Giant nuthatch

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Giant nuthatch
SittaMagnaSmit.jpg

Giant nuthatch ( Sitta magna )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Certhioidea
Family : Nuthatch (Sittidae)
Genre : Nuthatch ( sitta )
Type : Giant nuthatch
Scientific name
Sitta magna
Ramsay , 1876

The Riesenkleiber ( Sitta magna ) is a Southeast Asian bird species from the family of nuthatches and 19.5 cm, the largest type of the genus Sitta . It colonizes parts of southwest China, northwest Myanmar and the extreme northeast of Thailand . It lives in pine forests and is threatened due to the deforestation of its habitats.

description

The giant nuthatch is the largest species of nuthatch with a length of 19.5 cm. It looks relatively long-tailed, the wings are wide and give the flight a butterfly-like impression. The tail length is 58–54 mm. The wing length of the male is between 115 and 121.5 mm, that of the female between 115 and 119 mm. The beak, which is between 29 and 33 mm long, is black and slightly lighter on the basal half of the lower mandible. Legs and feet are greenish slate in color. The iris shows a nut brown color.

The sexes differ only slightly. In the male, the vertex is light gray. The forehead, like the wide stripes over the eyes that run down the sides of the neck to the edge of the back, is shiny black. In some individuals, the vertex is also black or dashed in black. The nape of the neck is even lighter than the crown and is clearly set off from the back and shoulder plumage, which show a medium blue-gray. The rump and upper tail-coverts are medium gray. The ear covers, cheeks, chin and throat are whitish, the rest of the underside - including the front sides of the neck - is grayish white to very light gray. The middle of the abdomen shows a beige tinge. The red-brown under tail-coverts have broad white tips. The legs show a cinnamon color. The small and medium arm covers are gray with blue-gray hems, hand covers and alula are black-gray with blue-gray hems. The outer vane of the wing 's largest feather is whitish. The large arm covers, like the wing feathers, are blackish gray-brown with lighter, sometimes blue-gray edges and tips. On the underside of the wing, the light hems of the wings as a wide band and black carpal spots can be seen in flight . The central control feathers are bluish tinged gray-brown. On the black-brown control feathers lying next to it, there are dark blue-gray tips that widen towards the outside of the tail and enclose a subterminal, white spot on the inside plumes. The sixth, outer tail feather also shows a subterminal field on the outer vane.

In the female, the black stripe above the eyes is more dull, the neck is washed out beige and the back is paler and less bluish. The underside clearly shows a cinnamon tint. The young birds are similar to the females, but show a darker, slightly light-spotted vertex and are otherwise even paler in color. The umbrella feathers and large arm covers have warm brown hems, the beak is a little shorter.

The adult birds go through a partial moult in November and December, which is limited to the throat and neck. A full moult takes place after the breeding season in May. Nothing is known about the moulting of the young birds.

voice

The most frequent call is a stringed, three-syllable gd-da-da , which is somewhat reminiscent of the "chatter" of the magpie . Sometimes it takes on a more melodic expression as gi-di-ku with an emphasis on the last syllable or is contracted into a harsh, repeated gu-drr . In addition, a long drawn-out sound like a child's trumpet is described. In the case of a high, noticeable whistle that is repeated over and over again at short intervals, it could be the singing (audio sample).

distribution

Distribution area of ​​the giant body

The distribution ranges from Mogok in Myanmar westwards and there southwards into the Shan and into the northern Kayin state . In China, the species is found in the extreme south of Sichuan and in southern and western Yunnan . It may also be found in neighboring Laos and in the extreme southwest of Guizhou . To the north, the Chinese distribution extends to the Yulong Xueshan and to the east to about Xingyi . In Thailand the distribution is limited to the extreme northwest.

Geographic variation

The geographical variation is only slight, a distinction is made between two subspecies. The northern subspecies ligea is smaller and slimmer overall and has a shorter beak.

  • S. m. magna Ramsay , 1876 - northeastern Myanmar and northwestern Thailand, possibly southern Yunnan
  • S. m. ligea Deignan , 1938 - southwestern China

habitat

The giant nuthatch can usually be found in middle to higher altitudes of around 1000 to 2000 m above sea level. In Yunnan, however, observations were made up to an altitude of 3350 m. It is a resident bird that apparently does not migrate from higher altitudes in winter.

The species is closely tied to pines . In the hill country of Thailand they are found in open, evergreen mixed forests with interspersed stands of large, old Khasi pines ( Pinus kesiya ) and there mostly on the drier hill ridges. Sometimes she also stays on individual trees in a more open landscape.

Existence and endangerment

In Myanmar the species was still described as common in 1986, it is rare in China and apparently only locally distributed in northern Thailand. As their habitats continue to decline, the IUCN has classified it as threatened. Where entire forests are not threatened by deforestation, it is often pine trees that are selectively felled as firewood. Since intact forests predominantly only exist at altitudes above 1800 m, where the species mostly no longer occurs, the population is presumably in decline. The world population is roughly estimated at 2,500-9,999 specimens.

literature

  • S. Harrap, D. Quinn: Chickadees, Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers , Princeton University Press, Princeton / New Jersey 1995. ISBN 0-691-01083-8

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Giant Nuthatch Sitta magna . hbw.com. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ Bird Life International, p. Web links

Web links