Mali amaranth
| Mali amaranth | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lagonosticta virata | ||||||||||||
| ( Bates , 1932) |
The Mali amaranth ( Lagonosticta virata ), also known as Kuli Koro amaranth or gray-backed amaranth , is a species of the finch family . No subspecies are described for this species.
description
The Mali amaranth reaches a body length between ten and eleven centimeters. The male has a brown-gray headstock and a gray-brown back. The rump region is red. The middle of the abdomen and the thighs are gray, the under tail-coverts are black. The rest of the body plumage is wine-reddish. There are small, rounded spots on the sides of the chest as well as on the flanks. The beak is blackish but lightens to a blue shade at the base. The eyes are dark brown. The sexual dimorphism is not very pronounced. The females are only slightly lighter than the males. The fledglings are grayer on the top of the body than the adult birds and gray-brown on the underside of the body. They still lack any red tones in their plumage.
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area of the Mali-Amaranten extends from the southeast of Senegal over the south of Mali to the north of Guinea . It is especially common in Niger . Its habitat is rocky hill country, grassy bushland at the foot of rocky hills and acacia thickets. Mali amaranth mainly eat small seeds that they pick up on the ground. The breeding season falls from July to December. The courtship of the Mali Amaranth is similar to that of the Pünktchenamarant : With a stalk or a feather in its beak, the male dances up and down in front of the female. The up and down movement, which is typical for the Amaranten- Balz, is created by alternately stretching and bending the legs. When he stretches his legs, his head is thrown up at the same time, so that the stalk or feather is swung upwards. The female finally prompts the male to mate by flickering her tail. The clutch contains three to four eggs.
The breeding parasite of the Mali Amaranth is the Baka widow ( Vidua larvaticola ).
attitude
The Mali amaranth was long considered a subspecies of the dark amaranth . It is therefore not certain when Malian amaranth was first imported into Europe. In the meantime, however, it has become a regularly sold bird that is also bred by a small group of enthusiasts. Mali amaranth are sensitive to low temperatures and must be kept in heated indoor aviaries all year round. The aviaries should also have sufficiently dense scrub for the birds to retreat.
supporting documents
literature
- 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
Web link
- Lagonosticta virata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2014.