Kurol
| Kurol | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
female |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the order | ||||||||||
| Leptosomiformes | ||||||||||
| Sharpe , 1891 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||
| Leptosomidae | ||||||||||
| Blyth , 1838 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||
| Leptosomus | ||||||||||
| Vieillot , 1816 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||
| Leptosomus discolor | ||||||||||
| ( Hermann , 1783) |
The Kurol ( Leptosomus discolor ) is a racket-like bird that is endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros . The population is still relatively large and not endangered. They got their English name Cuckoo Roller (cuckoo racket) because of their appearance (color, length and head), which is similar to the cuckoo , and because of their acrobatic flight skills. There are three subspecies, Leptosomus discolor discolor on Madagascar, Mohéli and Mayotte , L. d. gracilis on Grande Comore and L. d. intermedius on Anjouan .
Appearance
Kurole grow to a height of 38 to 50 centimeters and a weight of 192 to 270 grams. In terms of appearance, there is a pronounced sexual dimorphism between females and males . The female is larger than the male and has reddish brown to brownish upper side plumage; at the bottom it is yellow-brown. The dorsal plumage is banded in black, while the underside is spotted with black. The male's back plumage is green with a copper-colored metallic sheen. The neck and the head are gray and the rest of the plumage has a light blue to light gray to gray color. Both have the same green hood on the large rounded head. The beaks are gray-black to black in color. Fledglings resemble the female in terms of plumage color, but have duller plumage. The legs are quite short in relation to the body.
In contrast to the order of the whackebirds, the curole have two peculiarities: There are powder downs on the rump , and their outer front toes, which can be turned back, are not fused with the other two toes.
Way of life
The agile Kurole are good fliers and, like most Racken, hunt their prey from a control room, but hardly ever go to the ground. They wait patiently for their prey on free branches in the treetops and carefully observe every movement in their environment. Their diet consists of insects, mainly hairy caterpillars , beetles and grasshoppers , and small tree-dwelling reptiles such as chameleons . They roam in pairs, sometimes in smaller groups, in bush savannahs and in tropical and subtropical forest areas. With a wide range of whistling and trilling calls, they draw attention to themselves from afar.
Kurole whistle and chatter very loudly when they fly over the forests of Madagascar. The calls are among the most typical on the island.
Reproduction
In the courtship season, the males perform breathtaking acrobatic flying tricks. They try to impress the female with steep falls and loops. Nests are made in tree hollows, in which the female lays one to three white eggs. Conspecifics are not tolerated near the nest.
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal : Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 6: Mousebirds To Hornbills. ISBN 84-87334-30-X .
- The Encyclopedia of Animals, p. 317, National Geographic Germany, ISBN 978-3-86690-246-6
Web links
- ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System)
- Leptosomus discolor in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 30 of 2009.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Leptosomus discolor in the Internet Bird Collection