Maori mosquitoes

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Maori mosquitoes
White-headed (Mohoua albicilla)

White-headed ( Mohoua albicilla )

Systematics
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Corvoidea
Family : Mohouidae
Genre : Maori mosquitoes
Scientific name of the  family
Mohouidae
Mathews , 1946
Scientific name of the  genus
Mohoua
Lesson , 1837
Yellow-headed ( Mohoua ochrocephala )

The Maori mosquito ( Mohoua ) are a genus of songbirds . Since 2013 the genus has been placed in the new monotypical family Mohouidae. The genus had previously been assigned to the Pachycephalidae .

The genus includes only three species, whose range is limited to New Zealand. The term »Mohoua« (also Mohua, Mohuahua or Momohua) means »yellow head« in the Māori language , since the generic name was originally introduced for the yellow head . This is the way of the IUCN as vulnerable ( endangered is classified). The main cause of its decline is the disappearance of forests and the introduction of species such as deer and possums , which changed the composition of the forest flora. The other two types are considered to be harmless ( least concern ).

features

Maori mosquitoes are birds with a large and powerful head compared to their size. They reach a body length of 13 to 15 centimeters, with the brown-headed being the smallest species at 13 centimeters. Yellow-headed and white-headed are the same size, but the yellow-headed is 10 to 15 grams heavier. The wings are rounded. All three species show a more or less pronounced sexual dimorphism . The male is generally slightly larger than the female. There are also differences in plumage. All three species are sociable birds, with this behavioral characteristic being more pronounced outside the breeding season. They generally look for food in small groups and are occasionally associated with other bird species. Cooperative breeding was observed in all three species and in two species, namely the white-headed and the yellow-headed, this occurs regularly.

species

A distinction is made between the following three types:

Brood Parasitism

The three Mohoua species are the only host birds of the long-tailed koel .

Trivia

The yellow head is depicted on the back of the 100 New Zealand dollar bill.

literature

  • Zachary Aidala, Nicola Chong, Michael G. Anderson, Luis Ortiz-Catedral, Ian G. Jamieson, James V. Briskie, Phillip Cassey, Brian J. Gill & Mark E. Hauber: Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Mohoua, endemic hosts of New Zealand's obligate brood parasitic long-tailed cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis) . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 154 , no. 4 , 2013, p. 1127-1133 , doi : 10.1007 / s10336-013-0978-8 .
  • PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds , Volume 6, Pardalotes to shrike-thrushes, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1993, ISBN 0-19-553069-1 .
  • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
  • René Primevère Lesson : Voyage autour du monde exécuté par Ordre du Roi, sur la Corvette de Sa Majesté, La Coquille pendant les années 1822, 1823, 1824 et 1825 . tape 1 , no. 2 . Arthus-Bertrand, Paris 1830 ( online [accessed December 6, 2013]).

Single receipts

  1. ^ Frank Gill, David Donsker: IOC World Bird List v 3.5 ( Online )
  2. ↑ Zachary Aidala et al. : Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Mohoua, endemic hosts of New Zealand's obligate brood parasitic Long-tailed Cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis). In: Journal of Ornithology 154.4 (2013): 1127-1133. ( Online )
  3. ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, p. 1021.
  4. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 258
  5. ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Gelbköpfchen accessed on June 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 1033.
  7. ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, p. 1041.
  8. ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, p. 1032.
  9. ^ Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson, The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand (revised edition) , Viking, 2005
  10. ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, p. 1022.

Web links

Commons : Mohoua  - collection of images, videos and audio files