Shelley's Berga deer
| Shelley's Berga deer | ||||||||||||
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| Cryptospiza shelleyi | ||||||||||||
| Sharpe , 1902 |
Shelley's Berga reindeer ( Cryptospiza shelleyi ), also known as red mantle reindeer , is a so far little researched species of the finch family (Estrildidae). No subspecies are distinguished. It bears its name in honor of the British geologist and ornithologist George Ernest Shelley . The species is classified as endangered (" vulnerable ") by the IUCN .
description
Shelley's Bergastrild reaches a body length of fourteen centimeters and weighs between eighteen and twenty grams. It is the largest species within the genus of the Bergastrilde . In the male, the top of the head, the sides of the head up to the ear region, as well as the rear neck, the back, the rump and the upper tail-coverts are crimson. The wing feathers are brown-black, with the wing cover feathers and the innermost arm wings being tinged with red in some individuals. The tail, the under tail-coverts and the thigh fletching are black. The rest of the underside is yellowish olive green. The strong beak is reddish at the base and then turns brownish.
The females lack the red on the head. Instead, they're dark olive in color. Young birds are similar to adult females.
Distribution and way of life
Similar to Jackson's Bergastrild , Shelley's Bergastrild is only found in the Western Rift . In most of its range, the Shelleys Bergastrild is a rare to very rare bird. It is often only found in a few small forests in Rwanda and Burundi , which are threatened by deforestation. So far, it has only been observed in the closed undergrowth of mountain forests at altitudes between 1,500 and 3,400 meters. It occurs there in mixed bamboo forests as well as in forest clearings and along rivers. Occasionally he lives in company with other Bergastrilden. Basically, he is very shy and immediately escapes into the undergrowth if disturbed. Nests and clutches have not yet been found. Small seeds dominate the diet; according to current knowledge, it should primarily eat the seeds of spring herbs . He looks for his food mainly on the ground.
attitude
Shelley's Bergastrild does not play a role in the keeping of ornamental birds. However, some individuals of this species are said to have been imported to Holland in the 1970s. Housing descriptions for this species are not yet available.
supporting documents
literature
- C. Hilary Fry and 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
Web links
- BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 13, 2010
- Cryptospiza shelleyi in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2013.