Rust fisherman

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Rust fisherman
Ceyx fallax.JPG

Rust fisherman ( Ceyx fallax )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Rockers (Coraciiformes)
Family : Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Subfamily : Common Kingfishers (Alcedininae)
Genre : Three-toed kingfishers ( Ceyx )
Type : Rust fisherman
Scientific name
Ceyx fallax
( Schlegel , 1866)

The rust fisherman or Sulawesi dwarf fisherman ( Ceyx fallax ) is a species of bird from the kingfishers family (Alcedinidae). A distinction is made between two subspecies: the nominate form Ceyx fallax fallax ( Schlegel , 1866 ) from the island of Sulawesi and the Sangihe rust fisherman ( Ceyx fallax sangirensis ) ( AB Meyer & Wiglesworth 1898) from the Sangihe Islands .

features

The nominate form of the rust fisherman reaches a total length of 12 cm. The sexes look the same. The wing length is 56 to 59 mm in the males, 57 to 61 mm in the females, the tail length in the males 19 to 22 mm, in the females 21 to 22 mm. The beak length is 28 to 38 mm in the males and 34 to 37 mm in the males. The length of the barrel is 8 to 10 mm for the males and 9 to 10 mm for the females. The forehead is black in the adult birds. The top of the head is black with blue speckles. The reins are yellow-brown. The eye stripe, the cheeks, the beard stripe and the sides of the neck are purple. The ear covers are reddish brown. The sides of the neck have a rusty yellow sheen. The neck, coat and shoulders are dark reddish brown. The back, rump and tail-coverts are glossy cobalt blue. The tail is black. The wings are brown-black, the small and medium-sized wing covers have shiny purple tips. The large wing covers, the umbrella feathers and the arm wings have broad, dark reddish brown borders. The chin and throat are cream in color. The chest is dark orange. The flanks, the belly, the under tail-coverts and the under wing coverts are lighter orange. The breast and the upper tail-coverts generally have a strong purple wash. The beak is red, the eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are orange-red. The fourth toe is stunted, not nailed up, and has a single bone that is less than 2 mm long. The upper side of the juvenile birds is darker and more matt than that of the adult birds. The plumage lacks the purple wash. The beak is blackish with a light tip. The Sangihe rust fisherman is about 10 percent larger. The blue speckles on the top of the head are larger and shinier than in the nominate form. The wings and rump are more purple.

habitat

The rust fisherman is a resident bird that inhabits lowland forests and low mountain range forests at altitudes from sea level to 1000 m. Altitudes at 600 m are preferred. He is not found near water.

Way of life

Little is known about his way of life. Its diet includes insects such as b. Grasshoppers, and lizards. He goes in search of food singly or in pairs and can be found deep in the woods. Only one nest of this species is known, which was discovered by ornithologist Dick Watling in October 1979 in Lore Lindu National Park . It was in a tunnel in a pile of earth some distance from a river.

status

The rust fisherman is put on the "warning list" ( near threatened ) by the IUCN . The population size of this species has not yet been determined, but it is generally described as rare, although it is found in parts of Sulawesi, e.g. B. the Panua Nature Reserve, is probably a bit more numerous. The Sangihe rust fisherman was last sighted in 1997. A subsequent search expedition in 1998 yielded no results. Rumors that this subspecies was also found in the Talaud Islands have never been confirmed. The extinction of the Sangihe rust fisherman is probably due to the destruction of the habitat caused by the intensive clearing of the forests.

literature

Web links

Commons : Rostfischer ( Ceyx fallax )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Watling, Dick: Ornithological Notes from Sulawesi , p. 286, In: The Emu: Official Organ of the Australasian Ornithologists 'Union, Volume 83, Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union, 1983
  2. Riley, John: Population sizes and the status of endemic and restricted-range bird species on Sangihe Island, Indonesia , Bird Conservation International / Volume 12 / Issue 01 / March 2002, pp. 53-78