Mangrove Conservation
| Mangrove Conservation | ||||||||||||
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Mangrove Conservation |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Circus spilonotus | ||||||||||||
| Kaup , 1847 |
The Mangroveweihe ( Circus spilonotus ) is a kind of consecration , which is widespread in Asia.
The stock situation of the mangrove consecration is given as harmless ( least concern ). No subspecies are distinguished.
Appearance
Build and featherless parts of the body
The mangrove antlers reach a body length of 47 to 55 centimeters, of which 21 to 25 centimeters are on the tail. The wings are 38 to 42 centimeters long. The weight is between 370 and 780 grams. The eyes of adult mangrove antlers are yellow, the beak is blue-gray with a yellowish wax skin. The legs and feet are yellow. There is a noticeable gender dimorphism .
male
The feathers on the head, neck and upper coat as well as on the front chest are black with wide white feather edges, so that this part of the body looks as if the basic color were a white tone and the plumage black with vertical lines. In some individuals these light feather edges are missing. Their head, neck, upper coat and front chest are black except for a white neck ring. The rest of the top of the body is black with wide white feather edges and tips. The elytra and tail plumage are pale gray. On the underside of the body, apart from the chest, they are white with narrow black lines on the shaft, which are most pronounced on the flanks and thighs.
female
The females are predominantly red-brown, the white portion on the feather edges is small. Only the shoulders are cream-colored with a few darker lines. The tail plumage is reddish gray-brown with five diffuse darker transverse bands. The head has dark vertical lines. The underside of the body is predominantly brown, the red shade on the abdomen and flanks more pronounced.
Fledglings
Young birds have variable plumage. Most, however, are dark brown on the top of the body and have a lighter crown, neck, and chest. The chin is creamy white and the shoulders are whitish. Some individuals also have light vertical lines on the coat. The tail plumage is banded across.
Distribution area and habitat
The mangrove antler occurs from southeast Siberia and Mongolia to the Primorye , Sakhalin , northeast China and northern Japan. It is a migratory bird and winters in Southeast Asia, South China, Korea, South Japan and occurs as winter hardy as far as Indonesia and the Philippines. In Indonesia, it can be found predominantly in Sumatra and northern Borneo during the winter half-year.
The habitat are open wetlands with dense, high and very extensive reed belts. In ideal habitats, these reed belts are at least 50 hectares in size and have only a few trees. While foraging for food, the mangrove antlers can also be observed over drier areas such as pastureland and arable land. In the winter months she spends time in salt marshes. It is then occasionally to be seen over more densely forested regions.
Way of life and food
The mangrove consecration lives mostly solitary. Several birds gather only where there is a very large supply of food at times. Occasionally, several individuals can gather at resting places.
The mangrove antler is a feeding opportunist that uses a wide range of prey. Small mammals play a big role, and during the breeding season the mangrove antlers are also more likely to beat breeding birds and eat nestlings and eggs. In some regions, reptiles also play a larger role. It also eats frogs, fish, crustaceans and insects. Especially in the winter months, carrion also plays a bigger role. Prey animals weigh up to 675 grams, with the larger prey predominantly being hit by the larger females. The birds that are struck by the mangrove antler are predominantly water-bound species such as ducks and railings .
Reproduction
The breeding season for the mangrove begins in May and June. The nest is usually built on the ground in the reed belt. It is a large nest that is mainly made of reeds, grasses and other plants from the riparian vegetation. It is usually 80 centimeters in diameter and up to 30 centimeters high. The clutch consists of four to five eggs. The breeding season lasts 31 to 38 days, the young birds leave the nest after 35 to 40 days, but are dependent on the parent birds for another two to three weeks.
Systematics
The mangrove antler is occasionally considered to be a subspecies of the Marsh Harrier, with which it hybridizes in Eastern Siberia. Alternatively, it is treated as a species together with the Papuan consecration . The latter is smaller, the plumage is more variable and also includes an almost completely black color morph and one with a purely black throat. These color morphs do not occur in the mangrove consecration.
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 .
- J. Ferguson-Lees, DA Christie: Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London 2001, ISBN 0-7136-8026-1 .
