Heuglin bustard
| Heuglin bustard | ||||||||||
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Prepared specimen in the Nairobi National Museum |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Neotis heuglinii | ||||||||||
| ( Hartlaub , 1859) |
The Heuglin bustard ( Neotis heuglinii ) is a species of bird in the bustard family . The art epithet honors the German ornithologist Theodor von Heuglin .
features
The male of the Heuglin bustard reaches a size of 75 centimeters and a weight of 4.0 to 8.0 kg. The female weighs 2.6 to 3.0 kg. The Heuglin bustard is similar to the Nubian bustard ( Neotis nuba ). She has a dirty black face and the light color of the top of the head turns whitish towards the back. The chestnut chest is bordered by a dark band at the bottom. The top is more spotted and patterned. The head of the female is more greyish than that of the male.
Occurrence
The distribution area of the Heuglin bustard stretches from Eritrea over eastern and southern Ethiopia , Djibouti and northern and southern central Somalia to northern Kenya .
habitat
The Heuglintrappe inhabits dry lowlands in open wasteland with annual grass vegetation, semi-desert savannah and grassland with tussock vegetation. 93 percent of the distribution area in Kenya is in an area with less than 500 mm of precipitation per year.
Way of life
The Heuglin bustard is a local, but nomadic bird. Little research has been done into their way of life. The diet consists of jumpers , small vertebrates , berries and other vegetarian food. The breeding season is between April and June in northeastern Africa and between January and June in northern Kenya, when the grass is at its highest due to the rains. Two eggs are laid on the scratched bare floor.
status
The IUCN regards the species as "not endangered" ("least concern"). It is fairly common in northern Kenya and northern Somalia, not common in most of Ethiopia, and rare in Eritrea. In view of the relatively limited distribution area and the little information about the way of life, more intensive studies are necessary.
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliot, Jordi Sargatal : Handbook of the birds of the world. Bernd 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1996, ISBN 8487334202 .
Web link
- Neotis heuglinii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.