Rhododendron garlic
| Rhododendron garlic | ||||||||||||
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Rhododendron garlic ( Carpodacus subhimachalus ) |
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| Carpodacus subhimachalus | ||||||||||||
| ( Hodgson , 1836) |
The rhododendron pennant ( Carpodacus subhimachalus , Syn . : Carpodacus subhimachala , Pinicola subhimachala , Propyrrhula subhimachala ) is a songbird belonging to the finch family . It lives in parts of the Himalayas as far as western China and occurs in crippled bushes of juniper and rhododendron above the tree line. The species is sometimes placed in the monotypical genus Propyrrhula .
description
Appearance
The rhododendron garlic is the size of a thrush with a body length of 19–20 cm. The species is compactly built and has a strong, 13-18 mm long bill, which is black-brown above and below at the base pale brown and dark brown towards the tip. Legs and feet are dark brown. The wing length is between 92 and 110 mm for the male and between 91 and 97 mm for the female. The length of the tail was measured to be 74–83 mm in the male and 74–79 mm in the female. The weight of the male is between 44 and 48 g, that of the female between 44 and 50 g.
The plumage of the sexes differs significantly. In the male, the face - extended to the throat and front chest - is intense carmine red. This part is only interrupted by the reins and eye stripes, which are reddish-brown and run into the dark reddish-brown part of the crown, nape and sides of the neck. On the back, the warm reddish brown is interspersed with dark feather centers. The intense red of the face can also be found on the rump and the upper tail, but it can also be darker here. The underside, on which the red coloring of the breast runs out, is pale gray. This part often extends very high on the flanks to the sides of the neck. The arm covers are dark brown with orange or pale red hems. The wings and hand covers are dark to black-brown and have red hems. Of the dark brown wings, the hand wings are reddish brown, the arm wings are lined with olive brown and the umbrella feathers are lined with broad pale pink. The latter also have bright tips. The slightly notched tail is dark brown with narrow, reddish brown edges.
In the female, the carmine-red areas of the face and chest in the male are replaced by an intense greenish-yellow, the reddish-brown areas on the back are more olive-gray. The reins and eye stripes and sometimes the neck are gray. The rump and upper tail-coverts are a little more intense greenish-yellow to olive-colored. Wing and rudder feathers are a little lighter than the male, i.e. more dark brown than black brown. The hems are olive brown. In older females, the greenish yellow can play into orange.
In the first winter, young rhododendrons resemble females, but the green-yellow of the breast is less intense. In the second winter, the yellowish color of the males changes to orange or in the area of the abdomen to pink. In the second summer, incompletely colored areas can still be observed on some males.
The species is shy and inconspicuous and can easily be overlooked in its biotope. It moves slowly and deliberately and is often found in the lower shrub layer or on the ground.
voice
The rhododendron pennant is not very happy to call, but sometimes brings a melodic, sparrow-like chirp to the ear. The singing is a bright and varied warble. A ter-ter-tie can also be heard.
Distribution and existence
The monotypical species inhabits the Himalayas from central Nepal eastwards via Sikkim , Assam , Bhutan , Arunachal Pradesh and southeastern Tibet to southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan . It is not or only locally common, but according to the IUCN it is not threatened in the population.
Way of life
The rhododendron pennant occurs in dense stands of stunted juniper and rhododendron above the tree line or in sparse forests. In winter you can find it in the dense undergrowth of forests. The species lives at altitudes between 3500 and 4200 m, in winter it descends in locations between 1975 and 3050 m. There are also wintering areas in northeast Myanmar .
The rhododendron pennant is usually found in pairs or in small groups. The diet consists of various seeds, buds and fruits. These include pine seeds, especially barberry berries and wild apples . Little is known about the breeding biology.
Systematics
The rhododendron garlic was previously placed in a common genus because of its numerous similarities with the holarctic common pennant . However, the two species differ significantly in their body structure. Recent molecular genetic studies have shown that the rhododendron garlic is closely related to the carmine garlic ( Carpodacus ). The species was sometimes placed in its own monotypical genus Propyrrhula . However, the phylogenetic studies mentioned above mean that such a position turns out to be impracticable and this genus is only recognized by a few authors.
literature
- P. Clement, A. Harris, J. Davis: Finches and Sparrows , Helm Identification Guides, London 1993/1999, ISBN 0-7136-5203-9
Individual evidence
- ↑ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim, KM Bauer: Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Volume 14 / II., Passeriformes (5th part): Fringillidae - Parulidae, AULA-Verlag 1997, ISBN 3-923527-00-4 , pp. 1101f
- ↑ Clement et al. (see literature), p. 293
- ↑ D. Zuccon, R. Prŷs-Jones, P. Rasmussen and P. Ericson: The phylogenetic relationships and generis Limits of finches (Fringillidae) . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . tape 62 , no. 2 , February 2012, p. 581-596 , doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2011.10.002 ( nrm.se [PDF]).
Web links
- Carpodacus subhimachalus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed March 31 of 2010.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Carpodacus subhimachala in the Internet Bird Collection
- Photos for Propyrrhula subhimachala in the Oriental Bird Club image database , accessed March 31, 2010