Striped caterpillar catcher
| Striped caterpillar catcher | ||||||||||||
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Striped caterpillar catcher |
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| Coracina lineata | ||||||||||||
| ( Swainson , 1825) |
The striped caterpillar catcher ( Coracina lineata ), also known as the yellow-eyed caterpillar catcher , is a songbird from the family of the prickly pear family (Campephagidae), which belongs to the avifauna of Australia and New Guinea.
Several subspecies are distinguished. The IUCN classifies the population of this species as not endangered ( least concern ).
features
The strip caterpillar catcher reaches a body length of 24 to 29 centimeters. The wingspan is about 49 centimeters, the weight averages 100 grams. It is thus a medium-sized prickly-rump, which is significantly smaller than the black-faced caterpillar catcher , which sometimes occurs in the same area of distribution. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
Adult birds
The head, neck and top of the body of the adult striped caterpillars are blue-gray. A broad, short black stripe runs from the beak as a so-called rein. The middle pair of control springs is blue-gray and has a wide black band at the end. The remaining control springs are blackish.
The chin, throat and front chest are blue-gray, the rest of the underside of the body is evenly and conspicuously black and white cross-banded. The beak is black, the iris is pale yellow and stands out against the black rein and the gray head. The orbital ring is black. The legs and feet are dark gray to black. The legs are short in relation to body size.
Fledglings
In the young birds the head, neck, top of body and chest are dark brown or dark gray with brown spots. The tail plumage, which just ends in adult birds, ends in these to a point. The transverse banding on the underside of the body is white to white with a narrow dark brown transverse banding. Subadult birds are already largely similar to adult birds, but still have fine brown longitudinal stripes on their heads and necks.
Possible confusion
The striped caterpillar catcher can be confused in bad light with the females and young birds of the monk caterpillar catcher , as this species like him has a cross-banded underside of the body. There is also a distant resemblance to the hoofed cuckoo ( Cuculus saturatus ), which has a similar plumage color. However, this is a quarter larger than the caterpillar catcher.
Distribution area and habitat
The striped caterpillar catcher occurs disjointly in New Guinea. It also colonizes islands in the Cenderawasih Bay , the Aru Islands , islands of the Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville . It is also found on islands of the Torres Strait and in Australia its equally disjoint distribution area extends from the Cape York Peninsula in the extreme northeast of Australia along the east coast to Sydney . The migration behavior of the strip caterpillar catcher has not yet been finally investigated. However, it is considered to be a resident bird in its entire range .
The striped caterpillar catcher occurs predominantly in the rainforest. In the east of the Australian state of New South Wales, this also includes drier monsoon rainforests and subtropical rainforests. He prefers to stay in the vicinity of clearings, in lighter forest areas and along the edge zone. It is also occasionally seen in isolated fruit-bearing trees, if they are not too far from forest areas. Occasionally it can even be seen in urban areas.
Subspecies and their respective distribution area
A total of ten subspecies are distinguished. Several subspecies are found on the Solomon Islands:
- C. l. maforensis ( AB Meyer , 1874) - Numfor , one of the Biak Islands belonging to the Schouten Islands and located in the Cenderawasih Bay .
- C. l. axillaris ( Salvadori , 1876) - Occurrence on Waigeo Island and the Aru Islands, as well as mountains in the west, north and south-east of New Guinea. These include mountains of the Vogelkop and the Huon Peninsula , a find comes from the Foja Mountains .
- C. l. sublineata ( PL Sclater , 1879) - The islands of New Britain , New Ireland and Duportail of the Bismarck Archipelago .
- C. l. nigrifrons ( Tristram , 1892) - Northern Solomon Islands ( Buka , Bougainville , Choiseul , Santa Isabel).
- C. l. ombriosa ( Rothschild & EJO Hartert , 1905) - Central Solomon Islands ( Kolombangara , New Georgia , Rendova and other smaller islands).
- C. l. pusilla ( EP Ramsay , 1879) - Guadalcanal (south of the Solomon Islands).
- C. l. malaitae Mayr , 1931 - Malaita (south of the Solomon Islands).
- C. l. makirae Mayr , 1935 - Makira (southeast of the Solomon Islands).
- C. l. gracilis Mayr , 1931 - Rennell (extreme south of the Solomon Islands)
- C. l. lineata ( Swainson , 1825) - Northeast Australia
Way of life
The striped caterpillar catcher mainly eats fruit. Wild figs play a special role in its diet. It also eats insects. While foraging for food he can usually be seen in pairs or in small groups. It is also very often associated with other bird species. These include the monk 's caterpillar catcher and the white-bellied caterpillar catcher, as well as other fruit-eating species such as the tooth bower bird and black-eared bower bird .
The reproductive biology of this species has not yet been conclusively investigated. The breeding season falls in the entire distribution area in the period from October to early February. The nest is built in trees and is made of fine twigs and casuarina needles. As far as we know, both parent birds are involved in the construction. Both parent birds breed and feed the young birds large. The clutch size is one to two eggs. Laying distance, incubation period and how long the nestlings remain in the nest are not yet known.
literature
- PJ Higgins (Eds.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds , Volume 7, Boatbill to Starlings, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006, ISBN 0-195-53996-6 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ a b c Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 286.
- ↑ a b Handbook of the Birds of the World on the caterpillar catcher , accessed on May 21, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 287.
- ^ A b Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 288.
- ↑ Clifford B. Frith, Dawn. W. Frith: The Bowerbirds - Ptilonorhynchidae . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-854844-3 . P. 239
- ^ Higgins, Peter & Cowling: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds: Volume 7 Boatbill to Starlings, Part A: Boatbill to Larks . P. 289.