Leek green parrot finch
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Leek-green parrot finch ( Erythrura prasina ) |
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| ( Sparrman , 1788) |
The leek-green parrot finch ( Erythrura prasina ) is a Southeast Asian species from the finch family . In addition to the nominate form , the subspecies Erythrura prasina coelica from the island of Borneo was described by Edward Charles Stuart Baker in 1925 .
description
The leek-green parrot finch reaches a height between 14 and 15 centimeters and is therefore one of the largest species among the magnificent finches. The beak is strong and large in relation to the head and is dark gray in color. The eyes are black. The top of the body is greenish in both sexes. In the male, the head and throat are blue and the belly is red. The individual color fields are not separated from one another, but merge into one another.
The female lacks the blue on her head and throat. The top of the head and the sides of the head are as green as the back, but the green is more dull than in the male. The underside of the body is ocher-brownish gray. Young birds are generally greenish grayish than adult birds. They have a purely gray top on the head. The throat is gray and the rest of the underside of the body is brownish white. The upper beak is dark and the lower beak reddish horn-colored.
Distribution and way of life
The leek-green parrot finch is common in Laos , Thailand , Malaysia , Sumatra , Borneo and Java . Very little is known about their way of life. Outdoor observations were only made sporadically at altitudes above 1,300 meters. Rice seems to be their main food, at least for parts of the year. It also eats grass and bamboo seeds and probably also the seeds of other plants.
The breeding season falls on Java in the rainy season and takes place accordingly in the months of February and November. Unlike the other Real Parrot Madines , it shows a real straw collar. The male holds a blade of grass or a leaf in its beak and dances in front of the female by alternately flexing and stretching the running joints. The leek green parrot is a free breeder. She builds her nest free-standing in the bushes. For this she uses narrow leaves, plant fibers and moss. The female lays between two and six eggs. The incubation period is 12 to 14 days. The young birds leave the nest after 21 days and are very agile and dexterous from the start. In the first few days after flying out, they often sit close together on branches. The species-typical individual distance only develops when the young birds are independent. The juvenile moult begins at six weeks of age and is completed at three months.
Importance as an ornamental bird
The time of the first import into Europe can no longer be precisely determined. However, the species was already kept in 1877 and in 1878 a larger number was imported via the London animal wholesaler Abrahams. In the years that followed, the species was more common in Central Europe and was even one of the most frequently imported Asian finches until the First World War . It is still offered on a regular basis and is sometimes sold in large numbers.
literature
- Horst Bielfeld : Knowing and caring for 300 ornamental birds. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-5737-2 .
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Australia, Oceania, Southeast Asia. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3249-4 .
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 126.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 126 and p. 127.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 127.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 137.
Web links
- BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 23, 2010
- Erythrura prasina inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2013.