Masked alcohol

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Masked alcohol
Maskenpirol (Oriolus larvatus) Gesang des Maskpirols? / I

Maskenpirol ( Oriolus larvatus ) Song of the masked pyrole ? / i
Audio file / audio sample

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Orioles (Oriolidae)
Genre : Oriolus
Type : Masked alcohol
Scientific name
Oriolus larvatus
Lichtenstein , 1823

The masked pyrole ( Oriolus larvatus ) is a species of bird in the oriole family . It is widespread in East Africa and southern Africa and prefers to live in acacia forests and tree-lined savannahs from the coast to altitudes of 2300 meters.

features

The birds reach a length of 20.0 to 21.5 centimeters and a weight of 59 to 72 grams. Of the five subspecies of the masked pyrole, the nominate form is characterized by a striking yellow plumage. The head, neck and upper chest area are glossy black, the shoulder and back are yellowish to yellowish-olive green. The lower chest, abdomen and the rest of the underside are bright yellow. The wings are black with gray-white edges. The middle tail feathers are greenish-olive to blackish, the other tail feathers are black and light yellow at the ends, with the proportion of yellow in the outer feathers increasing more and more. The iris is red, the beak is brown-red to bright coral-red, the legs are slate-gray. Outwardly, males and females can hardly be distinguished. Adolescents are similar to adults , but the top and sides of the head are blackish-olive in color. The throat is blackish with yellowish sprinkles and the chest is yellow with blackish sprinkles. Their irises are brown, their beaks blackish and their legs are light blue-gray.

The subspecies Oriolus larvatus angolensis is slightly greener on the back than the nominate form and has a smaller beak and a smaller tail. Oriolus larvatus additus is similar to O. l. angolensis has shorter wings and a longer beak. O. l. rolleti is smaller than the nominate shape and the yellow back is lighter. O. l. Richowi is the smallest subspecies and differs from all other subspecies in that the yellow plumage areas shimmer golden.

The masked pyrole has a wide range of different vocalizations and can also imitate other bird species well, e.g. For example, various birds of prey or gold-backed woodpecker ( Dendropicos griseocephalus ).

Lifestyle and diet

Drinking mask pyrole

The species occurs both in moist forests with a closed canopy and in light forests, in the miombo and in acacia-lined savannas - in Ethiopia also in the thorny scrubland lined with juniper . Most often, the masked spirals can be seen near and on the banks of bodies of water, in gallery forests and in mangrove forests . It is also found in gardens, in parks, in agricultural areas and in plantations and occurs from sea level to altitudes of 2300 meters. The species is considered a resident bird , limited migration - depending on the food supply - has been observed from July to September in eastern Zambia, in Zimbabwe and in northeastern South Africa.

The masked pyrole feeds on fruits and berries, seeds and invertebrates. Fruits consumed include figs, medlars ( Japanese loquat ), grapes, and mulberries , while invertebrates include grasshoppers, beetles, dragonflies, praying mantises, bees, termites, caterpillars, and millipedes. Aloes and coral trees also absorb nectar and pollen. Nestlings are mainly fed with caterpillars. The birds go in search of food alone, in pairs or in small groups, adolescents often together with other bird species.

Reproduction

Due to the large distribution area, masked spirals breed in different areas in different months. The open, bowl-shaped nest is built, away from the tree trunk, at heights of 3 to 20 meters between thin, horizontally branching branches, exclusively or mainly by the female. Where available, it is mainly made from beard lichens ( Usnea ), otherwise grass, moss, tendrils, bark strips , hair and sometimes cobwebs are used. The outer diameter of the nest is 8 to 10 cm, the height is about 10 cm. The inner diameter is 6.5 to 8.5 cm and the depth of the nest is about 3.8 to 5.5 cm. The clutch consists of one to five eggs, in most cases two or three. The eggs are initially pink or beige-gray and later turn whitish. They are patterned with large gray, purple-gray, red-brown, olive-brown, light brown, or blackish-brown spots and stripes, and are 26.1 to 32.7 mm long and 16.7 to 22.3 mm wide. The female usually takes on the 14 to 16-day breeding business completely alone. During this time it is fed by the male. Both parents provide the nestlings with food. They fledge after 14 to 20 days.

Systematics

The mask pyrole was first scientifically described in 1823 by the German botanist and zoologist Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein . He gave the British Cape Colony as terra typica .

The masked pyrole is closely related to the mountain pyrole ( Oriolus percivali ), with which it possibly hybridizes in southern Kenya . The mask pyrole differs from the mountain pyrole in its ecology and its song. Both species form together with the green -headed pirol ( O. chlorocephalus ), the Sao-Tomé-oriole ( O. crassirostris ), the monk's pirol ( O. monacha ) and the black- winged pyrole ( O. nigripennis ) the “African black-headed group” within the Genus Oriolus .

There are five subspecies:

  • Oriolus larvatus rolleti Salvadori , 1864 - southern Sudan, west and south of Ethiopia, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, catchment area of ​​Lake Victoria.
  • Oriolus larvatusreichenowi Zedlitz , 1916 - near the coast from Somalia to Tanzania.
  • Oriolus larvatus angolensis Neumann , 1905 - from Angola and the north of Namibia in the west to Tanzania and the north of Mozambique in the east.
  • Oriolus larvatus additus Lawson , 1969 - near the coast from southern Tanzania to southern Mozambique.
  • Oriolus larvatus larvatus Lichtenstein , 1823 - southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, Swaziland and eastern South Africa.

Hazards and protective measures

Since the species has a huge range (6,000,000 km), occurs in numerous protected areas and no specific threats are known, it is classified by the IUCN as Least Concern .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j B. Walther, P. Jones (2008): Eastern Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus larvatus). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2013 (accessed from http://www.hbw.com/node/60459 on July 3, 2014).
  2. ↑ Oriolus larvatus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.