Palila
| Palila | ||||||||||||
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Palila ♂ ( Loxioides bailleui ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Loxioides | ||||||||||||
| Oustalet , 1877 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Loxioides bailleui | ||||||||||||
| Oustalet , 1877 |
The Palila ( Loxioides bailleui ), also known as the black- masked hawk bird , is an endangered species of bird from the subfamily of honeysuckles (Drepanidinae). His finch beak identifies him as a representative of the real finches . The head and chest, colored gold-yellow, contrast with a gray or white belly. This bird lives in close symbiosis with the mamane ( Sophora chrysophylla ), a pearl-string tree that is endemic to Hawaii . The Palila is threatened mainly because of habitat degradation.
Émile Oustalet described the species for the first time in 1877. Originally Loxioides bailleui was placed in the genus Psittirostra . Today the Palila is the only surviving species of the genus Loxioides , which used to occur on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu . Its Hawaiian name is o'u-po'opapale .
description
The head and chest of the palilas are yellow-gold. The plumage is white or grayish on the belly and gray on the upper side. The wings and tail are greenish. The finches have strong black beaks. They reach a length of 19 cm. There is a moderate gender dimorphism . The males are more brightly colored and have black reins between their beak and eyes. The palila has a short call and melodious vocals. The call is two-syllable and can be heard loudly during the morning and evening when the birds are foraging.
distribution
Currently, Palila occurrence is limited to the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. The Palila lives at altitudes from 2000 m to 2900 m above sea level. The population density of these birds increases in areas where the food supply, the legumes of the mamane, is more available.
Way of life and behavior
The Palila favors arid Mamane and Mamane-Naio forests, usually between 2,000 and 2,850 m above sea level. Pukiawe , grasslands , lava fields, and native undergrowth are necessary for its survival.
The diet consists almost exclusively of the seeds of the young Mamane legumes. They eat the seeds by holding the legumes with one foot and using their thick specialized beaks to remove the green bitter seeds. The Palila also feeds on Naio berries ( Myoporum sandwicense ) and Mamane flowers, as well as on buds and young leaves. Caterpillars (e.g. the moth species Cydia latefemoris ) but also other insects, from which it gets its protein needs, serve as additional food .
The supply of mamane seeds affects the reproduction rate and survival of the adult birds. Palilas begin to eat the seeds at higher altitudes and then gradually migrate down the slope. During the drought, when mamane seeds are scarce, most birds do not even try to breed.
The breeding season lasts from February to September. The female builds a nest out of grass, stems, roots and the bark of the mamane tree. Lichen and leaves are used to pad the nest. Usually the clutch consists of two eggs. Both parents take part in raising the young. The young stay in the nest for 31 days before they fledge.
Existence and endangerment
Today the Palila occurs in less than 10% of its original range. In prehistoric times the Palila even inhabited lowlands on Oahu . At the beginning of the 20th century, the Palila was still common in Hawaii. He lived on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea , the northwest slopes of Mauna Loa, and the eastern slopes of Hualālai . In 1944, however, scientists believed that the Palila was almost extinct. On March 11, 1967, the Palila was classified as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . In 1975 the inventory was estimated at only 1,614 copies. In 1978, by order of the court, feral sheep and goats were removed from the critical habitats of the Palilas. In annual counts between 1980 and 1996, the estimates varied between 1,584 and 5,683 palilas, but with no consistent trends. In 1997, 72% of the total population occurred on the western slope of Mauna Kea. In 2003 BirdLife International estimated the population at 6,000 birds. During a counting operation in the period 2008/2009, only 2,200 individuals were detected. In 2009 BirdLife International upgraded the species from endangered to critically endangered.
literature
- Pratt, H. Douglas: The Hawaiian Honeycreepers: Drepanidinae (Bird Families of the World). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005, ISBN 0-19-854653-X .
- George Campbell Munro: Birds of Hawaii. Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., Rutland VT 1960, ISBN 0-8048-0063-4 .
- P. Banko, ML Cipollini, G. Breton, E. Paulk, M. Wink, I. Izhaki: Seed chemistry of Sophora chrysophylla (Mamane) in relation to the diet of the specialist seed predator Loxioides bailleui (Palila) in Hawai'i . In: Journal of Chemical Ecology. Volume 28, No. 7, 2002, pp. 1393-1410, doi: 10.1023 / A: 1016248502927 .
- Daniel Lewis: Overcoming extinction: Collectors, Stewardship, and the Palila. In: Belonging on an Island. Birds, Extinction and Evolution in Hawaii. Yale University Press, London 2018, ISBN 978-0-300-22964-6 , pp. 128-177.
- Paul C. Banko, Luanne Johnson, Gerald D. Lindsey, Steven G. Fancy, Thane K. Pratt , James D. Jacobi, Winston E. Banko : Palila (Loxioides bailleui) , version 2.0. In: AF Poole & Frank B. Gill (Eds.): Birds of North America , Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. 2002.
Web links
- Jeffrey, John J., Fancy, Steven G., Lindsey, Gerald D., Banko, Paul C., Pratt, Thane K., & Jacobi, James D. (1993). Sex and Age Identification of Palila, 64 (PDF, English; 662 kB)
- US Fish and Wildlife Service - Palila
- National Audubon Society - Palila
- Native Birds of Hawaii
- Forest Birds (PDF; 30 kB)
- Palila - BirdLife Species Factsheet
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Loxioides bailleui in the Internet Bird Collection
- Loxioides bailleui inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Conservation Management Institute. Palila ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
