Redtail plant mower
| Redtail plant mower | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Red-tailed plant mower ( Phytotoma rara ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phytotoma rara | ||||||||||||
| Molina , 1819 |
The red-tailed plant mower ( Phytotoma rara ), sometimes also called the Chilean plant mower , is a type of ornamental bird . The species occurs exclusively in the southwest of South America.
Appearance
The redtail plant mower reaches a body length between 18 and 20 centimeters. The wings are short, the eyes are red. The tail is elongated and black with a red base. The upper part of the body of the male is gray-brown with dark dashes. The spring bonnet is red-brown. The cheek is black with white marks. The beak is short and thick. It has a sawn edge with which the redtail plant mower can strip buds, leaves and fruits from the shoots.
There is a gender dimorphism . The females lack the red-brown feather bonnet. However, they have a cinnamon-colored forehead and throat.
Spread and behavior
The red-tailed plant mower has a distribution area that extends further south than is characteristic of most of the ornamental birds. Its distribution area are forest edges and river valleys in Chile and in the west of Argentina. Its distribution area extends from the Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena to the Región de Atacama and from Santa Cruz , Argentina to Mendoza . On the Falkland Islands , the red-tailed plant mower occasionally comes across as a stray visitor .
The redtail plant mower mainly eats grass, buds, young shoots, leaves, fruits and berries. Insects and their larvae also belong to the food spectrum to a small extent. The young birds in particular are fed with these.
The nest is built in trees or bushes. The clutch comprises two to four eggs.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Burnie, p. 338
literature
- David Burnie (Ed.): Vögel , Munich 2008, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 978-3-8310-1272-5
Web link
- Phytotoma rara inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.