Miombogirlitz
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Miombogirlitz ( Crithagra reichardi ) |
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| Crithagra reichardi | ||||||||||||
| ( Reichenow , 1882) |
The Miombogirlitz ( Crithagra reichardi , Syn . : Serinus reichardi ) is a species from the finch family. It occurs exclusively in East Africa.
There are two subspecies. The IUCN classifies the Miombogirlitz as not endangered ( least concern ).
Appearance
The Miombogirlitz reaches a body size of 12.5 to 13 centimeters. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism .
The upper head of the Miombogirlitz is brownish white and dark brown striped lengthways from the forehead to the back of the neck. The coat and back are earth brown with fuzzy, dark brown vertical stripes. The rump and the upper tail-coverts are earth-brown without longitudinal stripes. The control springs are dark brown. Miombogir litzes have wide, bright stripes over the eyes that extend to the sides of the neck. The region between the base of the beak and the eyes, the cheeks and the ear covers are dark brown. The chin and throat are white with a light brownish tinge. The chest and flanks are brownish, the sides of the body and flanks are slightly darker. There are dark brown vertical stripes on the upper chest, while the vertical stripes on the lower chest and the flanks are more blurred. The belly and the under tail-covers are brownish white. The beak is slate gray, the eyes are brown, and the legs are black.
Young birds are paler and more reddish-brown on the upper surface than the adult birds. The vertical stripes are less noticeable. The Miombogirlitz is similar to the Strichelgirlitz , but the Miombogirlitz is less intensely striped. The brows and the Rüpellgirlitz the Miombogirlitz distinguished by its longitudinally striped underparts. There is also a possibility of confusion with the black- cheeked girl seat, which, however, has a black and not brown facial mark like the Miombogirl seat.
Distribution area
The Miombogirlitz occurs from northeast Ethiopia to the northeast in Namibia, but the range is not contiguous. The Miombogirlitz is particularly common in Ethiopia in the western and south-eastern highlands. In Kenya, however, the Miombogirlitz is relatively rare, it occurs here predominantly between 1,600 and 2,000 meters above sea level. In Malawi it is also common at altitudes between 900 and 2,000 meters.
The habitat of the Miombogirlitzes in Kenya are sparsely overgrown steep slopes, further south in its distribution area the Miomobogirlitzes is limited to largely untouched Brachystegia and Baikiaea forests.
Way of life
The Miombogirlitz is usually a shy and showy bird. Only the male is noticeable when it sings from an elevated singing tower. From the behavior of the males, it is concluded that the territories are very large. Miombogirlitze occur in pairs or in small groups of three to five individuals. Occasionally, groups of ten to twenty individuals are also observed. They look for a large part of their food on the ground. The individuals in a troop of Miombogir litz have also been observed catching flying insects from treetops. Otherwise little is known about its diet.
Miombogirlitz breed singly or in small colonies of four to five pairs. Otherwise nothing is known about the reproductive biology of this species. According to Fry et al., Information about clutch size and nest construction is based on a confusion with the Brauengirlitz.
literature
- C. Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume VII. Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Crithagra reichardi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.3. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2018.