Madagascar fishermen

Madagascar fishermen
	Madagascar fisherman ( Corythornis madagascariensis )
Systematics
Class :	Birds (aves)
Order :	Rockers (Coraciiformes)
Family :	Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Subfamily :	Common Kingfishers (Alcedininae)
Genre :	Corythornis
Type :	Madagascar fishermen
Scientific name
	Corythornis madagascariensis
	( Linnaeus , 1766)

The Madagascar fisherman ( Corythornis madagascariensis ) is a species of bird from the kingfishers family (Alcedinidae). It is also sometimes referred to as the Madagascar dwarf fisherman , although this common name has become more popular for the black-billed dwarf fisherman ( Corythornis vintsioides ). There are two subspecies, the nominate form C. m. madagascariensis ( Linnaeus , 1766 ), which occurs throughout Madagascar, with the exception of the southwest, and the subspecies C. m. dilutus ( Benson , 1974), of which only a single specimen from the region of Sakaraha in southwest Madagascar is known.

features

The Madagascar fisherman is about 13 cm tall. Males reach a weight of 17 to 21 g, females a weight of 17 to 22 g. Both sexes of the nominate form are bright reddish brown on top. Lower back, upper tail-coverts and the back of the head are faded purple. There is a white spot on the neck. The wings of the hand are black. The underside is white. The flanks are reddish brown. The iris is dark brown. The bill, legs and feet are orange-red. The juvenile birds are more dull in color. With them, the purple blurring is reduced. The beak is black with a bright tip. The subspecies dilutus is lighter. It lacks the purple blurring.

Vocalizations

The shrill call consists of "treet-treet" squeaking tones. If the Madagascar fisherman is startled, a high, harsh “chweip” or “treeeee” sounds when they fly away.

habitat

The habitat includes dry scrubland, savannah forest and the edges and interior of moist, evergreen forests from the coast to altitudes of around 1500 m. The Madagascar fisherman is not dependent on waters.

Eating behavior

The diet consists mainly of frogs. It also includes locusts (Orthoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), earwigs (Dermaptera), ants (Formicidae), insect larvae, spiders, amphipods, leaf- tailed geckos ( Uroplatus ) and small chameleons (Chamaeleonidae). While looking for food, the Madagascar fisherman sits on a low branch in the undergrowth. If the prey is spotted, it flies down, grabs it from the ground and flies back to its seat . The prey is first killed by being hit on a branch before it is swallowed.

Reproductive behavior

Couple of Madagascar fishermen at the nesting tunnel (illustration by JG Keulemans )

Egg-laying is between October and January with a peak between November and December. The nesting tunnel is 30 to 35 cm long and has a diameter of 5 cm. It is built in an earth bank, often on the edge of a forest path. The clutch consists of four eggs. Both sexes breed. No information is available on the incubation period and nestling period.

status

The nominated form of the Madagascar fisherman is classified by BirdLife International as "not endangered" ( least concern ). It is quite common and widespread. The subspecies from Sakahara in the dry southwest of Madagascar, however, is threatened with extinction or is already extinct. It is known only from the holotype from 1974 and has not been rediscovered since then. The terra typica has been completely destroyed.

Systematics

The Madagascar fisherman was originally described as Ispidina madagascariensis . In 1951 it was placed in the genus Ceyx by Jean Théodore Delacour . However, two studies published in 2005 and 2007 suggested that it belongs to the genus Corythornis .

Individual evidence

↑ Delacour, J. 1951. The significance of the number of toes in some woodpeckers and kingfishers . Auk 68: 49-51.
↑ Ben D. Marks, Willard, David E .: Phylogenetic relationships of the Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher ( Ispidina madagascariensis ) . In: The Auk . 122, No. 4, 2005, pp. 1271-1280. doi : 10.1642 / 0004-8038 (2005) 122 [1271: PROTMP] 2.0.CO; 2 .
↑ Moyle, RG, Fuchs, J., Pasquet, E. & Marks, B. 2007. Feeding behavior, toe count, and the phylogenetic relationships among alcedine kingfishers. Journal of Avian Biology. 38: 317-326.

literature

C. Hilary Fry , Kathy Fry: Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. A&C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-140-813-457-3 , pp. 201-202.
Julian Pender Hume, Michael P. Walters: Extinct Birds , p. 210, A & C Black 2012, ISBN 140815725X

Web links

Commons : Madagascar Fisherman ( Ceyx madagascariensis ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Corythornis madagascariensis
Photos, Videos and Sounds of Ceyx madagascariensis at the Internet Bird Collection.

[1] Delacour, J. 1951. The significance of the number of toes in some woodpeckers and kingfishers . Auk 68: 49-51.

[2] Ben D. Marks, Willard, David E .: Phylogenetic relationships of the Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher ( Ispidina madagascariensis ) . In: The Auk . 122, No. 4, 2005, pp. 1271-1280. doi : 10.1642 / 0004-8038 (2005) 122 [1271: PROTMP] 2.0.CO; 2 .

[3] Moyle, RG, Fuchs, J., Pasquet, E. & Marks, B. 2007. Feeding behavior, toe count, and the phylogenetic relationships among alcedine kingfishers. Journal of Avian Biology. 38: 317-326.