Noise pitta
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Noise pitta ( Pitta versicolor ) |
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| Pitta versicolor | ||||||||||||
| Swainson , 1825 |
The noise pitta ( Pitta versicolor ) is a passerine bird of the genus Pitta within the family of the Pittas (Pittidae). The species belongs to the avifauna of Australia and New Guinea. There are two subspecies for this species . The specific epithet versicolor indicates the different colors of the body plumage.
The IUCN classifies the existence of noise pollution as harmless ( least concern ).
features
Noise pittas reach a body length of 19 centimeters to 21 centimeters, of which the male of the nominate form accounts for 4.4 to 5.8 centimeters on the tail plumage. In females, the tail plumage is slightly shorter with a length of 4 to 5 centimeters. They also have a slightly shorter beak at 2.4 to 3.2 centimeters. In the males this has a length of 2.6 to 3.2 centimeters. Females weigh between 70 and 128 grams, while the males weigh between 70 and 112 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism.
In the adult birds, the forehead, crown and upper neck are dark maroon with a narrow black line in the middle. The rest of the head and the lower neck are black. The top of the body is bright green, the upper tail-coverts are turquoise with a metallic sheen. The hand wings are black and on the third to sixth hand wings have a larger white spot on the outer flag, which is not visible when the feathers are folded, but is noticeable in birds in flight. The arm wings, on the other hand, are black with green borders. The elytra are green and some have a turquoise shimmer.
The chin and throat are black, the rest of the underside of the body is golden isabel in color, with the region in the throat more yellowish and the sides of the chest a greenish tone. There is a black spot in the middle of the abdomen, which turns into a bright red on the lower abdomen and the lower tail-coverts. The beak is black, the iris is dark brown, the feet and legs are flesh-colored to pale pink.
Possible confusion
The greatest similarity exists between the noise pitta and the blue-winged pitta . This occurs in back India , the southwest of China , the Great Sunda Islands and the Philippines . As stray visitors , you will also find yourself again and again on Christmas Island and on the west coast of Australia , where otherwise only the rainbow pitta is represented from the Pittas family . It is very rarely found on the east coast of Australia and in southeast New Guinea, where the noise pitta also occurs. The little blue-winged pitta differs from the noise pitta, however, in its white chin and throat, which are black in the case of the noise pitta. The rainbow pitta, on the other hand, can be distinguished from the noise pitta by the black underside of the body.
In New Guinea there is a subspecies of the cap pitta , which is much smaller than the noise pitta and has a black head. The ornamental pitta is also only found in the area of distribution of the noise pitta and has a black head, with the head cap bordered by two isabel-colored stripes. The black-faced pitta, which also only occurs as an errant in the area of distribution of the noise pitta, has no red on the underside of the body.
In addition to the possibility of confusion due to the appearance, there is also one with regard to the calls. The magnificent bird of paradise found in Eastern Australia has very similar calls to the noise pitta.
Distribution area
In Australia, the noise pitta occurs only in an elongated strip along the east coast. The distribution area extends from the Cape York Peninsula and the islands in the Torres Strait to the village of Port Macquarie in the Australian state of New South Wales at the mouth of the Hastings River . The noise pitta is very rare in New Guinea. It has not yet been established whether it belongs to the breeding birds there. She is considered a winter guest there. So far, there have only been few studies on the migratory and wandering behavior of the noise pitta. It is believed that most populations are nomadic outside the breeding season.
The habitat of the noise pitta are humid subtropical and tropical rainforests. It occurs there from the lowlands up to altitudes of 1500 meters. It also occurs in humid eucalyptus forests and mangroves. During their migrations outside the breeding season, they are more common in mangroves and thickets along the coast.
food
Noise pittas mainly eat shell snails, as well as worms, insects and spiders. It is also reported that they also eat berries, fruits and land-living crustaceans .
Noise pittas use so-called forges to open the snails' houses. They hold the snails in their beak and repeatedly smack them against a hard object such as a stone, a piece of rock and a tree trunk, and even beer bottles have served as a forge for the noise pitta. The places that offer such opportunities are frequented by the noise pitta, so that there are usually several snail shells there.
Nestlings are mainly fed with millipedes, grasshoppers, flies, ants, snails and caterpillars. The noise pitta finds its food almost exclusively on the forest floor. When searching for food, it digs through the layer of fallen leaves with its powerful beak, pushing the leaves to one side with a sideways movement of its head.
Reproduction
Noise pittas, like all pittas, are monogamous birds. The breeding season is such that the eggs are laid two to three months before the peak of the rainy season. This gives young birds the best chance of survival: At the point in time when they become independent from their parent birds, they have the greatest seasonal food available. The breeding season in the Australian northeast falls accordingly in the months October to January, further south noise pittas begin to breed from September.
The nest is built on the ground and is vaulted. The dimensions are 30 centimeters × 30 centimeters × 20 centimeters. The entrance to the nest box is on the side. Nests are usually found at the base of a fern-covered rock or between the roots of trees. Branches, leaves, roots, bits of bark, leaves and other plant fibers as well as Moses are built into the nest. The nest chamber is laid out with grass and fine plant fibers. A "ramp" leads to the nest entrance of about 15 centimeters leads to the side nest entrance, which is about 9 centimeters above the ground. This ramp consists of twigs layered lengthways. Mammalian excrement is smeared by the birds in front of the nest entrance, but sometimes also in the nest chamber. Both parent birds are involved in building the nest. There is different information about the duration of the nest building. In the case of two nests observed, the nest was built within three days, whereas a noise pitta held in captivity built the nest for a month.
The clutch consists of three to five eggs. In principle, clutch sizes of three eggs are typical for populations of the noise pittas that occur north of 22 ° south latitude, while four eggs are mainly found among the noise pittas that live south of this border. In the literature it is speculated whether the smaller clutch size in tropical regions is due to the lower food supply in tropical rainforests compared to subtropical rainforests.
The eggs have a white to white-blue basic color, dark purple-brown patches and scribbles as well as blue-gray spots almost covered by them. The laying distance between the individual eggs is small: one observed female laid four eggs within two days. Both parent birds breed. The replacing parent bird calls from a stand guard outside the nest, whereupon the brooding bird leaves the nest immediately. The breeding period for captive birds was 14 days.
In the case of noise pittas observed in captivity, the nestlings were only hobbled during the night. The pair kept raised two clutches in one breeding season. Both parent birds fed, the proportion of the male being greater, especially shortly before the young birds flew out. The nestlings left the nest between 15 and 20 days of age and did not stay together. They were independent from the parent birds at 32 days of age.
Noise pittas and people
Australian zoos succeeded in breeding noise pittas back in the early 1980s. The Taronga Zoo in Sydney bred with two breeding pairs kept in two separate large aviaries. Since it is possible that noise pittas eat the nestlings of smaller ground-breeding songbirds, the noise pittas were kept together with parakeets.
Trivia
The noise pitta is considered to be one of the best examples of Bergmann's rule , which states that the average size of an animal species increases the closer its range is to the poles. In the case of the noise pittas, the populations occurring further south are actually noticeably larger.
literature
- Johannes Erritzøe and Helga Erritzoe: Pittas of the World - A Monograph on the Pitta Family . The Lutterworth Press, Cambridge 1998, ISBN 0-7188-2961-1 .
- RE Johnstone and GM Storr: Handbook of Western Australian Birds - Volume II: Passerines (Blue-Winged Pitta to Goldfinch). Perth 2004, ISBN 1-920843-11-6 .
- PJ Higgins, JM Peter and SJ Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . Oxford University Press, Melbourne 2006, ISBN 978-0-195-55884-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Handbook of the Birds of the World zur Lärmpitta , accessed on May 4, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Erritzoe & Erritzoe: "Pittas of the World". P. 158
- ↑ a b c Erritzoe & Erritzoe: "Pittas of the World". P. 154.
- ^ Johnstone & Storr: Handbook of Western Australian Birds - Volume II: Passerines (Blue-Winged Pitta to Goldfinch) . P. 16.
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 655.
- ↑ a b Erritzoe & Erritzoe: "Pittas of the World". P. 155.
- ↑ a b c Erritzoe & Erritzoe: "Pittas of the World". P. 156.
- ↑ a b c Erritzoe & Erritzoe: "Pittas of the World". P. 157.