the Gray Kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis . In: The Auk . tape 67 , no. 3 , 1950, p. 333-344 , doi : 10.2307 / 4080922 .
- ↑ Gray Kingbird. In: whatbird.com. Retrieved November 6, 2019 .