Samoa parrot finch
| Samoa parrot finch | ||||||||||||
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Samoan Parrot Finch ( Erythrura cyaneovirens ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Erythrura cyaneovirens | ||||||||||||
| ( Peale , 1848) |
The Samoa parrot finch ( Erythrura cyaneovirens ), also known as the short-tailed parrot finch , is a species of the finch family . Several subspecies are distinguished. For a long time it was disputed whether the Peales parrot and the King parrot are subspecies of the Samoa parrot. In the meantime they are generally recognized as independent species because of their strong eco-ethological differentiation.
Despite the relatively small distribution area and the associated population risk due to habitat loss , the IUCN classifies the Samoa parrot finch as 
(= least concern - not endangered).
description
The males of the Samoan parrot finch have blackish eye reins and a crimson head and sides of the head. There is a blue band in the neck that merges into the blue-green of the back. The throat and chest are washed out blue, while the underside of the body is green and tinged with blue to a greater or lesser extent. The rear rump and the upper tail-coverts are red. The tail is short, with the middle tail feathers dark red and the remaining tail feathers black-brown. The eyes are brown and the beak is black.
There are only minor differences between males and females. Basically, the females are a little lighter and a little more dull in color and have a more greenish tone on the underside of the body.
Distribution area and way of life
The distribution area of the Samoa parrot finch are the Samoa Islands . The nominate form ( E. c. Cyanovirens ) colonizes Upolu and Western Samoa. The subspecies E. c. gaughrani occurs only in Savaiʻi . Their preferred habitat are forest clearings and secondary bushes. It is also found in pastures and plantations. In contrast, it is absent in the densely populated coastal zone. It mainly eats the seeds of herbaceous plants as well as insects and their larvae.
The nest is spherical. Otherwise there are hardly any field observations on reproductive behavior. In the case of Samoan parrots kept in human care, the clutch consisted of three to four eggs. Both parent birds breed and are often together in the nest both during the day and at night. The breeding period is about 14 days and the nestling period is 22 days. Fledglings fly very well immediately and are able to land safely on branches. They do not return to the brood nest at night and start picking out individual grains of half-ripe millet bean just two to three days after they leave the nest. You are self-employed at around three weeks. Samoan parrot finches are extremely precocious birds. Two females kept in captivity have already laid eggs when they are three and a half months old, and young birds that have not yet reached their first year of life have successfully reared young birds themselves.
literature
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Australia, Oceania, Southeast Asia. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3249-4 .
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
Web links
- BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 25, 2010
- Erythrura cyaneovirens inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 170
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 25, 2010
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 173