Congo Tern

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Congo Tern
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Swallows (Hirundinidae)
Subfamily : Hirundininae
Genre : Sand martin ( Riparia )
Type : Congo Tern
Scientific name
Riparia congica
( Reichenow , 1887)

The Congo Tern ( Riparia congica ) is a little researched bird of the swallow family (Hirundinidae). It occurs in the border area between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo .

features

The Congo Tern reaches a body length of 11 centimeters. The wing length is 88 to 98 millimeters, the tail length 40 to 50 millimeters, the beak length 9 to 10 millimeters and the barrel length 6 to 8 millimeters. The head and top are gray-brown. The wings and the almost square tail are dark brown. The upper breast is light brown, the rest of the underside is white. The under wing-coverts are dark brown. It differs from the sand martin ( Riparia riparia ) in its smaller size and a less pronounced chest band, from the brown-throated sand martin ( Riparia paludicola ) in its lighter throat. The sexes look the same. The young birds have light feather tips on top and a less pronounced brown chest band.

distribution and habitat

Distribution area (green) of the Congo Tern

The occurrence extends to the Congo and the lower reaches of the Ubangi on the border between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are also supposed to be observations from the Sangha in the Republic of the Congo. Here, however, the status is considered unsafe. The Congo Tern lives on river banks, but also flies over the forests while foraging for food.

Way of life

Details of feeding behavior are not known. The flight is swift and fluttering with rapid, flat wing beats. The Congo Tern forms mixed flocks with other swallows, especially the sand martin. Breeding Congo Terns were observed at Lukolela between February and March at low river levels. They breed in colonies, sometimes near the gray- necked swallow ( Pseudhirundo griseopyga ), and dig a cave in the sandbar or on the steep side of a sand island. There are no records of the size of the clutch or the breeding and rearing periods.

Hazard and protection

The IUCN lists the Congo Tern in the category “not endangered” ( least concern ). It is locally common within its limited range, but only a few observations along the Ubangi are known.

literature

  • Anton Reichenow : About a bird collection from the Congo area In: Journal for Ornithology No. 35, 1887, p. 300 (first scientific description as Colite congica )
  • Anton Reichenow: Hirundinidae In: Die Vögel Afrikas , Volume 2, J. Neumann, 1900, p. 394
  • James Paul Chapin : The birds of the Belgian Congo. Part 3 In Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, No. 75A, 1953, pp. 735-736
  • Angela K. Turner , Chris Rose : Swallows & Martins: An Identification Guide and Handbook , Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-395-51174-7 , 1989, p. 143
  • Emil K. Urban , C. Hilary Fry , Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa Volume IV: Broadbills to Chats , Academic Press, 1992, ISBN 978-0-12137-304-7 , p. 140
  • Angela K. Turner: Family Hirundinidae (Swallows and Martins) In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, D. Christie: Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, ​​Spain, 2004, p. 947

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