Drop day sleeper
| Drop day sleeper | ||||||||||
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Drop day sleeper ( Phyllaemulor bracteatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||
| Phyllaemulor | ||||||||||
| Costa , Whitney , Braun , White , Silveira & Cleere , 2018 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||
| Phyllaemulor bracteatus | ||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1846) |
The Tropfentagschläfer ( Phyllaemulor bracteatus ) is a species of bird in the family of Tagschläfer . The species, first described scientifically in 1846 by the British ornithologist John Gould , lives in the tropical forests of South America and is exclusively nocturnal . The specific epithet bracteatus means “golden leaf” in Latin and refers to the conspicuous plumage of the animals, which plays an important role in their camouflage behavior. The drop day sleeper is currently the only species in the genus Phyllaemulor, which was newly described in 2018 .
Description and behavior
description
With a size of 21 to 25 cm and a weight of 46 to 58 g, the day sleeper is the smallest representative of the day sleeper. The body and especially the head appear stocky and rounded, the beak, which is adapted to catching insects in flight, is extremely wide and tapers towards the center. The plumage of the birds is unusual for the genus and shows a predominantly reddish to red-brown color. A number of white spots are found mainly on the shoulders and the tips of the umbrella feathers , and to a lesser extent on the chest and lower abdomen. The iris of the relatively large eyes, which are adapted to a nocturnal lifestyle, is yellowish in color, but has a dark mark in the lower area, which gives the eye a keyhole-like appearance and is not known from other day sleeper species.
behavior
During the day, the birds sit on branches or broken tree stumps in the undergrowth of tropical forests, where they are excellently camouflaged thanks to their plumage. In the event of danger, the animals slowly rock back and forth, creating the illusion of a dead, holey leaf moving with the wind. The hunt takes place exclusively at night and starts from a seat guard , from which the birds start with a quick movement and catch the prey in flight with their broad beak. After a successful hunt, the animals return to the seat guard, where the prey is then consumed. As with other day sleepers, insects such as beetles , grasshoppers , butterflies as well as hymenoptera and netwings serve as food . The song of the drop day sleeper is described as a warbling hwu - hu - hu - u - u - u that becomes faster and descends towards the end and is repeated at intervals of eight to 30 seconds. Other vocalizations should resemble those of a small owl and sound like boobooboo . The - incomplete - reports on the behavior of the animals indicate that they only sing in the nights around a full moon phase.
Reproduction
The reproductive behavior of the drip day dormouse is considered unusual, however, due to the camouflaging behavior of the animals, it has so far rarely been observed and accordingly little researched. Most of the time, drop day sleepers breed within or in the immediate vicinity of untouched primary forest . In the few broods observed, the nesting site was the fracture surface of a tree or a palm that had broken off at a height of 2–2.5 m, each measuring only three to four centimeters, and was not further processed or changed before the start of the breeding process. The female lays a single white egg at a time, which is believed to be incubated for about a month. This will probably be followed by a period of two more months, during which the young will remain at the nesting site and be cared for. During this phase, usually only the head of the young bird is visible between the breast plumage of the adult birds when they are at the nesting site. Soon after hatching, the young birds develop a brown-black, soft plumage that makes them look like part of the dead vegetation. If potential enemies get too close to the location in the absence of their parents, the boys' eyes and bills open and assume a threatening pose that is intended to deter the attacker.
Spread and endangerment
Drop day sleepers inhabit the tropical forests in northern South America east of the Andes , although they seem to prefer areas that are in the lowlands and undisturbed by humans. Due to their camouflage, direct evidence for the presence of the species is difficult to obtain; recordings of their nocturnal chants are often used. The species is not considered common in its entire range, confirmed sightings exist from Colombia , Ecuador , Peru and Brazil and, more recently, from French Guiana . The IUCN classifies the Tropfentagschläfer with stand 2016, mainly due to its large distribution area as not endangered (status least concern ) include, but assumes a general decreasing population trend from. Natural predators include tayras and South American coatis , but the greatest potential threat to the species is the destruction of their habitat through deforestation.
Systematics
The drop day sleeper has long been classified as the most basic representative of the day sleeper and placed with them in the genus Nyctibius . However, phylogenetic and osteological studies published in 2018 showed significant differences from all other types of day sleepers. Based on these studies and the unique behavior of the birds, the species was separated from the other Nyctibius species and the genus Phyllaemulor within the family Nyctibiidae was created for them. Both species and genus are currently considered monotypical .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rufous Potoo (Nyctibius bracteatus). In: Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Retrieved November 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Juan F. Freile, Robin Restall: Birds of Ecuador . In: Helm Field Guides . Bloomsbury Publishing, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-4081-0533-7 , pp. 186 .
- ↑ Rufous Potoo Nyctibius bracteatus. In: cornell.edu. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, accessed November 19, 2019 .
- ^ A b c David T. Holyoak: Nightjars and Their Allies: The Caprimulgiformes . In: Bird Families of the World . tape 7 . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-854987-3 , pp. 169-171 .
- ^ A b c d Johan Ingels, Nigel Cleere, Vincent Pelletier, Vanessa Héquet: Recent records and breeding of Rufous Potoo Nyctibius bracteatus in French Guiana . In: Cotinga . tape 29 , 2008, p. 144-148 .
- ^ Bret Whitney: Bird Buzz: Rufous Potoo. In: fieldguides.com. Retrieved November 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Rufous Potoo Phyllaemulor bracteatus. In: iucnredlist.org. BirdLife International, 2016, accessed December 27, 2019 .
- ↑ Thiago VV Costa, Bret M. Whitney, Michael J. Braun, Noor D. White, Luís Fábio Silveira, Nigel Cleere: A systematic reappraisal of the Rufous Potoo Nyctibius bracteatus (Nyctibiidae) and description of a new genus . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 159 , no. 2 , 2018, p. 367-377 , doi : 10.1007 / s10336-017-1511-2 .
- ↑ Noor D. White, Charles Mitter, Michael J. Braun: Ultraconserved elements resolve the phylogeny of potoos (Aves: Nyctibiidae) . In: Journal of Avian Biology . tape 48 , no. 6 , 2017, p. 872-880 , doi : 10.1111 / jav.01313 .