Reichenbach nectar bird
| Reichenbach nectar bird | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reichenbach nectar bird ( Anabathmisreichenbachii ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anabathmisreichenbachii | ||||||||||||
| ( Hartlaub , 1857) |
The Reichenbach nectar bird or Cameroon nectar bird ( Anabathmisreichenbachii , syn .: Nectarinia reichbachii ) is a songbird from the genus Anabathmis in the family of nectar birds (Nectariniidae). The first descriptor Carl Johann Gustav Hartlaub named the species after the German natural scientist Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach .
features
The Reichenbach nectar bird is one of the most conspicuous species of nectar bird due to its metallic steel blue head and neck color , with the exception of the black reins . This contrasts with the inconspicuous olive-colored top and the gray underside with a yellow rump. Dark, pale fringed feathers on the back and wings give it a scaly look. In the male, the pectoral tufts of feathers are yellow or yellow-orange, in the female, paler. The wings are dark brown with olive-colored edges, the under wing-coverts and the axillary feathers are white. The rump and upper tail-coverts are interspersed with yellow, the under- tail coverts and the ends of the elongated flank feathers are yellow. The stepped tail is blackish-brown, the tips of the tail- feathers , with the exception of the central pair, are broadly yellowish-brown-white.
The iris is dark brown, the legs and feet as well as the strong, downward-curved bill are black. The Reichenbach nectar bird reaches a body length of 12 to 14 cm and a weight of 9.8 to 13 g.
The females resemble the males; there is no noticeable sexual dimorphism . Females are slightly smaller, their pectoral feathers only pale yellow. Young birds are yellow underneath with brownish speckles, their heads are brown.
distribution
The range of the Reichenbach nectar bird is in West and Central Africa . It can be found in Liberia, the Ivory Coast , Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mbini (the part of Equatorial Guinea on the African mainland ), Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (eastern to central and upper Congo and Kivu ) and in Angola.
Habitat and way of life
The habitat of the Reichenbach nectar birds are sandy, palm-lined coastal areas, coastal swamps, lagoons lined with coastal shrubs , mangroves , rice fields and bare areas. The species is usually found near water, in low thickets at the edge of forest and other shady locations along streams and rivers. Occasionally the Reichenbach nectar bird can be found in gardens.
Reichenbach nectar birds are presumably resident birds . They look for their food in pairs or in family groups at a height of 5 to 30 m between flowers and branches hanging over water, in the canopy of leaves and in treetops that protrude above and at the edges of the forest, but never more than 500 m from the water. They feed on insects and nectar from coconut palms , belt flowers ( Englerina gabonensis , Globimetula braunii ), crushed shrubs ( Psychotria djumaensis ) and red plants ( Sabicea africana ). The bag-shaped nests typical of nectar birds are attached to horizontal branches 3 to 5 m above water. Eggs are laid in Cameroon in May and June and September to December, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September, October and December and in Gabon in February, October and November. The eggs are incubated by the females.
Danger
The Reichenbach nectar bird has a very large distribution area and an apparently stable population . The size of the population is undetermined, the bird is considered common in Cameroon, locally very common in Congo, and often rare in other places. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the species as Least Concern (LC).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Reichenbach nectar bird ( Anabathmisreichenbachii ) at Avibase; Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ↑ a b c d e f Clive F. Mann, Robert A. Cheke: Sunbirds: A Guide to the Sunbirds, Spiderhunters, Sugarbirds and Flowerpeckers of the World. Pica Press 2001, ISBN 978-1-873403-80-8 , pp. 207-208.
- ↑ Jerome A. Jackson, Walter J. Bock, Donna Olendorf: Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Volume 11: Birds IV. ISBN 978-0-7876-5787-1
Web links
- Anabathmis reichenbachii in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed January 28, 2012 Design.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Anabathmisreichenbachii in the Internet Bird Collection