Somali bouquet
| Somali bouquet | ||||||||||||
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Male Somali ostrich |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Struthio molybdophanes | ||||||||||||
| Reichenow , 1883 |
The Somali ostrich ( Struthio molybdophanes ) is a species of bird in the ostrich family that was considered a subspecies of the African ostrich ( Struthio camelus ) until 2014 . Molecular genetic studies of mitochondrial DNA indicate that the two species have been genetically separated for about 3.6 to 4.1 million years, whereby the East African rift and the different uses of ecological niches may have served as barriers.
description
The males reach a height of 210 to 275 centimeters with a weight of 100 to 156 kilograms and, apart from the bright white wings and the equally white tail, have deep black plumage. They differ from the African ostrich in that the feathered body parts - head, neck and legs - are blue-gray and the eyes are pale gray-brown. The females are pinnate dark brown with blue-gray eyes.
Occurrence
The Somali ostrich occurs in East Africa in Ethiopia , Somalia , Djibouti and Kenya . It colonizes different habitats individually or in pairs, occasionally in groups of up to 40 animals , from dry and thorn savannahs to shrubby and forested areas. In the IUCN Red List, the species is classified as endangered ( vulnerable ) due to the sharp decline in population over the past 50 years .
proof
- ^ Friday, Stephanie; & Robinson, Terence J .: Phylogeographic patterns in mitochondrial DNA of the Ostrich ( Struthio camelus ) . In: The Auk . 110, No. 3, 1993, pp. 614-622. doi : 10.2307 / 4088425 .
- ^ Somali bouquet at BirdLife International
- ↑ Struthio molybdophanes in the IUCN 2014 Red List of Threatened Species .
