Steppe runner (bird)
| Steppe runner | ||||||||||
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Steppe runner ( Pedionomus torquatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||
| Pedionomidae | ||||||||||
| Bonaparte , 1856 | ||||||||||
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| Pedionomus | ||||||||||
| Gould , 1841 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||
| Pedionomus torquatus | ||||||||||
| Gould , 1841 |
The steppe runner ( Pedionomus torquatus ), formerly also known as the bustard fighting quail , is a species of bird belonging to the order of the plover-like (Charadriiformes). It is usually the only species of the genus in the monotypical family of steppe steppe runners (Pedionomidae).
features
The steppe runner is 15 to 19 cm tall, has a wingspan of 28 to 36 cm and reaches a weight of 40 to 80 grams for the male, and 55 to 95 grams for the female. The steppe runner is a little slimmer than a quail and especially young birds and males are to be confused with the red-backed fighting quail ( Turnix castanota ) from the order of the runner . The wings are relatively short and rounded. When flying, his posture looks awkward and is vaguely reminiscent of a lark .
The plumage of the steppe runner has a brownish color. The underside is cream-colored up to the chest. There are black, crescent-shaped spots on the flanks and on the chest. The wings have a dark scale pattern. The upper half of the head (up to the stripe above the eyes) and the neck are dark brown, the face is light and the large, yellow eyes stand out strongly from it. The beak is reminiscent of that of a thrush and, like the legs, is gray-brown to yellow. The females are lighter than the males and have a white collar with black spots and a red-brown (sometimes diamond-shaped) spot on the chest. The wing tips are dark brown to black.
Way of life
behavior
The steppe runner lives together in pairs or in groups of up to five birds. If they feel threatened, they run away and hide in the grass a little later. Sometimes he also lives as a loner in a territory that overlaps with that of his neighbor. Steppe walkers are usually resident birds , but in southern Australia they are migratory birds .
The steppe runner flies extremely rarely and badly, when flying he adopts a clumsy-looking posture reminiscent of a lark . Steppe runners often stand on tiptoe and look across the grass.
Reproduction and nutrition
Its menu includes grass and leaf seeds and invertebrates such as grasshoppers , spiders , ants and beetles . In spring, because of the sparse vegetation, more insects are preyed on; in summer, vegetable food is preferred to animal food.
After the mating season in spring, the female lays two to five eggs in summer in a deep, self-dug hollow that is padded with plant parts. The eggs are thick-shelled, pear-shaped and have a pale yellow color. Often a roof is built over the hollow from long blades of grass, which prevents potential enemies from seeing eggs or the breeding adult birds. The clutch is only incubated by the male. The cubs flee the nest and stay with the male for two months. Often there are two broods a year, in dry years the brood fails. When there is a lot of rainfall, the nests become flooded and very few, if any, juveniles survive. The steppe runner reaches sexual maturity in the second calendar year. Life expectancy in the wild is not known; in captivity it has been proven to be ten years.
distribution and habitat
Once widespread in East and South Australia, the steppe runner is only found in small populations scattered across Australia . In South Australia it is common in the areas north of the Yorke Peninsula, on the Eyre Peninsula from Strenky Bai to Denial Bay and further inland east of Lake Frome. In Victoria it is in the Riverina area, in New South Wales in the northwest and south, and in Queensland from 24th parallel to 143rd east longitude.
The steppe runner occurs there in open grasslands, steppes and plains.
Duration
The existence of the steppe runner is threatened by the cultivation of the grassland, the spread of human settlements and the road network, i.e. the destruction and fragmentation of its habitat. Many introduced animals such as the red fox are also a great danger. Only the continent's birds of prey are natural enemies, there are no longer any large predators there. In addition, its habitat is restricted by the natural expansion of the forests and rabbits allow the already dry areas to become even more deserted. From 1920, the decline in stocks was publicly noted. In the Riverina area there are still 5000 specimens and thus the largest population. It is estimated that there are 1000 birds in Queensland and at most 500 in South Australia . Since 2007 the steppe walker has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Systematics
Earlier, the Tumbleweed was a relative of partridges in the order Galliformes filed, and later in the family of very similar Laufhühnchen (Turniciformes). DNA analysis showed, however, that the steppe runner is related to the jacana and therefore belongs to the order of the plover-like .
Web links
- Pedionomus torquatus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- Synonyms of the steppe runner
- Further information (protection status, distribution map, etc.)
literature
- Bernhard Grzimek: Grzimek's animal life birds 2 . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co.KG, Munich 1968 ISBN 3-423-05970-2