Locust Buzzard
| Locust Buzzard | ||||||||||
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Locust Buzzard |
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| Butastur rufipennis | ||||||||||
| ( Sundevall , 1850) |
The locust buzzard ( Butastur rufipennis ), also known as locust teesa, is a 21-40 centimeter large bird from the hawk family . The species is monotypical .
Appearance
The individual animals can weigh up to 3.5 kilograms. The wingspan is 1.05 meters. The plumage is mostly dark brown. Only the belly, the throat and the feathers on the legs are a little lighter. The long tail is dark brown to black. The long legs are light brown and have strong, black claws. The beak is yellowish, the tip of the beak is black. The bare area around the eyes is yellow.
distribution and habitat
This species occurs in the open savannah areas , bush landscapes, in cultivated land and in semi-deserts south of the Sahara desert from Gambia to Kenya and Tanzania .
Way of life
His call is a "ki-ki-ki-ki-kii" sound. The locust buzzard feeds mainly on termites and grasshoppers , rarely small birds, mammals or snakes. It lies in wait for its prey on the branches of tall, old trees. He can also often be seen in the vicinity of savannah fires, preying on startled animals. In the dry season they move to more wooded areas. After the rainy season they return to the more open savannah.
Reproduction
During courtship, the couples perform flights up to a height of 1,000 meters. The nest consists of smaller branches and is placed in low trees. The nesting trough can reach a depth of up to 15 centimeters and is padded with green leaves. The female lays 1–3 blue-white eggs with rust-red and chocolate-brown spots. The incubation period is about 35 days. The breeding business is carried out by the female alone and is supplied with food by the partner. The female divides the food for the chicks into small portions and gives it to them. During the breeding season, the female moults . When the plumage has been completely renewed, the female helps the male to get food for the offspring.
Danger
Because of its wide distribution and because no endangerments are known for this species, the IUCN classifies this species as Least Concern .
Etymology and history of research
The first description of the locust tea was in 1914 by Carl Jakob Sundevall under the scientific name Poliornis rufipennis . The type specimen was collected by Johan Hedenborg (1787–1865). In 1843 led Brian Houghton Hodgson , the new genus for science Butastur for Weißaugenteesa ( Butastur teesa ( Franklin , 1831)) a. This name is derived from "buteo" for "Buzzard". The species name »rufipennis« is a Latin word formation from »rufus« for »reddish brown« and »-pennis, penna« for »-flügelelt Freder«.
literature
- THE BLV Encyclopedia Birds of the World Page: 163, 167 BLV Buchverlag GmbH & Co. KG Munich 2004 ISBN 3-405-16682-9
- Wildlife of Africa in color Page: 56 Karl Müller Verlag Erlangen 1989
- Wilhelm Eigner Encyclopedia of Animals Volume 2 Page: 301 Weltbild Verlag 1999 ISBN 3-89350-361-7
- The great encyclopedia of birds Page: 95, 97 Orbis Verlag 1996 ISBN 3-572-00810-7
- James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- Carl Jakob Sundevall: Foglar fran Nordöstra Africa . In: Öfversigt af Kongl. Vetenskaps-akademiens forhandlingar . tape 7 , no. 5 , 1850, pp. 125-133 ( babel.hathitrust.org ).
- Brian Houghton Hodgson: Catalog of Nepâlese Birds presented to the Asiatic Society, duky named and classified by the Donor . In: The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal . tape 12 , no. 136 , 1843, pp. 301-313 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
Web links
- Butastur rufipennis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.3. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2020.