Karthala goggles bird

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Karthala goggles bird
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Sylvioidea
Family : Spectacled birds (Zosteropidae)
Genre : Zosterops
Type : Karthala goggles bird
Scientific name
Zosterops mouroniensis
Milne-Edwards & Oustalet , 1885

The Karthalabrillenvogel ( Zosterops mouroniensis ) is a species of the bird of the spectacled family . It is endemic to the Karthala on the Comoros island of Grande Comore . The type epithet refers to Moroni , the capital of the Comoros.

description

The Karthalabrillenvogel reaches a length of 13 centimeters and a wing length of 5.6 centimeters. The crown of the head, the sides of the head and the neck are dull olive brown. A narrow white eye ring runs around the iris. A light yellow vertical line can be seen above the reins. The underside is olive yellow-green. The throat and rump are brightly colored olive-yellow-green. The yellow-greenish tint of the flanks is washed out on the chest. The tail is a single color, matt black. The young birds differ from the adult birds by their duller plumage and the narrower eye ring. The contact call of the Karthalabrillenbird consists of a soft fee fee fee pee pee .

Habitat and way of life

The habitat of the Karthalabrillenvogel is an area of ​​72 km² on the crater of the Karthala on Grande Comore at an altitude of over 1650 m. The alpine vegetation is characterized by Philippia comorensis heather forests. The Karthalabrillenvogel goes foraging in large groups. Occasionally it can be seen in mixed flocks with the Madagascar spectacled bird ( Zosterops maderaspatana ). Its diet consists of fruits and insects. One nest was found four meters above the ground and another one meter below the top of a Philippia heather.

status

In 1958, large areas of the heather forests were destroyed by the activity of the Karthala volcano. In addition, the Philippia Heath is threatened by grazing cattle and fire. With the rapidly growing population, deforestation and agricultural land use increase. Since 1983, intact forests have declined by 25%. Arable land has spread continuously on the slopes of the Karthala and already extends into the habitat of the Karthala gill-bird. Secondary forests and the agricultural belt are dominated by invasive exotic plants, such as strawberry guava ( Psidium cattleianum ), which further degrade the remaining endemic forest. If the plans to build a road at the Karthala crater are realized, the exploitation and fragmentation of forests and the spread of invasive plants could accelerate. Shepherd mainas and house rats are food competitors and nest robbers. In 1988 BirdLife International estimated the population of the Karthala gilled bird to be between 2,500 and 10,000 specimens.

literature

  • Ian Sinclair, Olivier Langrand : Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands. New edition. Struik et al., Cape Town et al. 2004, ISBN 1-86872-956-7 .
  • Otto Finsch : The animal kingdom. Delivery 15: Zosteropidae. Friedländer, Berlin 1901.

Web links