Mauritius caterpillars

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Mauritius caterpillars
Mauritius caterpillar (Coracina typica), male

Mauritius caterpillar ( Coracina typica ), male

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Cuckooshrike (Campephagidae)
Subfamily : Campephaginae
Genre : Coracina
Type : Mauritius caterpillars
Scientific name
Coracina typica
( Hartlaub , 1865)
Rear view male

The Mauritius tracked catcher ( Coracina typica ) is endemic to Mauritius occurring bird art from the family of cuckooshrike (Campephagidae).

features

Mauritius caterpillars reach a body length of 22 centimeters. The weight of a male was measured to be 43 grams. There is a clear sexual dimorphism between the sexes in terms of plumage color . The males' head and back are lead-gray, the reins are black, throat, chest, flanks and belly are white-gray. The arm and hand wings are black-gray and interspersed with some whitish feathers. The females are colored wine-red to red-brown on the head, back and wings, the throat is white, the breast and belly are light chestnut-red.

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the Mauritius caterpillars covers an area of ​​only 117 km² in the south of Mauritius. They prefer to colonize tropical evergreen forests there at altitudes between 200 and 800 meters.

Way of life

The birds feed primarily on various large arthropods , such as fishing rods , grasshoppers , beetles , and caterpillars . Occasionally small vertebrates are also preyed on, such as geckos , which are killed by hitting a branch. The breeding season falls from September to March. The couples live monogamous and live in fixed territories that they defend against conspecifics. The flat, bowl-shaped nest is made by both parents from thin twigs, moss and spider threads, placed in a fork of a branch and equipped with two to three eggs, which both sexes hatch in 24 to 25 days. After hatching, the young are fed by both parents and fly out after 24 to 25 days, but usually stay with their parents for a period of three months.

Danger

The Mauritius caterpillars are only found in four small areas in the south of Mauritius. The populations are threatened due to the reclamation of previous habitats and losses due to predators introduced by humans . In 2000, a total of 300 to 350 pairs was assumed. In the meantime a species conservation program has been started, which has already resulted in a slight increase in the number of individuals. It is intended that couples will also be relocated to new areas in Mauritius as well as neighboring islands. The species is classified by the World Conservation Organization IUCN as VU IUCN 3 1st svg" vulnerable = endangered".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Barry Taylor (2017). Mauritius Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina typica). 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. (accessed at http://www.hbw.com/node/57861 on March 25, 2017).
  2. ↑ occurrence
  3. ^ IUCN Red List

literature

  • Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, David A. Christie: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2005, ISBN 978-84-87334-72-6 .

Web links

Commons : Mauritius caterpillar catcher ( Coracina typica )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files