Hopfkuckuck
| Hopfkuckuck | ||||||||||
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Hopfkuckuck |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Cuculus saturatis | ||||||||||
| Blyth , 1843 |
The hoofed cuckoo ( Cuculus saturatus ) belongs to the order of the cuckoo birds (Cuculiformes) and to the family of the cuckoos (Cuculidae). Like numerous species of cuckoo birds, the hoofed cuckoo is a brood parasite . It mainly parasitizes the warbler and pipit .
The distribution area of the hopf cuckoo is very large. Its breeding area extends from European Russia to Siberia, Japan and Thailand. Hibernating cuckoos can be found in the southeast of Australia. Two subspecies are described, to which individual authors occasionally also grant species status. The IUCN classifies the species as not endangered ( least concern ). It is a widespread, often heard bird, especially in the Himalayan region.
Due to mtDNA analyzes ensures that the Hopfkuckuck with in Central Europe occurring cuckoo ( Cuculus canorus is closely related) very much. They are the sister clade to Madagascar cuckoo and African cuckoo .
features
Body measurements and physique
The Hopfkuckuck reaches a body length of 32 to 33 centimeters, which in its body shape is very similar to the black cuckoo , but is slightly larger. The appearance is vaguely reminiscent of falcons. There is a sexual dimorphism in both the adult individuals and the young birds .
The tail plumage accounts for an average of 13.6 centimeters of the body length. The wings are an average of 18.3 inches long in the males. The females are slightly shorter with an average of 17.5 centimeters. The beak is an average of 2 centimeters long. Females tend to be a little heavier: In the case of the cuckoos weighed between February and May, their weight averaged 97.7 grams, while that of the males was 91.8 grams.
The iris is yellowish in most males. However, there are isolated males with an orange-brown iris. In females, in addition to the yellow iris, individuals with a reddish to reddish-brown iris appear more frequently. The eye ring is yellow in both sexes. The bill is blackish with an orange-yellow to green-yellow beak base. The inside of the beak is yellowish. The legs and feet are yellowish to orange with slightly brownish colored claws.
male
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In the male, the crown and neck are ash gray with a slightly bluish tinge. The sides of the head, chin, throat and front chest are slightly lighter. The coat, the back, the rump and the upper tail coverts are dark gray, with the upper tail coverts being lined with white. The wings are dark gray. The lower breast, the flanks and the belly are white to pale brownish, in the direction of the rump and the lower tail-coverts this changes into a more intense shade of brown. The rump and tail-coverts show a wide, even transverse banding. The dark gray tail plumage is tiered, there is a white point on the middle pair of control feathers. The outer control springs are lined with white, the tips of the outer flags, which is particularly clearly visible on the underside.
female
Two color morphs are distinguished in females . The gray color morph can hardly be distinguished from the male. On the underside of the body, the brown tint is usually somewhat more extensive than that of the males. The brown color morph has predominantly rust-brown plumage and has dark transverse bands on the vertex, the neck, the top of the body and the wings. The chin, throat and front chest are whitish with a narrow dark brown transverse banding. On the rest of the underside of the body, the transverse ligament is wider, the basic color of the plumage darkens to a light brown towards the under tail-coverts. The tail plumage is rust-brown with V-shaped dark transverse bands.
voice
The male's courtship call is a quick bu-bu-bu , followed by several faster and duller bu-bu calls. Each syllable is of a similar pitch, they are vaguely reminiscent of the hoopoe's calls . However, compared to this type, the pitch is lower. The call sequences are repeated six to eight times.
The calls of the males can be heard most frequently in the morning and evening twilight hours. Calling males usually sit high up in the trees; however, they also call during the flight, the tail plumage of the males is clearly spread. The posture that male cuckoos adopt while calling at their singing waits differs from that of the cuckoo: their beak is closed, the head is lowered, while the throat expands during the calling. During the call, the tail plumage is lowered and the wings open slightly downwards. They often change singing stations and fly noticeably slow. A calling can often be heard during the flight.
Distribution area of the two subspecies
Both subspecies are long-distance migrations that usually stay south of their breeding areas outside of the breeding season. In the wintering areas, which extend from India to Southeast Asia to Australia, both subspecies can sometimes be found. They occur in the following regions:
- Cuculus saturatus optatus - Gould, 1845: The range extends from European Russia to Siberia, Kamchatka, Kuril Islands and Sakhalin . In Siberia the distribution area extends to the Arctic Circle . In the south, the distribution area extends to Kazakhstan, the Altai Mountains , Mongolia and also includes northern China, Korea and Japan. During the winter months, this subspecies can be found in Indochina, Borneo, Java, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and the north and east of Australia. The individuals breeding in Siberia can no longer be heard there from mid to late July. In September and October they cross the Korean peninsula in large numbers. In Darwin, Australia, they are usually observed from early December. On the retreat, they can be seen over the Torres Strait , especially in March and April. This subspecies is occasionally found as a stray visitor in Finland and the region around St. Petersburg.
- Cuculus saturatus saturatus - Blyth, 1843: The distribution area of the nominate form extends from Kashmir over the south of the Himalayas to Assam, the north and east of Myanmar, Thailand and the south of China and Taiwan. During the winter half year it can be found in southern Thailand, on the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines as far as New Guinea.
The hawk cuckoos are very seldom to be found in New Zealand during the winter months.
habitat
The Hopfkuckuck is very adaptable and occurs in a wide variety of landscapes in the forested mountainous country. Boreal coniferous forest belongs to the distribution area , whereby it is particularly common in regions that are densely populated with larches . In subtropical regions it is particularly common to find it near water bodies. Compared to the cuckoo , which belongs to the avifauna of Central Europe and is closely related to it , it can be found at lower altitudes in the summer half-year: Generally, it is comparatively rare above 1000 meters.
During the winter half-year it can generally be found in higher altitudes. In Pakistan, for example, it can also be found at altitudes of 1800 meters during the winter half-year, but it is absent there in the alpine regions where the cuckoo can be found. In Nepal, on the other hand, it can be observed at altitudes of 3000 meters. In Australia, it can also be found in swamps, monsoon rainforests and open eucalyptus forests at this time of the year. Since it is less shy outside of the breeding season, it can occasionally be seen in the gardens and parks of suburbs in Australia.
Way of life
The head cuckoo is very similar in its way of life to the cuckoo, for example it shows a similar courtship behavior: Male head cuckoos attract females with calls. When a female approaches, the pauses between the calls become shorter. The male nods his head, spreads his wings, lets them hang down and fans out his tail. With increasing excitement and after pursuit flights, the male's head nod changes into deep bows with the whole body. If the female is very close, the male will swing back and forth with the raised, non-fanned tail. The female is then followed silently over a long period of time, with raised waiting areas being approached.
During the breeding season, the head cuckoo is very shy, and the females in particular rarely let out calls.
The hoofed cuckoo seeks its food mainly in the foliage of trees and bushes. Significantly less often it comes down on the forest floor or grassy areas while foraging for food. The diet consists mainly of caterpillars, most of which are very hairy. It often flaps its wings violently while foraging to maintain its balance. He looks for food alone or in small groups. However, if the feeding area in a certain area is very large over a long period of time, numerous cuckoos can accumulate. An example of such an accumulation of head cuckoos is available for November and December 1976, among others. On a 100 hectare teak plantation on a river course in New Guinea there was a strong infestation by caterpillars of the teak moth Hyblaea puera during this period . The troop of head cuckoos who took advantage of this abundant food supply comprised more than 3,000 head cuckoos.
Reproduction
The hoofed cuckoo is an obligatory brood parasite, which means that it does not raise its offspring itself: the female lays the eggs in the nests of certain host species, with a preference for warbler and pipit . The eggs are long spindle-shaped and have a smooth shell that is slightly shiny. According to the current state of knowledge, their coloring resembles that of the host birds. The breeding season corresponds to that of the respective breeding bird species. In India, the female head cuckoo lays her eggs mainly between May and June, whereas in Nepal the egg-laying phase extends from March to August.
The host bird species of the subspecies C. s. Optatus counts including the Zilpzalp , the tree pipit , the black-throated accentor and lanceolated warbler . In Japan, the Japanese bush warbler and the daffodil flycatcher are parasitized.
The newly hatched cuckoo is initially completely unhindered. The nest seat has a red-orange throat and yellowish-white beak bulges. In the first days after hatching, it throws the eggs and young cubs of the respective host species out of the nest, similar to the young cuckoo birds.
literature
- Bruce M. Beehler & Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea: Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 2016, ISBN 978-0691164243 .
- NB Davies: Cuckoos, Cowbirds and Other Cheats . T & AD Poyser, London 2000, ISBN 0-85661-135-2 .
- PJ Higgins (Editor): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1999, ISBN 0-19-553071-3 .
- Johannes Erhitzøe, Clive F. Mann, Frederik P. Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2012, ISBN 978-0-7136-6034-0 .
Web links
- Calls of the subspecies C. s. optatus on Xeno Cantus
- Calls in the nominate form C. s. saturatus on Xeno Cantus
Single receipts
- ↑ a b c Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Hopfkuckuck , accessed on November 25, 2017
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 653.
- ↑ a b c Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 468.
- ↑ a b c Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 469.
- ↑ a b Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 657.
- ↑ a b c Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 470.
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 656.
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 655.
- ↑ Higgins (HSG.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird . P. 654.
- ↑ Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 471.