King parrot finch
| King parrot finch | ||||||||||||
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King parrot finch |
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| Erythrura regia | ||||||||||||
| ( Sclater , 1881) |
The king parrot finch ( Erythrura regia ), also known as the short-tailed parrot finch, is a species of the finch family. Several subspecies are distinguished. For a long time it was disputed whether the Peales parrot finch together with the king parrot finch represent subspecies of the Samoa parrot finch. Both the King Parrots and the Peales Parrots are now generally recognized as independent species due to their strong eco-ethological differentiation.
The king parrot is rated by the IUCN as an endangered ( vulnerable ) species.
description
The two sexes are the same in the king parrot finch. The top of the head is red to the nape of the neck. Unlike the Samoa parrot, the king parrot has a completely blue back, blue wing-coverts and a blue underside of the body. The underside of the body of the young birds is somewhat greener than that of the adult birds.
Distribution area and way of life
The King Parrot Madine was originally found in Santa Maria, Banks Island , Vanuatu , Aneitum, and the New Hebrides . Due to the destruction of the island's vegetation, food competition with fruit pigeons and hunting, the king parrot now only occurs on four of the islands. The habitat are forest clearings and the secondary bush wherever there are fig trees. The height distribution extends up to 2,000 meters.
The King Parrot Madine is a food specialist and specializes in the seeds of wild figs . The fig species used by king parrots include Ficus acrorhyncha , Ficus obliqua , Ficus verrucosa and Ficus kajewskii . It never visits the ground while ingesting food.
The breeding season of the King Parrot Madine is from September to December. Under the best of circumstances, the breeding season can extend into April. The clutch consists of three to four eggs. The incubation period is 14 and the nestling period is 18 days. The young birds are independent about two weeks after they fly out.
attitude
The king parrot was probably first introduced to England in 1934 and then successfully bred several times. After that, the species was not imported to Europe until 1962. So far it has not been possible to establish a self-sustaining population in Europe.
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 , accessed June 25, 2010.
- Erythrura regia inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 170.
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 26, 2010.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 175.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 176.