Red-winged pampa chicken

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Red-winged pampa chicken
Red-winged pampa chicken in Parque das Aves in Brazil

Red-winged pampa chicken in Parque das Aves in Brazil

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Subclass : Great Pine Birds (Palaeognathae)
Order : Cockles (tinamiformes)
Family : Cockroaches (Tinamidae)
Genre : Rhynchotus
Type : Red-winged pampa chicken
Scientific name
Rhynchotus rufescens
( Temminck , 1815)

The Redwing Pampashuhn ( Rhynchotus rufescens ) is a species of bird in the family of Tinamous (Tinamidae). It inhabits the grasslands, savannas and bush areas of eastern South America.

features

The red-winged pampa chicken reaches a size of 39 to 42 centimeters. Males weigh about 700-920 g, females weigh about 580-1040 g. The most striking feature are the cinnamon-red hand wings , which can also be seen in flight. The beak is curved and relatively long. The birds have an erect head made of black-yellow-brown feathers. The wing covers and back are black sparred on a sand-colored background. The throat is white, the throat and chest are cinnamon-colored in some shapes and mottled in others. The underside is pale yellow-brown or ocher-gray, the body flanks are slightly sparged. Both sexes look very similar to each other, but the females are larger. Immature birds already resemble the adult animals. The call can be heard from afar and is described as a four-syllable whistle. It should be reminiscent of the English line " We'll-wheel-it-here - We'll-wheel-it-here ".

Distribution and subspecies

Distribution area of ​​the red-winged pampa chicken

The red-winged pampa chicken inhabits large parts of eastern South America in the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Fossil, the species is also known from the Pleistocene in Minas Gerais (Brazil). The following subspecies are distinguished:

  • R. r. rufescens ( Temminck , 1815): Inhabits Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina; Nominate form .
  • R. r. catingae Reiser , 1905: Central and Northeastern Brazil; Compared to the nominate form, the upper side is more grayish-brown, the light areas less yellow-brown. Cover feathers on the flanks and under tail are greyish.
  • R. r. pallescens Kothe , 1907: Northeast Argentina; overall greyish than the nominate shape, but the neck is not as ocher as in R. r. catingae
  • R. r. maculicollis G.R.Gray , 1867: highlands of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina; noticeable dark speckles in the anterior neck and chest area

R. r. maculicollis is not considered a subspecies by the IOC World Bird List 3.4 and some other authors. Instead, it then as a separate species Huaycosteißhuhn ( Rhynchotus maculicollis ) GRGray considered 1867th The spin-off is based on the Proposal to South American Checklist Committee (# 2000-01) .

habitat

The habitat of the red-winged pampa chicken consists of moist grassland, savannahs and parklands as well as forest edges. The animals prefer areas with relatively lush, high vegetation. In some areas of the distribution area, for example in Bolivia and northwestern Argentina, the red-winged pampa chicken lives in dry mountain valleys at altitudes between 1000 and 3000 m.

Preparation of a red-winged pampa chicken in the Senckenberg Museum

Way of life

The birds live singly or in pairs and mostly move on the ground. When they are found, they fly low over the ground with loud flapping wings. Compared to other cocktails, red-winged pampas fly quite well, but they tire quickly and usually land after 700–1300 m. In summer, the diet consists mainly of animal food, such as worms, termites, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, bedbugs, caterpillars and small vertebrates. Plants are mainly consumed in winter. Including bulbs, tender roots and seeds mainly from grasses on the one hand and fruits on the other. The breeding season varies depending on the region. In São Paulo , Brazil, it takes place from August to January. In captivity in Rio Grande do Sul , red winged pampas lay their eggs between October and December. The nest consists of a small hollow, often near a tuft of grass. The nesting site is apparently chosen by the male. The females then come to lay the eggs. Sometimes two females lay their eggs in the same nest. The clutch consists of six to ten wine-red or purple-colored eggs that are incubated by the male. When it leaves the nest, the male covers the clutch with feathers.

Red-winged pampa chicken egg
Red-winged pampa chicken chick

Existence and endangerment

In some regions, the red winged pampa chicken is considered an agricultural pest. It is also heavily hunted for its meat. Another threat is the burning of grasslands for agricultural purposes and the use of insecticides. Stocks have declined in Argentina and shrinking in Brazil. Nevertheless, the species is still relatively widespread and common in some areas. The animals reproduce readily in captivity. All subspecies with the exception of R. r. catingae are often kept and bred. The red-winged pampa chicken is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN .

Etymology and history of research

The first description of the red-winged pampa chicken was in 1815 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck under the scientific name Tinamus rufescens . In 1825 Johann Baptist von Spix described a new species under the name Rhynchotus fasciatus , to which he assigned a new genus. It later turned out that this was a synonym for Rhynchotus rufescens .

The word Rhynchotus is of Greek origin and is derived from the words "rhunkhos ρύγχος " for "beak" and "OTES οτης from" for "as a special exhibit." The epithet "rufescens" is the Latin word for "reddish". “Pallescens” is also of Latin origin and means “pale, pale, colorless”. The term "catingae" goes back to the so-called "Catinga groves". This type of forest is lower and less dense than the typical rainforest. In this type of forest, the plants lose their leaves during drought and grow on granite and limestone soils.

literature

  • Stephen J. Davies: Ratites and Tinamous . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002, ISBN 978-0-19-854996-3 .
  • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
  • Coenraad Jacob Temminck: Histoire naturelle générale des pigeons et des gallinacés . tape 3 . HO Brouwer, Amsterdam 1815 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Johann Baptist von Spix: Avium species novae, quas in itinere per Brasiliam annis MDCCCXVII-MDCCCXX jussu et auspiciis Maximilliani Josephi I. Bavariae regis . tape 2 . : Typis Franc. Seraph. Hübschmanni, Munich 1825 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Otmar Reiser: The w. M. Hofrat Franz Steindachser presents the following preliminary report by the curator O. Reiser on the ornithological yield during the expedition sent to Brazil by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1903 . In: Anzeiger der Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe . tape 42 , 1905, pp. 320-324 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius : Mr. Conservator von Martius reads about the physiognomy of the plant kingdom in Brazil . In: Report on the work of the Royal Baier. Academy of Sciences in Munich . tape 2 , 1824, p. 55–56 ( bavarica.digitale-sammlungen.de ).
  • Konrad Kothe: Mr. K. Kothe spoke about a Rynchotus from Argentina and performed the following . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 55 , no. 1 , 1907, p. 163-164 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • George Robert Gray: List of the specimens of birds in the collection of the British Museum . 5 gallinae. Typis Franc Seraph. Hübschmanni, Munich 1867 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Davies, 2002 (p. 142)
  2. ^ A b Coenraad Jacob Temminck, p. 552
  3. ↑ a b Otmar Reiser, p. 320
  4. ↑ Konrad Kothe, p. 164
  5. ↑ George Robert Gray, p. 102
  6. ↑ IOC World bird list ratites: Ostriches to Tinamous
  7. ↑ Proposal to South American Checklist Committee (# 2000-01) ( Memento of the original from December 12, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.museum.lsu.edu
  8. ^ Johann Baptist von Spix, p. 60
  9. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 335
  10. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 341
  11. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 289
  12. ^ Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, p. 55

Web links

Commons : Red-winged Pampa Grouse ( Rhynchotus rufescens )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files