Lycocorax
| Lycocorax | ||||||||||||
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Crow bird of paradise ( Lycocorax pyrrhopterus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lycocorax | ||||||||||||
| Bonaparte , 1853 |
Lycocorax is a genus of birds from the family of birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae), which includes only two species . Both types are classified as safe ( least concern )by the IUCN . The range of the species is limited to the Moluccas .
features
The two species of the genus Lycocorax are considered to be the species among the birds of paradise that are most similar to the ravens and crows . They reach a body length of up to 42 centimeters and a weight of up to 370 grams. The plumage is very dark in both species, unlike a large number of birds of paradise, they have no elongated tail feathers that protrude above the rest of the tail plumage.
The skull bears a resemblance to the skulls of the species belonging to the Manukodes , but the beak is stronger and straighter. They have the strongest beaks within the bird of paradise family. They have no wattles and the nostrils are featherless. In the tail plumage, the outermost pair of control feathers is slightly shorter so that the tail plumage appears slightly rounded. The legs and feet are strong.
Species and their range
The following types and subspecies are distinguished:
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Crow bird of paradise ( Lycocorax pyrrhopterus )
- Lycocorax pyrrhopterus morotensis Schlegel , 1863 : This subspecies occurs on the islands of Morotai and Rau of the Northern Moluccas .
- Lycocorax pyrrhopterus pyrrhopterus ( Bonaparte , 1850) ; This subspecies occurs on the islands of Halmahera , Kasiruta, and the Bacan Islands .
- Obi paradise crow ( Lycocorax obiensis ). Occurrence on the Obi Islands , an archipelago of the Northern Moluccas
The obi paradise crow has long been considered a subspecies of the bird of paradise. Today it is granted a species status because it has several characteristics, e.g. B. Differences in plumage, a noticeably different behavior as well as a clearly different song, different from the bird of paradise.
Habitat and way of life
The two species inhabit different habitats. The Obiparadiescrahe occurs among other things in open agricultural landscapes, if these have enough bushes. The bird of paradise, on the other hand, is predominantly a bird of the forest areas that also occurs in the interior of rainforests. According to the current state of knowledge, they only eat fruit.
In both birds, the clutch consists of a single egg. Nothing is currently known about the duration of the breeding season and the period between the hatching of the nestlings and their escape for both species.
literature
- Clifford B. Frith, Bruce M. Beehler : The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854853-2 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Handbook of the Birds of the World on the Krähenparadiesvogelf , accessed on July 4, 2017
- ↑ a b c d Handbook of the Birds of the World on Obiparadieskrähe , accessed on July 5, 2017
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 209.
- ↑ Frith & Beehler: The Birds of Paradise - Paradisaeidae . P. 204.