Socorrotaube
| Socorrotaube | ||||||||||
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Socorrotaube ( Zenaida graysoni ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Zenaida graysoni | ||||||||||
| ( Lawrence , 1871) |
The Socorro pigeon ( Zenaida graysoni ), also known as the Grayson pigeon , is an endemic species that was native to the Pacific island of Socorro off the west Mexican coast . After a military base was set up on the island, the population of these extremely trusting animals was severely decimated in the 1960s by introduced, feral cats and by hunting in the wild. It was last observed in the wild in 1972 and has been considered extinct in the wild since then.
Appearance and habitat
The Socorro pigeon can grow to be 20 to 25 cm tall and has plumage that is reddish to cinnamon brown. The beak is short and slender, reddish in color and dark at the tip. The gender dimorphism is only very slightly pronounced. The males only have a slightly richer plumage than the females. The pigeon originally inhabited very different biotopes - probably in pairs - in both forest and coastal areas. Socorro pigeons feed on seeds and fruits, green fodder, and smaller insects.
Conservation breeding
In the USA and Germany around 100 animals survived, so that targeted breeding in zoos and zoological gardens succeeded in keeping the species at least in captivity; the stud book within the framework of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP) for the Socorrotaube is kept at Frankfurt Zoo . The offspring has a number of problems. Many of the Socorro pigeons bred by private owners are hybrids through occasional crossing with Carolina pigeons ( Zenaida macroura ) . This is also due to the fact that the Socorro pigeon was considered a subspecies of the Carolina pigeon until the early 1980s. Another problem is the high level of aggression in males. The pairs must be overwintered separately from each other, in the case of reunited pairs the male pursues the female very aggressively. In principle, community keeping is only possible with smaller birds from other families. One case is documented in which the pigeons even killed Pennant Parakeets. However, the highly aggressive behavior is possibly also the reason why the Socorro pigeons on Socorro developed as an independent species and prevented colonization by Carolina pigeons. The island was successfully settled by Carolina pigeons 16 years after this pigeon species became extinct.
Resettlement
Hunting the feral cats should enable Socorro pigeons to be returned to their area of origin in the future. For this purpose, aviaries have already been built on the island of Socorro, which belongs to the Revillagigedo Islands , so that the first groups of animals can at least resettle there in a protected position. In the meantime, the project to reintroduce the Socorrotaube has been included in the Mexican “Action Program for Species Protection”; the worldwide population was estimated at up to 170 animals in January 2018.
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3 .
- Alois Münst and Josef Wolters: Tauben - The species of wild pigeons , 2nd expanded and revised edition, Verlag Karin Wolters, Bottrop 1999, ISBN 3-9801504-9-6 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Web links
- The appearance of the Socorrotaube
- Zenaida graysoni onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Zenaida graysoni in the Internet Bird Collection
Individual evidence
- ↑ Münst, p. 81
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↑ AOU Checklist of North and Middle American Birds (PDF; 7.8 MB) American Ornithologists' Union . P. 225. 1998. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
Direct access to page 225 - ↑ Claudia Schülke: Martha's fate should not repeat itself. www.faz.net, January 5, 2018, accessed January 5, 2018 .