Papuan cat
| Papuan cat | ||||||||||||
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Papuan donkey ( Mino dumontii ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Mino dumontii | ||||||||||||
| ( Lesson , 1827) |
The Papuan catfish ( Mino dumontii ) is a songbird from the starling family .
features
At first glance, this Star is similar to the Beo , but it is relatively easy to distinguish from it. She lacks the skin flap typical of Beos in the head area. Instead, it has noticeable, bright yellow spots around the black-colored eyes. The skin of these eye spots is comparable to an orange peel . The plumage is mostly black with a metallic sheen. The rump is yellow and the tail-covers are feathered white. The pointed beak and legs are orange. The Papuaatzel can reach a length of up to 29 cm. The sexes are outwardly indistinguishable.
Occurrence
The homeland of the Papuaatzel includes New Guinea , the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands . There she lives mainly in tropical rainforests and mangroves .
behavior
Like most starlings , the Papuan cat is very sociable and lives in pairs or in groups. It is an omnivore , whose diet mainly includes fruits and insects . Foraging takes place both on the ground and in the branches of the trees.
Reproduction
Little is known about the breeding behavior of the Papuatzel in the wild. In captivity, they usually breed several times a year and do not seem to be tied to a specific breeding period. Like most of their relatives, they nest in tree hollows or set up nesting boxes, which they pad with dry grass, pieces of wood and leaves. The clutch consists of two to four eggs that are incubated for about 14 days. The female takes on most of the breeding work. The young birds are naked and blind after hatching. They are fed by both adult birds until they are able to fly after about four weeks and can leave the nest.
Human and Papuan cat
The Papuatzel is still quite common in its range and is therefore listed by the IUCN as not endangered ( least concern ). It is exported for enthusiast keeping, but nowhere near as common as the Beo. They are occasionally found in zoos and bird parks, but less often in private homes. Since it excretes a very thin manure as a soft eater and also emits loud calls, it is only suitable to a very limited extent for housing.
literature
- Colin Harrison & Alan Greensmith: Birds. Dorling Kindersly Limited, London 1993, 2000, ISBN 3-8310-0785-3 .
- Bryan Richard: Birds. Parragon, Bath, ISBN 1-4054-5506-3 .
Web links
- Mino dumontii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed June 2, 2018th