Spur cuckoo
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Spur cuckoo ( Centropus senegalensis ) |
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| Centropus senegalensis | ||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The spur cuckoo ( Centropus senegalensis ) is a medium-sized member of the cuckoo family with a body length of 38–41 centimeters and is widespread in large areas of central and southern Africa.
Appearance
Spur cuckoos have brown dorsal plumage. The abdomen and throat are cream colored. The head and beak are black. The red eyes are very noticeable. The long tail is also black and has greenish shimmering spots on the top. The legs are dark brown and have long claws. Outwardly, males and females do not differ from one another.
Distribution and way of life
The spur cuckoo occurs south of the Sahara in a band that stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia , Kenya and northern Somalia in the east and extends south to the north of the Congo . Another part of its range begins in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , which extends south to Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe and the northern tip of the Republic of South Africa . He lives in the tree savannahs and swamp areas with open tree vegetation. Its sounds, which can be heard very far, are reminiscent of the bubbling of boiling water. He usually runs through the thick bushes. It feeds on larger insects, their larvae, scorpions , and smaller reptiles . It kills its prey with the help of its powerful beak. He also loots the nests of ground-breeding birds. Life expectancy is around 4 years.
Reproduction
These birds build their spherical nest from twigs, leaves, grass and other parts of plants. He usually creates this in dense bushes at a height of 1.5 meters. The clutch comprises 3 white eggs, sometimes with brown spots. As the eggs are laid several days apart, the young hatch one after the other. The male supports the female in supplying the young with insects from other smaller animals.
Hazards and protective measures
Since the species is widespread, relatively common in its range and no specific threats are known, it is classified by the IUCN as " Least Concern ".
literature
- Peter Hancock and Ingrid Weiersbye: Birds of Botswana . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-15717-7 , pp. 188 .
- Jiri Felix: Africa's wildlife in color . Karl Müller, Erlangen 1989, p. 66 .
- Wilhelm Eigner: Encyclopedia of Animals . tape 2 . Weltbild, 1999, ISBN 3-89350-361-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Centropus senegalensis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
