Capsule
| Capsule | ||||||||||||
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Capsule ( Motacilla capensis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Motacilla capensis | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1766 |
The capstilt ( Motacilla capensis ) is a songbird species from the family of stilts and pipiters . It is widespread in large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa , where it occurs in all types of water in the open and semi-open landscape. It is not uncommon to find it south of Limpopos in settlements and cities. It feeds mainly on insects. It is widespread and is often classified as not threatened by the IUCN .
description
At 17 to 20.5 cm, the Cape Wagtail is slightly larger than a wagtail . It weighs between 17 and 25 g. The sexes do not differ.
In the adult dress of the nominate form , the entire upper side is dark olive gray. The narrow stripe above the eyes is beige, the reins are dark. The iris shows a dark brown color, the beak is black. The chin and throat are creamy white and are bordered by a dark chest band that widens in the middle of the chest. The sides of the chest and the flanks are olive-gray like the top, the rest of the underside is yellowish to creamy white. The under tail-coverts are white. The black-brown wing plumage shows beige to gray fringes, on the underside of the wing the axillary feathers are gray, the under wing-coverts are whitish. The control feathers are brownish black, with the two outer pairs predominantly white, the two adjacent ones are lined with white and form white outer edges of the tail. The legs show a black-gray color.
Capsules in youthful plumage are shorter-tailed and warmer brown on the top than adult birds. The wing covers have beige tips and the underside is tinged with yellow.
voice
The call is a loud and high- pitched tziep or twiep , which is sometimes pronounced with two or three syllables. The song is described as chirping and may contain finch-like tones.
Distribution and existence
The capstilt inhabits large parts of sub-Saharan Africa . East of the rainforest belt it occurs in two sub-areas in the western part of the East African Rift and east of Lake Victoria . The main part of the distribution ranges from Angola and the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo south to the Cape and east to western Mozambique . There are larger distribution gaps in the Namib and Kalahari as well as in the mountainous regions of Zambia and Zimbabwe . In South Africa, the distribution extends northward on the east coast to Limpopo, north of which the species is largely absent in a wide area along the east African coast.
The capstilt is widespread and common and is one of the most common breeding bird species in South Africa. It is rare only on the edge of the rainforest belt and in the highlands of Kenya. In the 1950s and 1960s, populations in South Africa declined due to the intensive use of insecticides, but have since recovered. The species has probably benefited significantly from the creation of parks and gardens as well as artificial irrigation.
Geographic variation
The subspecies M. c. simplicissima differs from the nominate form in that the plumage is more olive-green on the top and yellower on the underside. The chest band is limited to a chest patch. The subspecies M. c. Wellsi is quite dark on the upper side, shows a clearly separated, very dark chest band and a slightly reddish underside. The sometimes described subspecies M. c. bradfieldi from Namibia and M. c. beirensis from South Mozambique are now assigned to the nominate form.
- M. c. wellsi Ogilvie-Grant , 1911 - from the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo eastwards to southwest Uganda and southwest Tanzania as well as western and central Kenya
- M. c. simplicissima Neumann , 1929 - Angola eastward to the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southward to northeastern Namibia, northern Botswana and Zambia, and west of Zimbabwe to the Zambezi
- M. c. capensis Linnaeus , 1766 - west and south of Namibia, southeastern Botswana, most of Zimbabwe and from west and south Mozambique southwards to southern South Africa .
habitat
The capstilt inhabits places with bare or short-grass areas near bodies of water of all kinds. In the southern part of their range, they are often found near settlements and even on lawns within large cities or villages, on rivers with trees, on floodplains, pasture land and dunes as well sandy or rocky beaches. North of the Limpopo, the species rarely occurs as a cultural successor , but can only be found in the vicinity of settlements in agricultural areas. You can find them here mainly on the edge of wetlands, in river landscapes, in grasslands and in forest clearings up to 3000 m altitude.
hikes
Most capstilts are resident birds . In parts of East Africa, however, there are migratory populations and in parts of South Africa and Zambia the species could be a partial or even long-distance migrant. Many migration observations from the dry winter months may be dispersal movements or flight movements due to persistent drought, but regular observations from the dry season in Botswana indicate regular migration.
Like the wagtail, capstilts often form large sleeping societies of up to 100 animals outside of the breeding season. It is not uncommon for these to be found within heavily populated settlement areas.
nutrition
The capsule feeds mainly on insects and their larval stages. A large number of these include two-winged birds such as mosquitoes and mosquitoes, as well as butterflies , beetles , ants , dragonflies and termites . Furthermore, mites , beach fleas , snails , tadpoles or even small fish are prey. Various household waste is also accepted.
Foraging often takes place on muddy or grassy areas, sometimes between grazing cattle. As with other stilts, the food is searched continuously or in short catches, sometimes catching flights were observed from waiting areas like the gray wagtail . Outside the breeding season, associations of up to 50 individuals sometimes gather in places rich in food.
Systematics
According to some authors, the Cape wagtail forms a superspecies with the Madagascar wagtail ( M. flaviventris ) , sometimes the two species are also combined with the yellow wagtail and the lemon wagtail to form a superspecies. However, studies of the mitochondrial DNA could not confirm this.
literature
- J. del Hoyo, A. Elliot, D. Christie (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails . Lynx Edicions 2004, ISBN 8487334695
Web links
- Motacilla capensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved on December 10 of 2010.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Motacilla capensis in the Internet Bird Collection