Narcondam year bird
| Narcondam year bird | ||||||||||
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Narcondam year bird ( Rhyticeros narcondami ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Rhyticeros narcondami | ||||||||||
| Hume , 1873 |
The Narcondam annual bird ( Rhyticeros narcondami , Syn . : Aceros narcondami ) or Narcondam hornbill belongs to the hornbill family (Bucerotidae). It is endemic to the island of Narkondam , which belongs to the Andaman Islands .
description
The length of the males is 64 cm. The head, the helmet and the neck show a reddish color. The underside is black with a greenish tinge. The underside is matt black. The tail is white with yellowish shafts. The females are about 50 cm long. Their heads and necks have long, narrow, bright black feathers. There is a small brownish spot on the stomach. In both sexes, the beak is light yellow with a reddish brown base. The small helmet shows furrows that can vary with age. The legs are black and the feet are yellow. The eyes are red with a pale yellow ring that turns light yellow towards the pupil. In females, the iris is olive brown with a yellow ring. The eyes are rimmed with bare light blue skin. The young birds look similar to the males, but have a paler colored bill.
Vocalizations
His call consists of a cackling ka-ka-ka-ka-ka.
Reproduction
The breeding season covers the period from February to April. The nest is in a tree hole, in which the female is walled in during the breeding season and rearing young. It then loses all feathers and is unable to fly. Usually two boys are raised.
distribution and habitat
The Narcondam annual bird has the smallest range of all hornbills. Its breeding area covers an area of only 7 km² on the island of Narkondam, which is 25 km east of the Andamans. It occurs in sparse mixed forests from 0 to 700 m.
Danger
In 1969 a small police outpost was set up on the island, for which two to three hectares of forest were cleared. In addition, plots with orchards and vegetable gardens were created. Every year at least ten trees are felled for the use of storage firewood and additional wood is required regularly for maintenance work. However, the main threat comes from the imported goats. Up to 400 goats are on the island and endanger the regeneration of the vegetation. A major concern for the conservation of hornbills is therefore the removal of all goats from narcondam. Feral cats and hunting, which kill 25 to 40 birds every year, pose a further threat. Due to its small distribution area, the risk of natural disasters and epidemics should not be underestimated. In 1998 an estimated 295 to 320 specimens with a breeding population of 68 to 85 pairs. As of March 2003, there were an estimated between 320 and 340 individuals and the IUCN has classified this species in the endangered category . The Narcondam annual bird is listed in Appendix II of the CITES Convention.
literature
- Johannes Erritzøe (1993) The Birds of CITES and How to Identify Them
