Ocher breast chicken
| Ocher breast chicken | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Turnix olivii | ||||||||||
| Robinson , 1900 |
The ocher breast chicken ( Turnix olivii ) is a little researched bird species from the family of the chicken (Turnicidae). It is on the Cape York Peninsula in the north of the Australian state of Queensland endemic . The type epithet honors the naturalist Edmund Abraham Cumberbatch Olive (1844–1921), who collected the type specimens in 1899. Sometimes there is also the spelling olivei . The original spelling of the first descriptor Herbert Christopher Robinson is Turnix olivii .
features
The breast of ocher chicken reaches a body length of 18 cm for the males and 22 cm for the females. It has a large beak and yellow eyes and differs from the slightly smaller and short-legged blue-violet ( Turnix varius ) in that it has a stronger beak, a more plainly colored chest and the lack of a reddish shoulder patch. The male is predominantly sandy brown with a contrasting gray skull. The neck and nape of the neck have distinctive black stripes on each side. The coat and shoulder are banded black and reddish. The reddish upper wing covers are spotted white. In the female, the upper side is lighter reddish brown than in the male, with a paler pattern and less strong markings, as well as fewer and smaller white spots on the elytra. The forehead is darker gray. The sides of the neck are darker with less white speckles. The lateral stripes on the top of the head are predominantly chestnut colored. The juvenile birds are undescribed, but they probably resemble the adult male.
Vocalizations
The female's mating call is a booming ooom-oom-oom-oom that gradually gets louder, higher and shorter, repeated up to 20 times and lasts up to 30 seconds. The male responds with deep, quick chu-chu-chu-chu whistles. A soft "chirp-chirp-chirp" and a longer, louder kwaare-kwaare are reproduced by both sexes .
distribution
The ocher breast chicken is found in the McIlwraith Range south of Chillagoe , in the Cooktown region, in Kutini-Payamu National Park and near the village of Mount Molloy in Kuranda National Park on the Cape York Peninsula.
habitat
The breast of the ocher chicken habitat usually includes grasslands dominated by myrtle heaths ( Melaleuca ), acacias ( Acacia ), Alphitonia, and Tristania neriifolia . Furthermore, the breast of ocher rabbit lives in grassy forest edges and swamps, stony slopes and ridges with sparse grass cover and hardly any leaves, as well as woodland and rainforest.
Eating behavior
Little is known about the diet. Seeds and insects were detected. Like its relatives, it swallows coarse sand, presumably to support the mechanical breakdown in the stomach . The breast of ocher chicken lives terrestrially, usually singly, in pairs or in small flocks of three to eight individuals. In exceptional cases, up to 20 specimens can be observed.
Reproductive behavior
The main breeding season is from January to March, but males have been observed rearing young in late December. The ocher breast chicken is a single breeder. The dome-shaped nest has a side entrance. It is built from grass stalks well hidden between blades of grass or low shrubs or under grass bushes in open forests. The shallow nesting trough is padded with grass and a few leaves. Usually three to four whitish ones with maroon, bluish gray or black speckles are laid. The incubation period is unknown, but probably as long as that of the blue chickens. The male probably alone takes care of the incubation of the eggs and the rearing of the young. The chicks flee the nest .
status
The IUCN classifies the breast of ocher chicken in the “endangered” category . The population is obviously in decline (albeit with an unknown tendency) and is estimated at around 500 individuals in the original range of approximately 2070 km². There are no up-to-date records of early sites such as Coen or Cooktown, and in the past ten years the ocher breast chicken has only been sporadically observed in a few places. At Mount Molloy, one of the most important sanctuaries, it has become increasingly rare since the 1990s. Because of its excellent camouflage, the breast of ocher chicken has rarely been seen by ornithologists, and it has never been photographed alive. The main threats are overgrazing and frequent fires as well as stalking by wild boars and feral cats.
literature
- Herbert C. Robinson: Turnix olivii sp. n. In: Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Volume 10, February 1900
- Steve Madge , Philip McGowan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies , Christopher Helm, London, 2002
- Michael T. Mathieson, Geoffrey C. Smith: National recovery plan for the buff-breasted button-quail Turnix olivii , Report to Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra. Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane, 2009
- Michael T. Mathieson, Geoffrey C. Smith: Indicators for Buff-breasted Button-quail Turnix olivii? The Sunbird 47 (1), 2017, pp. 1–28
- Stephen Debus , Guy M. Kirwan : Buff-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix olivii). 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, 2019 (retrieved from HBW Alive on June 1, 2019).
Web links
- Turnix olivii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Accessed June 1, 2019.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Turnix olivii
- Essential research to secure the buff-breasted button quail