Short-tailed Paradigalla
| Short-tailed Paradigalla | ||||||||||||
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Short-tailed Paradigalla |
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| Paradigalla brevicauda | ||||||||||||
| Rothschild & Hartert , 1911 |
The short-tailed paradigalla ( Paradigalla carunculata ), also called short-tailed paradise magpie, is a species of bird from the family of birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae). It occurs exclusively in the highlands of New Guinea. Compared to the second species of the long-tailed paradigalla belonging to the genus Paradigalla , the range of the short-tailed paradigalla is large and more known about its way of life.
The IUCN classifies the short-tailed Paradigalla as not endangered ( least concern ). No subspecies are distinguished.
description
Body type and measurements
The short-tailed Paradigalla is a medium-sized to large, strongly built bird of paradise with conspicuous facial lobes and a comparatively short tail. One of the special features of the short-tailed Paradigalla is that the middle pair of control feathers is about three millimeters larger than the rest of the tail plumage.
It reaches a body length of up to 23 centimeters, of which between 4.2 and 7.3 centimeters in males and between 5.3 and 9.1 centimeters in females are due to the control springs . The beak has a length of 4 to 4.9 centimeters. They weigh between 160 and 184 grams. Gender dimorphism is not very noticeable. Females only have a slightly smaller body and are a little browner and more dull in color.
Appearance
The head, neck and the entire top of the body are velvet black. The head plumage has an oily greenish yellow shimmer. The rest of the upper side of the body, including the middle pair of control springs, has a purple sheen and forms olive-green highlights in certain lighting conditions. In the area of the front face there are two bright yellow face lobes that look like melted plastic. These start at the end of the upper beak. Another sky-blue facial lobe begins at the base of the lower beak.
The hand wings and the outer control springs are black-brown. The entire underside of the body is black-brown with a matt copper sheen. The beak is black, the iris dark brown, the legs and feet are gray-purple.
Distribution area and habitat
The Kurzschank-Paradigalla occurs in the mountain ranges in the interior of New Guinea. The westernmost distribution area is the Weyland Mountains, in the east it extends to the Bismarck Mountains . The altitude distribution ranges from 1400 meters to 2580 meters. However, they are most common in altitudes between 1600 and 2400 meters.
The short-tailed Paradigalla occurs mainly in mountain rainforests. It can also be found on forest edges, in secondary forests and even on the edge of gardens.
Way of life
The short-tailed paradigalla is an inconspicuous and so far little researched bird. It usually stays in the crown area of solitary, very tall trees that reach far beyond the rest of the vegetation. They move more leisurely in the crowns, but can show great agility when they look for animal food in the perched orchids and women. They mainly live on fruits, but also eat insects and occasionally small vertebrates such as frogs and small reptiles.
Reproduction
The short-tailed Paradigalla is one of the polygynous birds: males mate with several females, while the females alone raise the offspring. There is no information available about the courtship behavior of this bird of paradise species. Females show a high degree of loyalty to their nest location: two observed females nested for four and seven years in the same area.
By the end of the 20th century, only seven nests had been examined: These were in the forks of high trees at an average height of seven meters. When building a nest, the female builds parts of creepers up to a length of 45 centimeters. The inside of the nest is laid out with dry leaves. The only two clutches examined each contained only one egg. It was pale pink in color with brown and purple-gray spots and spots. The incubation period is at least 19 days. According to previous observations, the females feed predominantly animal food. Small frogs and skinks, larvae, beetles, grasshoppers and earthworms, spiders, caterpillars and praying mantises were identifiable. The nestling duration is around 25 days.
literature
- Bruce M. Beehler , Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
- Clifford B. Frith, Bruce M. Beehler : The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854853-2 .
Single receipts
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World on the Kurzschwanz-Paradigalla , accessed on July 9, 2017
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 244.
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 246.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 245.
- ↑ a b Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 247.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 248.