Mangrove fan tail

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Mangrove fan tail
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Corvoidea
Family : Fantails (Rhipiduridae)
Genre : Fan tails ( Rhipidura )
Type : Mangrove fan tail
Scientific name
Rhipidura phasiana
De Vis , 1884

The mangrove fan tail ( Rhipidura phasiana ) is a songbird from the family of fan tails (Rhipiduridae) that occurs from New Guinea to Australia. Its common German name refers to its living space. Compared to the two species common garden fan tail and fox tail , which are also found in Australia , this species has not yet been researched very much.

The populations of the mangrove fan tail are not considered endangered in its entire range. In the past, the species was viewed as a subspecies of the New Zealand fan tail ( Rhipidura fuliginosa ). It is considered monotypical , no subspecies are distinguished.

features

Between the sexes of Mangrovefächerschwanzes is neither in the plumage coloration still in Build a dimorphism .

It reaches a body length of 13.5 to 15.5 cm. The beak is 12.2–13.9 mm long. It has a wing length of 63-68.5 mm, its tail measures 75-83 mm. The weight is between 4 and 7.6 g.

In the adult birds, the head and neck are light gray. The reins and the ear covers are a little darker and contrast strikingly with the white chin and throat. One of the noticeable features of this species is the broad, but comparatively short, over-eye stripe . There is another white line above the ear covers. The rest of the top of the body is light gray, the wings are darker and more brownish. The tail plumage is dark gray, the outer pair of control feathers has a narrow white border on the respective outer flag. Except for the middle pair of control springs, all control springs also have a white spring shaft.

The white chin and the white throat are set off from the rest of the plumage by a narrow gray chest band. The rest of the underside of the body is light brown. The beak is black, the lower bill has a white base. The iris is dark brown, the feet and legs are black-brown to dark gray.

Fledglings are basically similar to adults, but the upper part of the body has a brownish wash. On the underside of their bodies, young birds are lighter than the adult birds.

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the mangrove fan tail extends over a very narrow coastal strip in southern New Guinea and a very narrow coastal strip along the north-western and northern coast of Australia. The distribution area extends from Shark Bay in western Australia to the west of the Cape York Peninsula .

The habitat of the mangrove fan tail is predominantly mangrove forests along the coast. But it also inhabits myrtle heather forests and acacia thickets , which border directly on mangrove forests.

The migration behavior of the mangrove fan tail has not yet been conclusively investigated. However, he is considered a resident bird. The few ringing data that are available for the mangrove fan tail all indicate that it is true to location.

food

The mangrove fan tail only eats insects. It finds its food from the ground to the top of the treetop. It is a very agile, active bird that scares off insects while foraging and then usually catches them in flight. The repeated spreading of the tail plumage is a method with which this species scare away its prey. Mosquitoes are also occasionally caught just above the surface of the water.

Reproduction

The breeding biology of the mangrove fan tail has not yet been conclusively investigated. Breeding birds are observed from September to January. The nest is bowl-shaped and has a tail-shaped appendage , similar to that of the fox fan tail. It is built from fine strips of bark and cobwebs and is very tightly interwoven. The outer diameter is 5.3 centimeters, the inner diameter 3.9 centimeters. The nest bowl is up to 2.45 centimeters deep. The tail-shaped appendage is on average 4.13 centimeters long, but nests have also been found with an appendage 16 centimeters long.

The clutch usually comprises two eggs, but the clutch size can vary between one and three eggs. The eggs have a creamy white shell and brown spots. So far, no information is available about the laying distance, the breeding season and the duration of the rearing of the young.

literature

  • Bruce M. Beehler , Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
  • PJ Higgins, JM Peter and SJ Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7: Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks. Oxford University Press, Melbourne 2006, ISBN 978-0-195-55884-5 .
  • Thane K. Pratt and Bruce M. Beehler: Birds of New Guinea. Princeton University Press, Princeton 2015, ISBN 978-0-691-09562-2 .

Single receipts

  1. ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 215.
  2. ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 214.
  3. ↑ Boles, W. (2017): Mangrove Fantail (Rhipidura phasiana). 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. ( Online , accessed May 18, 2017)
  4. ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 217.
  5. ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 216.

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