Sichelhopf

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Sichelhopf
Sichelhopf (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas)

Sichelhopf ( Rhinopomastus cyanomelas )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Hornbills and hops (Bucerotiformes)
Family : Tree hops (Phoeniculidae)
Genre : Sickle hop ( Rhinopomastos )
Type : Sichelhopf
Scientific name
Rhinopomastus cyanomelas
( Vieillot , 1819)

The common scimitarbill ( Rhinopomastus cyanomelas ) is an African bird from the family of Woodhoopoe .

features

The 28–30 cm long sickle hop is a slender bird with iridescent blue-purple plumage. The long, tapering tail has a white tip. In flight, a white band is visible on the round wings. The long sickle-shaped beak is colored black. Like other hop species, it gives off a musty smell to ward off possible enemies. The bird calls with a series of plaintive tones.

Occurrence

The distribution area extends from Somalia and Kenya through East Africa to Angola and South Africa . The sickle hop lives on trees in light forests and in dry, open bush vegetation. It occurs from sea level to an altitude of 2400 m.

behavior

With its strong feet with sharp claws, the sickle hop often searches down tree trunks for food and digs gaps in the bark with its beak in order to get at insects as well as their eggs and larvae. It also catches larger insects, such as praying mantises , and occasionally ingests nectar .

The lively bird usually lives solitary or in pairs, but it is sometimes found in small groups of around five animals that are associated with the tree hop .

Reproduction

The Sichelhopf breeds in a narrow hollow in a tree. The female incubates two to four eggs for around two weeks while the male fetches food. The young, which hatch naked and blind, fledge after two weeks.

literature

  • Colin Harrison, Alan Greensmith: Birds . Dorling Kindersly Limited, London 1993, 2000, ISBN 3-8310-0785-3
  • Bryan Richard: Birds , Parragon, Bath, ISBN 1-4054-5506-3
  • Stevenson and Fanshawe: Princeton Field Guides - Birds of East Africa . Princeton and Oxford, 2002, ISBN 0-691-12665-8
  • Ian Sinclair: A photographic Guide to Birds of Southern Africa . Struik Publishers, Cape Town 1990, 1999, 2000, 2004

Web links

Commons : Sichelhopf  - album with pictures, videos and audio files