Mask hookbeak

Mask hookbeak
Mask hookbeak
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes) Subordination : Songbirds (passeri) Family : Tangaren (Thraupidae) Subfamily : Diglossinae Genre : Hooked beaks ( diglossa ) Type : Mask hookbeak
Scientific name
Diglossa cyanea
( Lafresnaye , 1840)

The mask hooked beak ( Diglossa cyanea ) is a bird art from the family of tanagers (Thraupidae). The species has a large range that includes the South American countries Bolivia , Peru , Ecuador , Colombia and Venezuela . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern .

features

The mask hook bill reaches a body length of about 13.5 to 14.5 centimeters. The lower jaw of the relatively long black beak is only slightly curved upwards, but has the hook on the tip that is typical of hooked beaks. The light red iris stands in striking contrast to the black face mask, which extends over the forehead, the lateral head areas to behind the eyes and the chin. The rest of the body is dark blue. The sexual dimorphism is not particularly pronounced, only the general coloring of the plumage appears a bit duller in the female.

distribution and habitat

The birds can be found in the damp forests and cloud forests at altitudes between 1500 and 3700 meters, as well as in the immediately adjacent scrub and bushes. But mostly they move over 2000 meters. There are usually only a few epiphytes in their natural biotope . They can be observed in stratification layers between 0.5 and 7 meters. They often sit in the crowns of Polylepis .

behavior

The mask hookbills are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in smaller family groups. Every now and then they are out and about in mixed flocks with other hooked beaks. They are very active and move very quickly. They find their food on the branches and lianas of the middle stratification layers, whereby they often stay in well camouflaged dense bushes or other thickets. They examine crevices in the tree bark, protruding branches and skilfully hang on to them in search of berries and insects. To balance, they move their tail from side to side. It seems to be particularly aggressive towards the black-throated hooked beak ( Diglossa brunneiventris ). In contrast to other hooked beaks, they rarely pierce the crown of flowers with their beak to get their nectar. They build their bowl-shaped nest out of grass and moss. The eggs are pale green with blue and reddish brown spots.

Subspecies

There are five known subspecies:

• Diglossa cyanea cyanea ( Lafresnaye , 1840) - nominate form . This subspecies is found in the Venezuelan Andes in the states of Trujillo , Mérida and Táchira , in Colombia in all parts of the Andes except that in the Sierra de Perijá . In Ecuador it is also found in almost all Andean areas, but is in the southwest by D. c. dispar replaced.
• Diglossa cyanea tovarensis Zimmer & Phelps , 1952 Occurs in the coastal region near Colonia Tovar at altitudes between 1800 and 1900 meters. Most closely resembles D. c. But dispar has black areas on the head and chin. In contrast to the nominate form, the color is more blue with less violet tint.
• Diglossa cyanea obscura Phelps & Phelps, Jr , 1952 occurs only in the subtropical zone in the valley of the Río Negro in the Sierra de Perijá in the extreme north-west of Venezuela.
• Diglossa cyanea dispar Zimmer, JT , 1942 Is present in the north-west of the Cajamarca region to the extreme south-west of Ecuador. Similar to the nominate form. The general blue color is less purple and more greenish.
• Diglossa cyanea melanopis Tschudi , 1844 Occurs in the entire Andean region of Peru, except in the northeast where it is caused by D. c. dispar is replaced. In Bolivia it is found in the north in the departments of Cochabamba and La Paz . Is slightly larger and darker than the nominate form. The entire shade looks a little duller and more purple.

Etymology and Classification

The generic name is derived from the Greek dis , di- (= two) and glossa (= tongue) and refers to the typical U-shaped tongue of this genus. The name cyanea is derived from the Greek word kyanos (= blue).

Some authors place the mask hook beak in the genus Diglossopis . They argue that the beak, the skull and especially the tongue of the mask hookbill , the silver hookbeak ( Diglossa caerulescens ), the ultramarine hookbeak ( Diglossa glauca ) and the indigo hookbeak ( Diglossa indigotica ) differ significantly from the genus Diglossa . Furthermore, it is argued that these species feed more on berries and insects and less on nectar. Morphological considerations mean that the South American Classification Committee has so far rejected a separation of the genera Diglossopis from Diglossa .

literature

• Jon Fjeldså , Niels Krabbe : Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America , Zoological Museum and Apollo Books, p. 600, ISBN 978-87-88757-16-3 .
• Steven L. Hilty , William L. Brown: A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, 1986, p. 592, ISBN 978-0-691-08372-8 .
• Thomas Schulenberg , Douglas F. Stotz , Daniel F. Lane: Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, 2007, p. 578, ISBN 978-0-691-04915-1 .
• Robert S. Ridgely , Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide. Volume 1, Cornell University Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-8014-8720-0 , p. 713.
• Robert S. Ridgely, Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide , Vol. 2, Cornell University Press, 2001, pp. 620f, ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7 .
• Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee, William H. Phelps , Guy Tudor : A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press, 1992, p. 329, ISBN 978-0-691-08205-9 .
• Steven L. Hilty, John A. Gwynne, Guy Tudor: Birds of Venezuela , Princeton University Press, 2002, p. 782, ISBN 978-0-691-09250-8 .
• Edward S. Gruson: Words For Birds: A Lexicon Of North American Birds with Biographical Notes , Quadrangle Books, 1972, p. 258

Web links

Commons : Masked hookbill ( Diglossa cyanea )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Diglossa cyanea inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.3. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
• BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Masked Flowerpiercer ( Diglossa cyanea ) . Retrieved December 29, 2019.
• Videos, photos and sound recordings of Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossa cyanea) in the Internet Bird Collection
• Masked hookbill ( Diglossa cyanea ) at Avibase; accessed on December 29, 2019.
• Diglossa cyanea in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved December 29, 2019.
• xeno-canto: sound recordings - mask hook beak ( Diglossa cyanea )
• Masked Flowerpiercer  (Diglossa cyanea)  in the Encyclopedia of Life . Retrieved December 29, 2019.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Diglossa cyanea in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
2. ↑ IOC World Bird List Tanagers and allies
3. ^ Frédéric de Lafresnaye: Oiseaux nouveaux de Santa-Fé de Bogota . In: Revue zoologique par la Société cuviérienne . tape 3 , 1840, p. 101-106 (French, biodiversitylibrary.org ).
4. ↑ John Todd Zimmer, William Henry Phelps: A new race of the honey-creeper, Diglossa cyanea, from Venezuela . In: American Museum novitates . No. 1603 , December 12, 1952, p. 1–2 (English, digitallibrary.amnh.org [PDF; 188 kB ]).
5. ^ William Henry Phelps, William Henry Phelps, Jr .: Nine new birds from the Perija Mountains and eleven extensions of ranges to Venezuela . In: Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . tape 65 , August 5, 1952, pp. 89-105 (English, biodiversitylibrary.org ).
6. ^ John Todd Zimmer: Studies of Peruvian birds. No. 44, Notes on the genera Diglossa and Cyanerpes, with addenda to Ochthoeca . In: American Museum novitates . No. 1203 , October 21, 1942, p. 1–15 (English, digitallibrary.amnh.org [PDF; 2.1 MB ]).
7. ^ Johann Jakob von Tschudi: Avium Conspectus quae in Republica Peruana repriuntur et pleraeque observatae vel collectae sunt in itinere . In: Archives for Natural History . tape 10 , no. 1 , 1844, pp. 262-317 (Latin, biodiversitylibrary.org ).
8. ↑ Proposal (417) to South American Classification Committee Proposal (417) Split Diglossopis from Diglossa ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (engl.)