Gray fan tail
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Gray fan tail ( Rhipidura albiscapa ) |
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| Gould , 1840 |
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The gray fan tail ( Rhipidura albiscapa ) is a songbird from the genus of the family of the same name fan tails (Rhipiduridae). Its distribution area extends from the Solomon Islands to Tasmania. Together with the fox and garden fan tail , it is one of the widespread and common types of fan tail in Australia . A distinction is made between several subspecies, all of which were previously classified as subspecies of the New Zealand fan tail.
The population of the gray fan tail is classified by the IUCN as not endangered ( least concern ).
features
The gray fan tail reaches a body length of 14 to 17 cm and a weight of 6.5 to 9 g. The males of the nominate form are soot-gray on top. The sides of the face are soot-colored. There is a narrow, white stripe above the eye . There is another white line behind the eye.
The tail plumage is predominantly black-gray on the upper side and contrasts with the lighter upper side of the body. The outer flags of the individual control springs are narrowly lined with white. The three outer control spring pairs also have white spring tips. From the middle pair of control springs, all control springs also have a white spring shaft.
The chin and throat are white and set off from the plumage of the rest of the underside of the body by a narrow gray band. The underside of the body is cream-colored to brownish. The beak is black, but the lower bill has a cream-colored to flesh-colored beak base. The iris is black-brown, the legs and feet are gray-black.
Young birds are similar to adult birds. With them, however, the cream-colored to flesh-colored base on the lower beak is somewhat more pronounced. The feathers of the large wing covers often have isabel-colored feather tips. The inside of the beak, which is usually black in adult birds, is still cream-colored to yellowish-orange in them.
Distribution and migration behavior
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The natural range includes Australia , New Caledonia , the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu . In Australia, the main area of distribution is in the east and south-west.
The migration behavior of the gray fan tail has not yet been conclusively investigated, but is considered to be very complex. In the entire distribution area, gray fanned tails are partly resident birds , partly migratory birds . The migration behavior is partly dependent on the individual subspecies. The subspecies Rhipidura albiscapa keasti , which is native to northeast Australia and lives in the highlands, is considered a resident bird, while the populations living near the coast migrate north and west in the winter months . The subspecies Rhipidura albiscapa albiscapa, which breeds in Tasmania, shows a similarly inconsistent behavior in the winter months, with parts of the population moving to southeast Australia in the winter months, while other parts of the population remain in the breeding area.
Subspecies and their respective distribution area
8 subspecies of the gray fan tail are described:
- Rhipidura albiscapa brenchleyi Sharpe , 1879 - Southeastern Solomon Islands (Makira), Moa Island and Vanuatu.
- Rhipidura albiscapa bulgeri E. L. Layard , 1877 - New Caledonia, Isle of Pines and Loyalty Islands (Lifou, possibly just Irrgast ).
- Rhipidura albiscapa pelzelni G. R. Gray , 1862 - Norfolk Island
- Rhipidura albiscapa keasti Ford , 1981 - Northeast Australia.
- Rhipidura albiscapa albicauda North , 1895 - Central Australia.
- Rhipidura albiscapa alisteri Mathews , 1911 - Southeastern, southern central and eastern central Australia, as a migratory bird as far as northern Australia, possibly New Guinea .
- Rhipidura albiscapa albiscapa Gould , 1840 - Tasmania , Bass Strait islands and, non-breeding, southeastern Australia.
- Rhipidura albiscapa preissi Cabanis , 1851 - Southwestern Australia, as a migratory bird to northwestern Australia.
habitat
The gray fan tail is a species of bird found in wooded areas. It occurs mainly in eucalyptus and acacia forests, but also colonizes rainforests and forests along rivers. It is also often found in urban areas and populates parklands and gardens. It also uses thickets along roads as a habitat. Plantations with pine trees imported into Australia are also populated by him, provided they are older and have dense undergrowth.
food
The gray fan tail is predominantly an insect eater. It catches most of its food in flight. It seldom picks insects off leaves or branches. It also occasionally eats small vertebrates, fruits, and seeds. He is usually solitary or in pairs while foraging. Smaller troops looking for food together are probably parent birds with their offspring.
Reproduction
District
The gray fan tail defends a territory during the breeding season. The parts of the populations that do not move to other regions in the winter months defend this area all year round. The male signals his territory ownership by singing, it can be heard especially in the early morning hours. He does not react to the singing of neighboring district owners.
The area is vigorously defended, especially during the breeding season. They then also attack much larger bird species and mammals.
Breeding season and nest
The breeding season in Australia falls between August and January, but most eggs are found between October and December. Greylag tails can raise several broods within one breeding season. In one documented case, a breeding pair raised four clutches of four eggs each within one breeding season. This is possible because gray fan tails not only have a comparatively long breeding season, but also carry out so-called box broods: the female is already building the new nest while the male is still feeding the young birds.
The nest is usually built in bushes or trees. Nests from the previous breeding season are in most cases not used again, but they are comparatively faithful to the previous nest location and build their nest close to the old nest.
The nest is cup-shaped and, like many other fan tails, has a tail-shaped appendage, so that the appearance of the nest is reminiscent of a wine glass. This tail-shaped appendage is only missing in individual cases. The nest is built from fine grass, fine strips of bark and occasionally moss, lichen, small roots and sheep's wool. Occasionally, both parent birds are involved in nest building, but in the second and third brood within a year, the female often builds the nest alone.
Clutch and breeding season
The clutch contains between one and five eggs, but a clutch size of two to three eggs is typical for the subspecies native to Australia. The eggs are usually laid every 24 hours. The breeding season varies greatly. breeding seasons of eight to 20 days are given. On average, however, the birds breed for around 13 to 14 days.
Fledglings
The nestling period is between 10 and 16 days. They are fed by both parent birds. The male has a larger share in the feeding of the young birds, especially when the female is already working on building the next nest.
literature
- PJ Higgins, JM Peter, SJ Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds. Volume 7: Boatbill to Starlings. Part A: Boatbill to Larks. Oxford University Press, Melbourne 2006, ISBN 978-0-195-55884-5 .
Web links
- Rhipidura albiscapa inthe IUCN 2017-1 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gray fan tail ( Rhipidura albiscapa ) at Avibase
- ↑ a b Rhipidura albiscapa in the IUCN 2017-1 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Boles, W. (2017): Gray Fantail ( Rhipidura albiscapa ). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, DA & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ( Online )
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 174.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 175.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 177.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 179.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 176.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 183.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 184.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 190.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 191.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 195.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 200.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 202.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 197.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 198.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 201.