Scarlet man nigbird

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Scarlet man nigbird
Females in Sri Lanka

Females in Sri Lanka

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Cuckooshrike (Campephagidae)
Subfamily : Pericrocotinae
Genre : Pericrocotus
Type : Scarlet man nigbird
Scientific name
Pericrocotus flammeus
( Forster , 1781)

The 20–22 centimeter long scarlet nigbird ( Pericrocotus flammeus ) is a passerine bird from the prickly pear family . They are resident breeding birds in forests and other tree-rich habitats including gardens, primarily in hilly areas. In the broader sense, the term scarlet man nigbird includes some subspecies , but in a narrower sense only the species Pericrocotus speciosus .

description

The scarlet nigger has a powerful dark beak and long wings. In the male, the top and head are black, the underside, tail ends, rump and wing spots are scarlet. The shape and color of the wing spots as well as the gradation of the orange coloration in the male vary in the subspecies. In the nigroluteus and marchesae from the southern Philippines , the scarlet or orange color has been completely replaced by yellow. The female has a gray upper side with a yellow underside including a face, a yellowish tail border, a greenish rump and yellow wing spots.

Taxonomy and systematics

Male P. speciosus from Jayanti in the Buxa Tiger Reserve , India
Illustration of Orange Minivet ( Pericrocotu flammeus ) from the Western Ghats in comparison with the male Pericrocotus speciosus (top)

This species shows considerable geographic variation with several distinct populations.

distribution

This Mennigvogel is found in tropical South and Southeast Asia from the Indian subcontinent eastwards to southern China , Indonesia and the Philippines . This species occurs on the edges of rivers, but also in parks and near-natural gardens of human settlements. It usually stays in the canopy of tall trees and is only very rarely found on the ground.

behavior

The scarlet nigbird catches insects , their larvae and spiders , often together in mixed hunting groups, usually in small groups high up in the treetops . These are captured in flight or peck them from branches or leaves while shaking . All subspecies behave similarly when searching for insects. The singing is a pleasantly melodic sounding whistle. During the courtship season, the male first flies high in the air on river banks and then sails in a spiral flight down onto a branch.

Reproduction

The mating season is from April to July. The nest is created in a fork of branches in the treetops, usually at a height of 6-18 meters. The chalice-like woven nest, which consists of lichen, moss and pieces of bark reinforced with twigs and cobwebs and lined with dry leaves, is well camouflaged. Two to four spotted light blue, yellow-brown, pale green eggs with gray or reddish-brown spots are deposited. These are incubated by the female alone for up to 15 days. Both are involved in rearing the young.

Scarlet niger bird, female, flying, Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Kerala, India

use

This species is kept in aviaries by humans because of its beautiful song.

literature

Web links

Commons : Scarlet nigbird ( Pericrocotus flammeus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files