Reichenowastrild
| Reichenowastrild | ||||||||||||
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Reichenowastrild, female |
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| Cryptospizareichenovii | ||||||||||||
| ( Hartlaub , 1874) |
Reichenowastrild or Reichenows Bergastrild ( Cryptospizareichenovii ) is a species from the finch family . The species occurs in three spatially widely separated populations in Africa.
description
Reichenowastrild reaches a body length of up to twelve centimeters. Characteristic of the males is the large, scarlet spot around the eye, which extends to the root of the upper beak. The top of the head and the upper back are dark olive in color. The shoulders and the back are crimson to purple. The underside of the body is olive-colored, the under-tail-covers are almost blackish and, in a number of individuals, have a reddish color. The eyes are dark brown and have a red rim. The beak is black.
The females of the Reichenowastrild lack the striking red eye-spot. The reins and the area around the eyes are yellowish to pale olive in color, depending on the subspecies.
distribution and habitat
Reichenowastrild occurs on the island of Bioko , in southern Nigeria as well as on the Cameroon Mountain and in the mountains in the north-west of Cameroon . A second distribution area is in the northwest of Angola and a third, larger distribution area in the northeast area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Uganda , Tanzania , Malawi , the east of Zimbabwe and the neighboring region in the west of Mozambique .
The habitat of the Reichenowastrild are dense mountain forests and occasionally overgrown cultivated land near the lower tree line. He colonized heathland, mountain forest with tree farms, acanthaceae scrub. Its altitude distribution in Cameroon is between 900 and 2,000 meters in altitude. It occurs up to the upper tree line.
Way of life
Reichenowastrilde are beautiful finches that live in hiding. They are usually found in pairs or in small flights of up to ten individuals in the protective thicket. They are occasionally associated with red breast seed crackers , nuns' branches and shiny elsters . Their diet consists of seeds. Grass seeds have a major share. However, they also eat the seeds of Pinus patula , a forest tree introduced in southern Africa.
The calls are chirping and sharp zit . The singing is soft and variable and is reminiscent of both that of the green tiger and that of a subspecies of the bunting , namely Pytilia melba citerior . The singing ends with all three with a plaintive, two-syllable whistle motif. During courtship, the male hops around the female, unlike Jackson's Bergastrild , Reichenowastrild does not carry any nesting material in its beak.
Reichenowastrilde are territorial and defend an area between 0.8 and four hectares in size. The breeding season varies depending on the distribution area and is on the Cameroon Mountain, for example, at the end of the rainy season. The pairs nest in the same area for years and often build their new nests in close proximity to their old nests. The clutch comprises three to five eggs. Both parent birds breed. The nestlings fledge 21 days after hatching and are then fed by the male for another 10 to twelve days. Some of the young birds return to the nest at night in the first few days after they have left the country. On the basis of ringed birds, it has been shown that Reichenowastrild can reach an age of at least four to five years.
attitude
Reichenowastrilde were probably first imported to England in the 1930s. The first copies came to Germany in the 1950s. They are considered to be a very appealing and compatible species that can also be kept together with other fine finches. Although they are now bred by some enthusiasts, most of the birds on the market come from imports.
supporting documents
literature
- C. Hilary Fry , Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume VII. Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann, Claudia Mettke-Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Afrika. Series Handbuch der Vogelpflege, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8001-4964-3 .
Single receipts
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 94.
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 284.
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 285.
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 285.
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 94 and p. 95.
Web link
- Cryptospiza habenovii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2014.