Pointed-head silk cuckoo
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Pointed-head silk cuckoo ( Coua cristata ) |
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| Coua cristata | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
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The pointed-headed silk cuckoo ( Coua cristata ), also called pointed -headed silk cuckoo or hooded silk cuckoo , is a cuckoo species of the genus of the silk cuckoo ( Coua ) that is endemic to Madagascar . The species includes the four subspecies C. c. cristata ( Linnaeus , 1766), C. c. dumonti ( Delacour , 1931), C. c. pyropyga ( Grandidier , 1867) and C. c. maxima ( Milon , 1950).
features
The pointed-head silk cuckoo is about 40-44 cm tall. There is no such thing as gender dimorphism . The hood , the head area and the neck are colored light gray, the back, the wings and the long control feathers are greenish gray to dark gray. The control feathers also shine purple to blue, the tip of these feathers is white. The chest area is light to maroon in color, the underside white. The orbital ring is purple to blue in front of the eye, light blue behind the eye and outlined in black. The feet are black. The subspecies are sometimes larger than the nominate form, and the hood is also larger. The white areas on the control springs vary in size. C. c. dumonti and C. c. pyropyga appear paler, C. c. maxima darker than the nominate form.
distribution and habitat
Like all other silk cuckoos, the pointed-headed silk cuckoo is endemic to Madagascar. The nominate form C. c. cristata comes there along the north coast, C. c. dumonti on the west coast between Mahajanga and Morondava and C .c. pyropyga on the south-west coast between Morondava and Toliara . The subspecies C. c. maxima is only known from the area around the city of Tolagnaro in the south-west of the island. The species inhabits various habitats such as primary and secondary forests , savannas or mangroves up to a height of 1000 m. They are less common in dense rainforests . Due to the frequency of the pointed-headed silk cuckoo and its large distribution area, the IUCN does not assume that the species is endangered.
Way of life
The silky cuckoo usually moves in the lower tree layer, where it collects its food from the trunk and branches of the vegetation. The food consists u. a. from various insects , chameleons , geckos , snails , fruits and tree sap from Albizia species. If Coquerel or red-fronted silk cuckoos occur together with the pointed-headed silk cuckoo, it moves into higher tree layers. In contrast to other types of cuckoo, the pointed-headed silk cuckoo is not a breeding parasite . The nest is built by both parents at heights between 4 and 15 m. The boys are raised together.
Systematics
The subspecies C. c. maxima is only known from the type specimen collected by Philippe Milon, it has not been seen in the wild. The subspecies is considered to be lost or extinct or a hybrid .
attitude
Pointed-head silkworms have so far only been kept in a few zoological gardens. Regular breeding has so far only been successful in the Walsrode bird park .
literature
- Johannes Erritzøe , Clive F. Mann, Frederik Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World (Helm Identification Guides) . Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, London 2012, ISBN 978-071-366-034-0 .
- Theo Pagel , Bernd Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-8001-5192-9 .
- Robert B. Payne: The Cuckoos (Bird Families of the World No. 15). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005, ISBN 0-19-850213-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erritzoe et al. P. 212
- ^ Coua cristata in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Payne pp. 269-270
- ↑ Erritzoe et al. P. 213
- ^ Payne p. 269
- ↑ Pagel, Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . P. 67.
Web links
- Pointed-head silk cuckoo ( Coua cristata ) at Avibase; accessed on May 10, 2014.