Orpheus mockers

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Orpheus mockers
Orpheusspötter (Hippolais polyglotta)

Orpheusspötter ( Hippolais polyglotta )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Sylvioidea
Family : Reed warbler (Acrocephalidae)
Genre : Mockers ( Hippolais )
Type : Orpheus mockers
Scientific name
Hippolais polyglotta
( Vieillot , 1817)

The Orpheusspötter ( Hippolais polyglotta ) is a songbird from the reed warbler family (Acrocephalidae). The species has a relatively small range in the southwest of the Palearctic . It has been spreading to the northeast for decades and has also been breeding in Germany since 1983.

description

The approximately 13 cm long Orpheusspötter has a wingspan of 17.5–20 cm and weighs around 10–13 g. Compared to other scoffers, it has a relatively short beak, but this is not a reliable identifier in the field.

Overall, the species is very similar to the yellow mocker . The top is greenish-brown, the bottom is light yellow. The legs are brownish. The reins, eye ring and beak sides are all bright. The sexes are colored the same, with the male often showing stronger colors. The young birds that have flown out appear much paler overall and also have a weakly indicated light wing field.

Possible confusion

The species can easily be confused with the yellow mocker. The best distinguishing feature of this species is the significantly shorter length of the part of the hand wings that protrudes over the umbrella feathers (the so-called "hand wing projection") in the sitting bird. Furthermore, in the case of the yellow mocker, the light edges of the umbrella feathers and the arm swings form a light field when sitting, with the Orpheusspötter this area is monochrome olive green.

Most of the time, however, the two species can already be differentiated based on their different distribution areas; these only overlap in the northwestern area of ​​the Orpheusspötter (northern France, Belgium , the Netherlands , southwest Germany). Furthermore, the two species colonize different habitats in areas with simultaneous occurrence; the Orpheusspötter prefers areas with open bush vegetation, the yellow mocker prefers deciduous forest edges and parks.

singing

The continuous singing is sometimes similar to that of the marsh warbler , mostly contains imitation sparrows and is often performed at a rapid pace. Overall, the whistling elements of the yellow mockers song are missing. At the breeding site, various clicking calls like “tett”, “tre-tre-te-lü” and a sparrow-like rattle can often be heard. During the move, the species is usually very silent.

The singing is only performed by the male. This usually sits exposed on the top of a bush or a small tree. Singing activity is highest in the early morning and late afternoon.

distribution

This year's Orpheusspötter.

The distribution area of ​​the Orpheusspötter extends from North Africa across the Iberian Peninsula , Italy and France to the northeast to Belgium, Switzerland and southwest Germany.

The Orpheusspötter brooded in Switzerland for the first time in 1960 in the canton of Ticino . Nowadays it also breeds in the cantons of Valais , Vaud and Geneva with a total of around 300–500 pairs. In Germany it first brooded in Saarland in 1983 . Since then it has also settled in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg and occurs sporadically in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia . The German stock is around 750 pairs.

habitat

The Orpheusspötter lives in sunny, open or semi-open areas with no or only a few trees, e.g. B. clearcuts, vineyards, field trees, riparian forests, heathland areas and gravel pits. Essential habitat elements are at least single, thorny and dense shrubs and a surrounding high herbaceous layer. Closed forests are only populated at the edge or in large clearings. The species also inhabits gardens and parks with not too dense trees. It loves warmth and seldom breeds above 300 m above sea level.

Reproduction

Gelege, Museum Wiesbaden collection

After arriving at the breeding site in early May, the males immediately begin singing. After mating, the female chooses the nesting site. The nest is usually built only 1–2 m above the ground in a dense bush or a small tree. It mainly consists of grasses and fine roots.

While the female incubates the 3–5 green-gray eggs for 12–14 days, the male supplies it with insects. After the young have hatched, the female also feeds. At the age of 11–13 days the young are fledged. They are then fed for at least 14 days until they are independent and pass.

hikes

The withdrawal from the breeding areas takes place in August. The last observations in Central Europe are made in September and, as an exception, in France in October. The species is long-distance migrant ; wintering takes place south of the Sahara in tropical West Africa north of the rainforest in an area that extends from southern Senegal to Cameroon . The period of withdrawal from winter quarters is unknown. In the Maghreb , the first migrants are observed in March, but the strongest migration occurs there in April. The breeding areas in France are reached in mid-April at the earliest, in the canton of Ticino from the end of April. The return home ends at the end of May.

Danger

In Germany, the Orpheusspötter is listed in the Red List in the category “Species with geographical restrictions”, while in Switzerland it is on the so-called “Warning List ”.

literature

Web links

Commons : Orpheusspötter ( Hippolais polyglotta )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files