Perlaar
| Perlaar | ||||||||||
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Perlaar ( Gampsonyx swainsonii ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||
| Gampsonyx | ||||||||||
| Vigors , 1825 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||
| Gampsonyx swainsonii | ||||||||||
| Vigors , 1825 |
The Perlaar ( Gampsonyx swainsonii ) in older publications occasionally Perlenweih , is a very small, hawk-like bird of prey from the family of Accipitridae . The species inhabits open landscapes in Central and South America, but is slowly spreading further north, so its continued existence is not endangered. It is the only representative of the genus Gampsonyx .
features
The Perlaar is one of the smallest members of its family with a size of 20 to 25 cm and a wingspan of 45 to 55 cm. The weight is 74 to 105 g, whereby the females, as with many birds of prey, tend to be somewhat larger and heavier than their male counterparts. However, there is no more extensive sexual dimorphism . The general appearance is reminiscent of that of a typical falcon , mainly through a round head with relatively large eyes and a short, strongly curved beak . The flight feathers are pointed and do not extend beyond the tail in a sitting position. When gliding, the wings are kept in a straight line with the body. The plumage of adult birds shows a sooty gray on the back and back of the head. The chest and stomach area are cream-colored, while the feathered legs tend to merge into the cinnamon color. A characteristic reddish-brown spot can be seen on the flanks. The balance and control springs are blackish on top, while the underside is silver. The contour feathers of the lower wing, however, show a pale cinnamon tone similar to the leg fletching. The face has a distinctive pattern with white to yellowish forehead and cheeks as well as darker areas behind the eyes, the iris of which is strikingly red in color. The eyes are surrounded by a bluish-gray wax skin , the beak is blackish-gray. The non-feathered parts of the legs and feet, however, show a strong yellow-orange.
The youth dress already largely corresponds to the appearance of the adult birds, but can mainly be distinguished by a darker color on the top. Many feathers there also have paler tips. Furthermore, the young birds still lack the typical reddish-brown spots on the sides, and in general the plumage on the belly and chest looks more cinnamon-colored than in the adults. The eyes are still brown instead of red, the legs more yellowish instead of orange.
Confusion with the great falcon ( Falco sparverius ) can occur mainly due to the similar silhouette in flight, but can usually be cleared up quickly on closer inspection. Above all, the missing pattern on the bottom of the Perlaar can be used as a simple and clear distinguishing feature.
behavior
The Perlaar lives in a number of dry, open areas such as tree-lined savannahs and grasslands or light forests, but also man-made parks. Areas in the lowlands are preferred. Basically, the species does not shy away from contact with humans and can be spotted hunting along streets on a regular basis. Most of the time, the birds are observed sitting on telephone cables or in the tops of trees. During gliding over open terrain, pearls sometimes reach very great heights. The species is considered a resident bird that does not take part in the annual bird migration . However, an established rapid expansion of the distribution area speaks for an at least partially nomadic way of life. Outside the breeding season, the birds lead a largely solitary way of life.
nutrition
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Perlaare mainly hunt insects, including cockroaches and various beetles, as well as lizards and frogs. Smaller birds such as tropical mockingbirds ( Mimus gilvus ), jacarini chambers ( Volatinia jacarina ) or single-color cloves ( Agelasticus cyanopus ) are also captured occasionally . The preferred method of hunting is high seat hunting, in which the birds wait for prey from a seat guard. If this is spotted, the birds rush down with a quick, direct movement. Occasionally, pearls can be observed, like a falcon, briefly standing over the prey in the air before it is struck.
Reproduction
The Perlaar's nest is a flat, narrow platform made of thin twigs, which both adult birds erect high up on a tree. The construction is not particularly stable and has to be constantly repaired throughout the breeding season. In rare cases, nests from previous years are also reused. After completing the nest, the female lays one to four eggs. These have a basic white color and are speckled with irregular, brown and greyish-purple spots. Their incubation period is 34 to 35 days, during which they are almost exclusively incubated by the female. The male participates in the breeding business of his partner only during short periods of rest, but otherwise provides them with food. After hatching, the young birds remain in the nest for about five weeks before they fledge. Meanwhile, the male adult bird is responsible for bringing in food, but the actual handover to the nestlings is always done by the female.
Spread and endangerment
The Perlaar is a neotropical species, the original range of which extends roughly from Colombia and Venezuela in the north to Bolivia and northern Argentina in the south. Due to the increasing deforestation of the region, the Perlaar has been opening up new suitable habitats for several decades, which means that its distribution area is spreading northwards along the Pacific coast of Central America. The species is now considered quite common there. In addition, some islands in the Caribbean such as Trinidad have recently been settled. Consequently, the population numbers of the species are developing positively, the IUCN therefore currently classifies the Perlaar at the lowest risk level of least concern .
Systematics
The Perlaar was described for the first time in 1825 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors, together with the genus Gampsonyx, which was newly created for it . The generic name is derived from the Greek terms gampos and onyx for "curved" and "claw". The specific epithet swainsonii honors the British artist and ornithologist William Swainson . While the genus is considered monotypical , two other subspecies are considered valid for the species in addition to the nominate form . Both go back to a description by the British ornithologist Charles Chubb in 1918. G. s. leonae inhabits the northern part of the range from Nicaragua through northern South America to the Amazon basin . G. s. Magnus , on the other hand, occurs only in the coastal regions of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. G. s. leonae differs from the nominate form only in subtle deviations in the color of the plumage. The gray tones on the upper side are darker and the light pattern in the facial area is less pronounced. The differences in G. s. magnus , on the other hand, are more obvious. In addition to the complete absence of the typical reddish-brown spots on the flanks, a smaller wingspan and shorter control feathers can also be used as identification features. The position of the genus Gampsonyx within the order of birds of prey has long been controversial. Early taxonomic classifications even placed the Perlaar outside of this order within the hawk- like . Modern research on mitochondrial DNA , on the other hand, showed that Gampsonyx is most closely related to the gliding pair ( Elanus ) and, like this, is to be regarded as a basic representative of the hawk-like species. Together with the two monotypical genera Macheirhamphus and Chelictinia , they form the subfamily Elaninae.
- G. s. swainsonii Vigors , 1825
- G. s. leonae Chubb, C , 1918
- G. s. magnus Chubb, C , 1918
literature
- William S. Clark, N. John Schmitt: Raptors of Mexico and Central America . Princeton University Press, Princeton / Oxford 2017, ISBN 978-0-691-11649-5 , pp. 115-116 .
- Charles Chubb: Mr. Charles Chubb sent the following descriptions of new forms of South and Central American birds . In: Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club . tape 39 , no. 237 , 1918, pp. 21-23 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
Web links
- Recordings of vocalizations at xeno-canto.org
Individual evidence
- ↑ Clark & Schmitt, pp. 115-116
- ↑ a b Clark & Schmitt, p. 116
- ↑ a b Clark & Schmitt, S. 115
- ↑ Species account: Pearl Kite Gampsonyx swainsonii. In: globalraptors.org. Global Raptor Information Network, 2020, accessed May 4, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Richard Patrick Ffrench: The breeding of the Pearl Kite in Trinidad . In: Living Bird . tape 19 , 1982, pp. 121-131 .
- ↑ M. Harding, S. Butchart, J. Ekstrom: Species factsheet: Gampsonyx swainsonii. In: birdlife.org. BirdLife International, 2020, accessed September 29, 2020 .
- ^ Charles Chubb: Descriptions of new forms from South and Central American birds — Gampsonyx swainsonii magnus, G. s. leonæ, Falco rufogularis petoensis, F. r. pax. In: Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club . tape 39 , 1918, pp. 21-23 .
- ↑ Ivan J. Starikov, Michael Wink: Old and Cosmopolite: Molecular Phylogeny of Tropical – Subtropical Kites (Aves: Elaninae) with Taxonomic Implications . In: diversity . tape 12 , no. 327 , 2020, p. 1-21 , doi : 10.3390 / d12090327 .