Lobe pittas
| Lobe pittas | ||||||||||||
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Yellow-bellied Jala ( Philepitta schlegeli ), above: male, middle: adult female, below: young female. |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Philepittidae | ||||||||||||
| Sharpe , 1870 |
The Lappenpittas (Philepittidae) or Jalas are a family in the order of the passerine birds (Passeriformes). There are four types, which are divided into two genera. Lobe pittas occur exclusively in Madagascar , they have hardly been researched and very little is known about them. They live solitary and inhabit the thick undergrowth of the forests. Their build is short and stocky, but stocky. The short tail and long legs are striking. The Malagasy name is Asity. It has partly entered the Anglo-Saxon and French language usage.
Genera and species
- Genus Neodrepanis
- Short-billed nectar jala ( Neodrepanis hypoxanthus ): Extremely little is known about this jala, only a few specimens from eastern Madagascar are known.
- Long-beaked nectar jala ( Neodrepanis coruscans ): In contrast to the short-beaked nectar jala, the long-billed nectar jala is much better known. This small bird , only ten centimeters long and reminiscent of tree creepers , inhabits large parts of the island. It has a long, downward-curved bill and feeds on insects that it pecks from the bark of a tree. The plumage is colored iridescent blue above and yellow below. He wears two large flaps of skin over his eyes.
- Genus Philepitta
- Yellow-bellied jala ( Philepitta schlegeli ): This jala is widespread in the west of the island and has a larger proportion of yellow in the plumage. Male animals are characterized by a black head and black skin flaps.
- Silk jala ( Philepitta castanea ): The silk jala occurs in the lowlands of the east. Small fruits presumably serve as food. The flask-shaped nest has a small roof over the entrance. The female often lays three elongated, whitish eggs. The females are olive-green in color, the males are black and have yellow feather ends. There is a long greenish flap of skin over each eye.
literature
- H. Elliott McClure: Broadmouths and Pittas. In: Joseph Michael Forshaw (ed.), David Kirshner: Encyclopedia of the Animal World: Birds. Translated from the English by Derek Vinyard. Orbis, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 978-3-572-01378-4 , p. 159.