Redtail weaver
| Redtail weaver | ||||||||||||
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Red-tailed weaver ( Histurgops ruficauda ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Histurgops | ||||||||||||
| Reichenow , 1887 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Histurgops ruficauda | ||||||||||||
| Reichenow, 1887 |
The red-tailed weaver ( Histurgops ruficauda ) is a species of bird that is endemic only in Tanzania . Despite its name, it is not a weaver bird , but belongs to the sparrow family (Passeridae).
features
The red-tailed weaver is a starling-sized brown-gray piebald bird that reaches a length of 20 to 22 centimeters. The wing feathers are dark or chestnut brown, the inner tail feathers chestnut brown, the outer reddish. The whitish-light gray edges of the feathers on the underside lead to a scaly pattern. The eyes are bluish-white, the bill and feet are brown. Both sexes look the same. Fledglings are darker brown, have a yellowish bill and brown eyes. His calls are a moaning “pchweezzee” and a squeaking “skwee-ur”. Red-tailed weavers can easily be confused with the females and young birds of the buffalo weaver ( Bubalornis niger ). However, these do not have a reddish tail.
distribution
The relatively small area of distribution of Rotschwanzwebers located in the northwest of Tanzania, ranging from Tarangire- and Lake Manyara National Park to Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Eyasi to the Serengeti .
Way of life
Redtail weavers live in open savannahs and are sociable and noisy. He looks for his food on the ground, alone or together with buffalo weavers and starlings . They are particularly common around the lodges of the national parks. During the breeding season, the red-tailed weaver builds a large nest in acacia trees from blades of grass with a short but wide entrance tube. It breeds in scattered, loose colonies.
literature
- Dale A. Zimmerman, Donald A. Turner, David J. Pearson: Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania. A & C Black Publisher, 1996, ISBN 0713639687
- JG Williams, N. Arlott: Birds of East Africa. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-219179-2
Web links
- Avibase: Red-tailed weaver ( Histurgops ruficauda )
- Histurgops ruficauda inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2014.