Masked Shrike
| Masked Shrike | ||||||||||||
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Male masked shrike ( Lanius nubicus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lanius nubicus | ||||||||||||
| Lichtenstein , 1823 |
The mask Würger ( lanius nubicus ) is a bird art of the genus lanius within the family of Würger (Laniidae). The distribution area of the obligatory migratory bird is in the eastern Mediterranean and in Asia Minor. The wintering areas of the species, which have generally been very poorly researched, are located in the eastern Sahel region south of the Sahara .
features
The Masked Shrike with a body length of 17 centimeters about the size of the Red-backed Shrike , but looks considerably slimmer, small-headed and kurzschnäbeliger. Colored birds of both sexes are not to be confused with sufficient observation conditions.
The top of the mask shrike is a rich black. The shoulders are white, as is the attachment of the hand wings. When the bird is sitting, this white drawing results in a small white wing mirror, while when it is in flight it is a rather wide, sickle-shaped white band. The underside is white, the flanks are distinctly orange or reddish brown. The rather small and conspicuously flat-headed head, which is little set off from the trunk, is characterized by strong black and white contrasts that do not occur in this arrangement in any other type of shrike. The crown and neck are black, forehead, cheeks and neck are white. This white area is divided into two by a narrow black eye stripe that does not cover the entire eye. The long, clearly stepped tail is black except for the outer flags of the outer control feathers. When the bird is sitting, it is always in motion, it is rocked, stilted and turned. The iris is black, as is the beak. The legs and toes are slate gray.
The sexes do not differ in size and weight, but quite striking in color. Females are black-brown on the upper side, the white shoulder surfaces and the white wing surface are significantly smaller than in male individuals. The rust-red color of the flanks is only hinted at and often only recognizable up close.
Young birds show the gray-brown, wavy and crenalized plumage typical of juvenile shrikes. They are very similar to young red-headed strangles, but are usually grayer in tone than these. Good distinguishing features from the red-headed shrike are the white shoulder surfaces, which are already very clearly recognizable in young masked shrike, as well as a white area above the base of the beak, which is completely missing in juvenile red-headed shrike.
The flight is straightforward, easy and fast. It is reminiscent of that of flycatchers.
Masked stranglers are not shy. Their very short distance to escape from humans is considered characteristic of the species.
voice
The calls and singing of the masked strangler are described differently. Main call seems to be a rough, sharp Tzr tone. In addition, you can hear the typical Tschäkern . The singing is a long, quiet chatter, often lasting more than a minute, in which various rough and pressed sounds and whistles alternate with one another, but bright trills are missing. In contrast to the chants of many other types of stranglers, imitation passages do not seem to appear in the song of the masked shrike. When excited, the masked shrike can be heard on the beak .
distribution and habitat
The masked shrike is common in the eastern Mediterranean , on some Aegean islands in Cyprus, and in western and southern Turkey . Isolated occurrences are from southeastern Turkey, the southern Caucasus region , the north-west Iran , the Zagrosgebiet , the Iraq and from Syria known. In the southern Balkans there are deposits in Macedonia , Bulgaria and northern Greece , perhaps also in southern Serbia . The eastern border of the distribution is unknown, it may be in Turkmenistan or northwestern Afghanistan .
In this area, the masked shrike lives in richly structured landscapes, in which short-grassed open areas are interspersed with thicker trees and bushes. Optimal habitats have on average a denser tree population than the preferred habitats of most other Lanius species. He settles in poplar avenues, old orchards, ideally used by extensive pasture farming, olive groves, loosened oak, pine and cedar forests and juniper stands. It occurs from sea level to mountain areas of over 2000 meters, but seems to prefer hilly and foothills. On the Hermon , on the slopes of the Rotkopfwürger , the Southern Gray Shrike and the Red-backed Shrike sympatric occur with the Masked Shrike, the Masked Shrike was found mainly in orchards less than 1000 meters. In the lowlands, the masked shrike seems to distinguish itself from other shrike species by preferring woody trees that accompany rivers and bushy forest edges, i.e. generally more humid and more densely overgrown habitats. As far as is known, its entire range is highly fragmented. The masked shrike does not seem to be common anywhere.
The species claims small breeding territories of 2 to 5 hectares, which are defended against conspecifics, other strangler species and food competitors. Arguments can lead to physical contact fights. Territories are also claimed in winter and during the train.
hikes
Apparently all populations of the masked shrike are migratory birds. They remain in the breeding area for about 3 months and in their winter quarters for three months. The rest of the time they spend on their way home and on their way home. The species leaves the breeding area very soon after the last brood has become independent; unsuccessful breeding birds leave at the end of June. The main route train starts in August and lasts until September. The first migrants leave the wintering areas at the end of January, the main migration period is between mid-February and mid-March. Since the species is observed much more frequently in the Nile Valley , on the Red Sea coast and in Israel on its migration home in spring than on its migration , it is assumed that masked shrike fly to the breeding areas on routes more easterly than they left them, i.e. one There is a counterclockwise loop .
The core zones of the wintering area are in central and eastern Africa north of the equator and south of the Sahara, as well as on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula ; the exact extent of the wintering areas is not yet known. In the winter half-year the masked shrike colonizes dry savannahs, woody trees that accompany the river and cultivated land; it can be found up to the edge of the rainforest, occasionally in cleared areas within the rainforest. As in the breeding area, the masked shrike seems to prefer somewhat less dry (mesian) habitats than other shrike species.
Food and subsistence
The food of the masked shrike largely corresponds to that of other species of shrike. It consists mainly of larger insects such as grasshoppers , cicadas , crickets , beetles and dragonflies . Even butterflies and their stages of development, ants and Hymenoptera be eaten. Occasionally he also preyed on small lizards , small mammals such as mice and shrews, and plundered bird nests. Small, exhausted migratory birds such as rattle warblers or house swifts seem to be preferred prey on the move .
Like all species of the genus Lanius , the masked shrike is also a waiting hunter. It usually sits on low side branches of a bush or tree, from where it searches the ground in the immediate vicinity. If it spots a prey, it drops and hits it on the ground. It often shakes just before it lands. Larger prey animals are held in place with one foot and eaten piece by piece, while smaller ones are swallowed whole. Occasionally it hunts for flying insects in the flycatcher fashion or searches the ground for prey on foot.
Breeding biology
Masked stranglers lead a monogamous season partnership. The males usually appear in the breeding area a few days before the females. The species is most conspicuous during the main courtship period, especially in April. Males can be seen in flight as well as sitting in an upright pose in exposed places. Often the partners sing in a duet and the female takes food from the male in a crouched position with trembling wings. The nest is built by both partners at a height of 1–10 meters from bits of root, grass, stems (often with flowers), pine needles and moss. Inside it is laid out with soft materials such as wool, vegetable wool and often with materials of an anthropogenic nature. It is an artfully constructed, small, compact bowl. Nest carriers are mostly side branches of different tree species. The minimum nest spacing is less than 100 meters. In Iraq , 10 nests were found in an open oak grove within a distance of 800 meters. The old nest is often destroyed and its material used for replacement and second broods.
The laying period in Asia Minor begins at the end of April. Most clutches are found in mid-May. Second clutches seem to be very common, replacement clutches are probably the rule. The first clutch consists of 4–7 round oval, mostly yellow-brown, but also greenish-gray or pink-colored eggs, which are darkly spotted at the blunt pole. Clutches with 8 and 9 eggs occur, but are rare. Second clutches are smaller and can only contain 3 eggs. With an average size of about 20 × 16 millimeters, the eggs are the smallest of all Palearctic stranglers.
It is likely that the chicks are only incubated by the female in about 14-16 days. During this time, the male is almost always near the nest, keeping watch and feeding the female. The chicks are looked after by both parents. They are fully fledged after 20 days at the latest, but will be looked after by their parents for at least another 2 weeks.
Systematics
The masked shrike is one of at least 26 species of the genus Lanius . Its systematic and phylogenetic position within this group is still largely unclear. It differs in appearance and behavior not insignificantly from other small representatives of this genus. No subspecies of the masked shrike are recognized.
Stock situation
The IUCN does not list the masked shrike at any risk level, despite some signs of population decline. Birdlife Europe gives the estimated European populations with 35,000–100,000 breeding pairs, the majority of which breed in Turkey . In Europe, Cyprus is still home to good populations. With the exception of Israel , where a few 1000 breeding pairs were suspected in the 1980s, hardly any figures are available for the breeding areas outside of Europe.
The main causes of danger are still habitat loss and the intensified use of pesticides. Direct tracking during the autumn migration also minimizes the population. In Greece and Syria , the species is regionally regarded as a bad luck charm and is therefore persecuted.
literature
- Javier Gonzales, Michael Wink, Eduardo Garcia-del-Rey and Guillermo Delgado Castro: Evidence from DNA nucleotide sequences and ISSR profiles indicates paraphyly in subspecies of the Southern Gray Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) . In: J. Ornithol. (2008) 149: pp. 495-506.
- Tony Harris & Kim Franklin: Shrikes & Bush-Shrikes . Helm identification Guides, London 2000, pp. 180-184; Plate 8, ISBN 0-7136-3861-3
- Evgenij N. Panow: The stranglers of the Palearctic. (= Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Volume 557). Westarp Sciences, Magdeburg 1996, ISBN 3-89432-495-3 , pp. 171-182.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Panow (1996) p. 186
- ↑ a b c d Harris (2000) p. 179
- ↑ Csaba MOSKÁT and Tibor István FUISZ: Habitat segregation among the woodchat shrike, Lanius senator, the red-backed shrike, Lanius collurio, and the masked shrike, Lanius nubicus, in NE Greece p. 108 ( Memento of the original from March 1, 2005 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. (PDF file; 68 kB)
- ↑ Panow (1996) p. 184
- ↑ a b Harris (2000) p. 180
- ↑ Panow (1996) p. 185
- ↑ Gonzales et al. (2008) p. 504
- ↑ Lanius nubicus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed November 16, 2011th
- ↑ Birdlife Europe data sheet. engl. pdf
