Mackinnon Shrike
| Mackinnon Shrike | ||||||||||||
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Mackinnon shrike, female |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lanius Mackinnoni | ||||||||||||
| Sharpe , 1891 |
The Mackinnonwürger ( lanius mackinnoni ) is a bird art of the type Real Würger ( lanius ) from the family of Würger (Laniidae).
The Mackinnon shrike is a medium-sized, strongly contrasting gray-black-white drawn shrike with a distinct black face mask and a relatively long tail. It occurs in two widely separated large distribution areas in western equatorial Africa and in central Africa near the equator . The species is somewhat more tied to moist forest savannahs than other African shrike species, but overall shows a fairly large habitat tolerance.
Lanius mackinnoni is a hide hunter who feeds primarily on invertebrates and only occasionally on small vertebrates . The species is a resident bird and rarely leaves the breeding area that has been chosen.
Despite the extensive separation of the two distribution areas, no subspecies are distinguished. The São Tomé shrike is considered a sister species .
The Mackinnon Shrike is not uncommon in some areas. The IUCN classifies its stock situation as (LC = least concern) .
Like most African shrike species, the Mackinnon shrike has not been adequately researched.
Appearance
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The makinnon shrike is about 8 inches tall. The tail accounts for about half of this. Its weight is 36 grams. Apparently there is no size or weight dimorphism . Characteristic are the gray head, the white shoulder area, which contrasts strongly with the black wings, and the black face mask that does not cover the forehead . The Mackinnon Shrike is one of the species of shrike that do not have a white wing field. Some other representatives of the genus as well as migrating European migrants occur in its habitat. It is easiest to confuse with the northern fiscal strangler , with which the regionally occurs. This one is black on the upper side, is slimmer, always has a white wing mirror and never a white stripe above the eyes.
The skull, crown and neck are slate gray. From the upper base of the beak, a fine white, often slightly wavy stripe over the eyes runs to behind the eyes. It limits the black face mask that widens significantly in the area of the ear covers . The coat and back are also slate gray, the rump and tail-coverts noticeably lighter. The shoulders are pure white. The wings are black, white pen drawings can only appear in the area of the wing bow. The stepped tail is black-brown. Except for the middle pair, all tail feathers in the end region are irregularly dripped white. The entire underside is white or matt white. The beak and legs are black, the iris dark brown. The females are colored the same except for a reddish brown or chestnut brown, often puffy feather section on the flanks.
Young birds show a dark brown face mask, especially in the area of the ear covers. The stripe above the eyes is washed-out white and only vaguely perceptible. The upper side is densely and closely wavy dark brown on a gray-brown background; the underside is dirty white and also darkly wavy. The white shoulder coloration of the adults is indicated. The tail is black-brown, eyes, legs and beak are somewhat lighter than those of colored individuals.
Mauser
The type and course of the moult are poorly known. There is probably a general moult during the post-breeding season, especially in August. The tail feathers may be molted separately.
Vocalizations
The species has a wide repertoire of different alarm and aggression calls, the context of which has not been explored. Shrieking, harsh, croaking calls and short and long whistles are often heard. The singing is a rather soft chirping, melodious in sections, in which different voice and noise imitations as well as pressed sounds and whistles are embedded.
distribution and habitat
orange: Long-tailed Shrike
green: Makinnonwürger
yellow: São Tomé Strangler (arrow and small card left)
The species occurs in two large, widely separated distribution areas in western and central Africa north and south of the equator. The western distribution area extends as a relatively narrow band from southeastern Nigeria , western Cameroon , over almost all of Equatorial Guinea , central Gabon , the southwest of the Republic of the Congo to the northwest of Angola . In central and eastern Africa, the Makinnon strangler is widespread from the northeast of the Republic of the Congo, the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , southern Uganda and northern Tanzania to western Kenya .
Despite a relatively large habitat tolerance, the Makinnon shrike is a type of highly structured, relatively moist mosaic landscape , with a stronger preference for tree-lined landscape types than most other shrike species show. It is a breeding bird in tree savannahs and loose grass savannahs covered with trees and bushes and occurs on the edge of denser forests and in clearings, in regenerative , still open secondary forests , in coffee plantations, as well as in arable areas with trees or bushes and in large gardens and parks . Dense, closed forests and very dry areas are not populated. The species is widespread as a breeding bird from sea level to heights of over 3000 meters. The highest nesting sites were found in the Ruwenzori Mountains .
Information on settlement density is not available; the sizes of the territories vary between one and 6 hectares .
Biological details
Food acquisition and food
Like almost all species of the genus, the Mackinnon shrike is also a hide hunter . He observes from waiting areas , which are mostly at heights between 2 and 5 meters from the ground in the immediate vicinity, and searches him for suitable prey. All perches at a suitable height can serve as waiting areas: they are mostly outer branches of bushes or trees, but termite mounds, electricity pylons, wires or pasture fences are also used. With other stranglers of this size, the hunt success is greatest within a radius of 10 meters. If he spies a prey, he slides from the hide and hits it on the ground, where smaller prey are eaten immediately; He carries larger ones back to the raised hide and dismantles them there, or he impales them on one of his skewers . Flying insects are preyed on mass occurrences in the air. In cool weather, when there are only a few insects on the ground, he reads prey from leaves, tree trunks or branches.
Insects, especially beetles , grasshoppers , caterpillars , ants , termites and bedbugs make up the main part of the diet; other invertebrates such as worms and arachnids are less likely to be eaten. Wandering ants can become the main food for a short time. On occasion, the Makinnon shrike also prey on mice , small songbirds and their nestlings, as well as frogs and geckos .
Breeding biology
The breeding seasons of the western populations are between September and April, those of the birds of the eastern range between February and August. The species usually breeds twice a year. The nest is relatively large with an outer diameter of up to 110 centimeters. It is usually hidden in a thorn bush, not too high. The clutch consists of 2 - 3 cream-colored eggs, which are speckled yellow-brown and purple in various ways. Further information is not available.
Systematics
The species was first described in 1891 by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe . The type specimen comes from the westernmost Kenya. The species was named after the Scottish military doctor and colonial official Dr. Archibald Donald MacKinnon.
The related classification of the species within the genus has not been fully clarified. The São Tomé shrike is probably the sister species and the stranglers from the Lanius collaris complex and the rust-mantled shrike are among the closest relatives. No subspecies are recognized. The described subspecies L. m. zenkerianus from southern Cameroon is not valid.
Persistence and Threat
The species is not listed in any danger level. At least locally, it doesn't seem rare. How the large-scale deforestation that occurs in the breeding areas of the species will affect the population is currently not foreseeable. This may create new living spaces.
literature
- Tony Harris, Kim Franklin: Shrikes & Bush-Shrikes. Including wood-shrikes, helmet-shrikes, flycather-shrikes, philentomas, batises and wattle-eyes. Christopher Helm, London 2000, ISBN 0-7136-3861-3 .
- Norbert Lefranc, Tim Worfolk: Shrikes. A Guide to the Shrikes of the World. Pica Press, 1997, ISBN 1-4081-3505-1 .
- Reuven Yosef & International Shrike Working Group (2016): Mackinnon's Shrike (Lanius mackinnoni) . In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, DA & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (downloaded from http://www.hbw.com/node/60489 on July 20, 2016).
- Evgenij N. Panov: The True Shrikes (Laniidae) of the World - Ecology, Behavior and Evolution. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia 2011, ISBN 978-954-642-576-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jérôme Fuchs, Timothy M. Crowe and Rauri CK Bowie: Phylogeography of the fiscal shrike (Lanius collaris): a novel pattern of genetic structure across the arid zones and savannas of Africa. In: Journal of Biogeography (J. Biogeogr.) (2011). P. 8
- ↑ Lanius mackinnoni in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.3. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ↑ Norbert Lefranc, Tim Worfolk: Shrikes. A Guide to the Shrikes of the World. Pica Press, 1997, ISBN 1-4081-3505-1 . P. 154
- ↑ a b c d e Reuven Yosef & International Shrike Working Group (2016): Mackinnon's Shrike (Lanius mackinnoni) . In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, DA & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (downloaded from http://www.hbw.com/node/60489 on July 20, 2016).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h T. Harris, K. Franklin: Shrikes & Bush-Shrikes… 2000, p. 168.
- ↑ Voice examples at xeno-canto
- ↑ EN Panov: The True Shrikes (Laniidae) ... 2011, pp. 113–115.
- ↑ EN Panov: The True Shrikes (Laniidae) ... 2011, p. 114.
- ↑ EN Panov: The True Shrikes (Laniidae) ... 2011, p. 194.
- ^ James A. Jobling: Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm London Reprint 2011. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
- ↑ Jérôme Fuchs, Timothy M. Crowe and Rauri CK Bowie: Phylogeography of the fiscal shrike (Lanius collaris): a novel pattern of genetic structure across the arid zones and savannas of Africa. In: Journal of Biogeography (J. Biogeogr.) (2011). P. 8
