Persian sand chicken
| Persian sand chicken | ||||||||||
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female Persian sand hen |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ammoperdix griseogularis | ||||||||||
| ( Brandt , 1848) |
The Persian sand grouse ( Ammoperdix griseogularis ) is a member of the desert chicken genus from the pheasant-like family . It is distributed from the Middle East through Iran and Central Asia to northwest India .
Appearance
The species is 22-25 centimeters tall, the males are usually slightly larger than the females, they weigh 187-238 grams, the females 182-205 grams. The wingspan is 40–42 centimeters. These birds have mostly reddish brown plumage. The belly is a little lighter in color. The beak is orange or red. The male has a bluish gray neck and a thick white stripe in front of and behind the eye. There is an elongated black stripe above the eye. The male's chest is also brown. Big blue, red or pink feathers under the wings are very noticeable. The belly is light brown and the tail is dark brown on top. The female is slightly smaller than the male and is colored uniformly brown on the back and the wings with small color gradations in wave form. The female's belly is light gray. The legs are brown and have long claws.
distribution
The Persian sand grouse occurs from southeast Turkey through Iraq and Syria as well as Central Asia ( Armenia , Turkmenistan , Kazakhstan , Tajikistan and Uzbekistan ) and Iran to Afghanistan , Pakistan and northwest India.
Way of life
habitat
The Persian sand grouse inhabits the rocky regions with sparse vegetation. Outside of breeding season, these animals roam the area in groups of 4 to 20 or more in search of food and water. They feed on plant seeds, other plant parts and insects, their larvae and spiders. It was believed that the birds would rather move on the ground than through the air. However, it has been shown that the gene flow between populations that are far apart is very high, which can only be explained by overcoming large geographical distances in flight.
Reproduction
In the breeding season these birds come together in pairs. The hen lays six to eight pale yellow eggs in a shallow hollow in the ground between stones and tufts of grass or on a low ledge. The breeding business is done by the female alone. The young hatch after 13 to 21 days. The male helps with the care of the young. At night, or when they settle down to rest, the female takes the young under her wings for protection. Until they are fully fledged, the female provides them with water as well as food.
Systematics and taxonomy
Ammoperdix griseogularis was first described in 1843 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt under the name Perdix griseogularis .
Three subspecies have been described, namely A. griseogularis termeuleni from southwestern Iran, A. griseogularis bucharensis from Uzbekistan and A. griseogularis peraticus from northwestern Afghanistan, but molecular genetic studies show that differences in external appearance are more due to intraspecific variation than to geographical reasons genetic differences are due.
Danger
Since this species has a relatively large distribution area and no specific threats are known, it is classified as safe ( Least Concern ) by the IUCN . The areas are partly inaccessible and inhospitable, so that they can usually not be used for agriculture. However, the locals like to hunt the species.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b P. JK McGowan & GW Kirwan: See-see Partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis). 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 March 11, 2019, online .
- ^ A b Johann Friedrich von Brandt: Note sur un espèce nouvelle de Perdix (Perdix griseogularis). Bulletin de la Classe physico-mathématique de l'Académie impériale des sciences de Saint-Pétersbourg, Volume 1, p. 365, 1843 (first description)
- ↑ a b Imran Khaliq, Muhammad Babar, Maria Riaz & Aleem Ahmed Khan: Genetic diversity in see-see partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis, Galliformes) populations from sub-Himalayan Mountain ranges of Pakistan. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 140, 2, pp. 229-234, 2010
- ↑ Ammoperdix griseogularis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
literature
- J. Felix: Asian fauna in color. With illustrations by J. Knotek and L. Knotkova, Verlag Karl Müller, Berlin 1989, pp. 166–167.
Web links
- Ammoperdix griseogularis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2019.