Spatula

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spatula
Spatelent (Bucephala islandica), male

Spatelent ( Bucephala islandica ), male

Systematics
Order : Goose birds (Anseriformes)
Family : Duck birds (Anatidae)
Subfamily : Anatinae
Genre : Bucephala
Type : Spatula
Scientific name
Bucephala islandica
( Gmelin , 1789)
Spatula flying up
Spatel duck, male

The Barrow ( Bucephala islandica ) is a monotypic species of the subfamily of ducks (Anatinae). It is very similar occurring in Central Europe Goldeneye ( Bucephala clangula ) and the North American Bufflehead . The three species together form the genus Bucephala and are also very similar in their way of life. However, they differ in their brood distribution: spatulas colonize the temperate to arctic zone in North America, Greenland and Iceland .

In Central Europe the spatula is a very rare stray visitor. It has been observed several times in Germany, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic.

description

Spatelents reach a body length of 40 to 48 cm and a wingspan of 62 to 77 cm. Overall, the species is very similar to the golden-bellied duck ; Females, young birds and uncolored males of the two species cannot be distinguished in the field. Colored males have a purple-purple shimmering head (green in the case of the golden-bellied duck). The head is oval in shape. The beak looks triangular and is short. The white spot between the beak and the eye, which is characteristic of males in splendid plumage, is larger than the male golden-bellied duck, clearly elongated upwards and ends with a pointed tip above the eye.

Colored females have a brown head and gray body plumage. In the splendid plumage the beak is black, outside of the breeding season in winter it is orange.

Vocalizations

Spatelents are mostly silent. During the courtship season, the male produces a soft and grunting ka-kaá or a series of wa wa wa. -Hear calls. The calls of the female are a cackling gä-gä-gärr or kraa kraa .

distribution and habitat

The range of the species is very disjoint . The largest deposits are in the coastal northwest of North America from Oregon to Alaska . A second, small occurrence is located on the Labrador Peninsula in northeast Canada . The spatel duck also breeds in southwest Greenland and Iceland . Their habitat are inland lakes, ponds and rivers in open and forested areas. The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to 3,000 meters in the Rocky Mountains.

Spatelents overwinter primarily on sheltered coasts near the breeding areas, but also on lakes and rivers inland. The species is very rare in central Europe Irrgast . Up to now there is only one reliable proof of an occurrence in Central Europe, because in March 1853 an adult male was shot near Hiddensee . Spatelents are more common in the UK and Norway.

food

The majority of their diet (70–80%) consists of crustaceans and aquatic insects. They eat fish or fish spawn less often. The plant food mostly consists of seaweed, aquatic plants and seeds.

Brood

Egg, Museum Wiesbaden collection

Spatelents breed in very loose colonies because the males are very aggressive during the breeding season. They are monogamous birds, but the couple relationship only ever exists for one breeding season.

The spatel duck breeds in lakes and ponds, mostly in forests. They use tree hollows or similar hollows and willingly accept nesting aids. In Iceland, for example, they also use crevices in lava fields to create their nests. The nest lining is made of down. Egg-laying begins at the end of May, sometimes not until the beginning of June. The normal clutch consists of 10 to 14 blue-green eggs. The breeding season lasts about 30 days and the chicks hatch towards the end of June. At the beginning they are huddled by the female, but find their food independently. The young birds can fledge at 55 to 65 days. They first breed when they are two years old.

Existence and endangerment

The world population was estimated at 180,000–210,000 individuals by the IUCN in 2002. According to the IUCN, the species is not endangered ("least concern"). The European population that breeds in Iceland appears to be stable over the long term at around 1,500 to 1,800 individuals. There were brief falls in the population in Iceland in 1978 and 1989 due to food shortages.

literature

  • Jonathan Alderfer (Ed.): Complete Birds of North America . National Geographic, Washington DC 2006, ISBN 0-7922-4175-4 .
  • Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel , Wolfgang Fiedler (Hrsg.): The compendium of birds of Central Europe. Everything about biology, endangerment and protection, Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds . Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 .
  • Hans-Heiner Bergmann , Hans-Wolfgang Helb , Sabine Baumann: The voices of the birds of Europe. 474 bird portraits with 914 calls and chants on 2,200 sonograms. Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-89104-710-1 .
  • Jon L. Dunn (arr.): Field guide to the birds in North America. 6th edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC 2011, ISBN 978-1-4262-0828-7 (EA Washington, DC 1982).
  • Erich Rutschke: Europe's wild ducks - biology, ecology, behavior. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden 1988, ISBN 3-89104-449-6 .
  • Richard Sale: A Complete Guide to Arctic Wildlife . Christopher Helm Publisher, London 2006, ISBN 0-7136-7039-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.), P. 135.
  2. ↑ a b Jonathan Alderfer, p. 37.
  3. ↑ a b Hans-Heiner Bergmann, Hans-Wolfgang Helb, Sabine Baumann, p. 71.
  4. ↑ Erich Rutschke, p. 332.
  5. ↑ a b c Richard Sale, p. 123.

Web links

Commons : Spatelente  - album with pictures, videos and audio files