White breasted nun
| White breasted nun | ||||||||||||
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White-breasted nun ( Heteromunia pectoralis ), museum specimen |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Heteromunia | ||||||||||||
| Mathews , 1913 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Heteromunia pectoralis | ||||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1841) |
The White-breasted nun ( Heteromunia pectoralis ), and White-breasted Schilffink , white breast Schilfamadine , Weißbrüstiger Schilffink or Weißbrust Reed nun called, is a kind from the family of finches and the only extant species of the genus of Weißbrust nuns ( Heteromunia ). No subspecies are distinguished. The IUCN listed the species as a near threatened species for a while, but changed this classification to non-threatened after it became apparent that population numbers are higher than originally thought.
description
The white breasted nun reaches a body length of twelve centimeters. The coloring of the upper side is very variable. The males have deep black plumage on the sides of the head and throat. The upper side of the body is brownish silver-gray with small white spots on the wing covers and inner arm wings. The front breast is white and appears to be scaled white due to the black cross ties of the individual feathers. The rest of the underside is wine-reddish gray. The under tail-coverts have blackish and white banded feather tips. The eyes are dark brown and the beak is light blue-gray. The feet and legs are flesh-colored.
The females lack the deep black plumage on the sides of the head and the throat. They are brownish in color in these places. Fledglings are brown-gray with a darker upper body.
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area of the white breasted nun is the Northern Territory of Australia from the Kimberley region around Derby in the state of Western Australia to northwestern Queensland . Their habitat is extensive grassy areas without any higher vegetation. It avoids wet swamp areas and is preferred in the dry steppe, which is covered with isolated low bushes. In the south of the distribution area it is also found in Spinifex areas. It also colonizes real semi-deserts . These are otherwise only populated by the Painted Amadine in Australia . Although not closely related to the Painted Amadine and other fine dryland finches, it exhibits some behaviors similar to those of these species. Irregular migrations, a basically only sporadic occurrence and large population fluctuations are characteristic of the white breasted nuns. In times of great drought, it joins together to form larger, nomadic swarms and is then sometimes loosely associated with swarms of brown-breasted nuns and yellow- breasted nuns .
The breeding season falls in the second half of the rainy season and can vary greatly depending on the onset and the productivity of the precipitation. The courtship, which always takes place on the ground, differs greatly from that of the related splendid finches and has characteristics that resemble the courtship of the Painted Amadine. During courtship, the male often picks up small stones or pieces of wood, which he drops immediately, however, and moves in a semicircle around the female with sideways tripping and hopping steps. The nest is built close to the ground. The clutch comprises four to six eggs.
attitude
The white-breasted nun was first introduced to Europe in the 1870s. Imports have always been low, however, and in the years following World War II , it was one of the finest Australian finches kept in Europe. White breasted nuns are still among the real rarities and are kept less often than other Australian finches.
supporting documents
literature
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Australia, Oceania, Southeast Asia. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3249-4 .
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
Web links
- BirdLife factsheet on the white breasted nun
- Heteromunia pectoralis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
Single receipts
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 26, 2010.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 217.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 218.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 219.