Swamp frankolin
| Swamp frankolin | ||||||||||
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Swamp Frankolin ( Francolinus gularis ), from Hume & Marshall, 1880 |
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| Francolinus gularis | ||||||||||
| ( Temminck , 1815) |
The sump Frankolin ( Francolinus gularis ) is a monogamous kind of genre the Frankoline from the family of pheasant-like (Phasianidae), originally in the alluvial plains occurred North India to Bangladesh. It is tall and long-legged compared to other frankolines.
Due to the destruction of its natural habitat and intensive hunting, the swamp francolin has meanwhile become extinct in Bangladesh and is threatened with extinction in the other parts of its distribution area. That is why the swamp frankolin, which was still occasionally available in the ornamental bird trade in the 1970s, has been protected by law for several years.
Appearance
The swamp frankolin reaches a body length of 36 to 37 centimeters and weighs an average of around 500 grams. This makes it one of the larger Frankolines. Compared to other Frankolines, it is also long-legged.
There is no pronounced gender dimorphism . The males and females have a brown crown and rear neck, both of which are finely banded across in a darker tone. The stripe above the eye and a narrow band below the eye are isabel-colored. The upper side of the body is dark brown, the individual feathers are cross-banded in ocher and dark brown. On the upper tail coverts and the central control feathers, these transverse bands have a wavy pattern. The outer control feathers are red-brown and lined with light yellow at their ends.
The chin, throat and sides of the head are reddish brown to chestnut brown. The basic tone of the underside of the body is white to light isabel. The individual feathers initially have a wide, cream-colored and outside a narrow brown hem. The resulting pattern is closest to the chest, the pattern decreases towards the belly. The middle of the abdomen and the rump are reddish. The under tail-coverts are dark brown.
Marsh frankolin have a brown to carmine-red iris. The beak is black and brightens to a horn white towards the tip. The legs are reddish. The males have a short, blunt spur on their legs, which is completely absent or only rudimentary in the females.
Young birds are similar to adult birds, but are generally duller in color. With them, the throat is still isabel instead of reddish brown. The feather pattern on the underside of the body is brown and not black.
voice
The call of the Swamp Frankolin consists of a long series of sharp chuill-chuill-chuill tones that sound about every eight seconds. It is probably the response calls of the females to the ko-ko-kärr calls of the male. The males call from the ground or raised from bushes and small trees and assume an upright posture with the neck stretched almost vertically upwards.
distribution
The swamp frankolin lives in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins . The historical distribution area reached from the north and northeast of India to Bangladesh. Small parts of the distribution area are in the extreme southwest and southeast of Nepal. Due to the population decline, it is now considered extinct in Bangladesh and there are only fewer than 500 birds left in Nepal.
The swamp frankolin prefers large, moist to swampy grasslands in plains up to 250 meters above sea level, which are seasonally flooded. It occurs in particular on large areas made up of reeds and stilts , but also arranges itself with sugar cane plantations and rice fields . During extreme floods it occasionally moves to higher altitudes.
Way of life
The swamp frankolin is a shy bird that is generally difficult to observe in its habitat. They usually live in pairs or small family groups and are mostly close to the water's edge in the dense vegetation on the banks. They also wade through shallow water and overcome deeper water points by climbing over reed plants that are lying down. If they feel disturbed, they usually flee on foot. Only very late do they fly up with loud wing tracks and shrill cackling calls. You are able to cover short distances in fast and powerful flight.
Swamp francolines usually reveal their presence mainly through their calls. However, in the morning and evening they can occasionally be seen foraging for food on the edge of agricultural areas or at the edges of roads. During the hot midday hours, they grow up in trees or bushes that stand on small bumps in the ground or seek shelter in dense reeds.
Swamp frankolin mainly eat root tubers, seeds and flowers of swamp plants and grains such as ripening rice. However, the chicks are mostly insect-fed until they are one month old.
Reproduction
The breeding season of the swamp frankolin falls in the period February to May, the peak is in the months of March and April and is thus at a point in time immediately before the start of the rainy season. During the breeding season the males are very aggressive towards other conspecifics. It comes to fights between the males, in which the latter predominantly the beaks and less their spurs. Accordingly, males often have head, neck and chest injuries during this period.
The species is monogamous . The nest is built by the female alone and is a carefully constructed structure compared to other frankolin species. Herbaceous plants and blades of grass are used by the female to build nests. The nest has a deep nesting hollow, which, according to Raethel, is an adaptation to the habitat with its moist subsoil. The nest is typically located in the dense undergrowth on small bumps in the ground, which are usually only a few centimeters above the water surface.
The clutch consists of four to seven eggs. The eggs are pale isabel in color and are either unmarked or have reddish speckles and spots. The male is involved in the rearing of the chicks.
Inventory development
The decline of the Franconian Swamp is primarily due to the destruction of its habitat. The large alluvial plains , consisting of reeds, stilts and grass, have increasingly been reclaimed by humans since the 1950s. Today they can only be found in large areas in national parks. The stocks of the Sumpffrankolin have decreased accordingly. In those places where residual populations were able to survive outside of national parks, their habitat is highly fragmented and the populations isolated from one another. Their breeding success is low because of frequent interference by humans.
Swamp Frankolin and humans
Use for cockfighting
In the rural regions of what is now Bangladesh, the aggressiveness of the Swamp Frankolin roosters was used until the beginning of the 20th century to hold cockfights with large amounts of money being wagered on the outcome. In order to raise such cocks, eggs were taken from nests of swamp frankolines and placed in a coconut shell lined with cotton and cut in half. This bowl was tied on the stomach. The egg was hatched with the help of human body heat until the chick hatched after 24 days at the latest.
It is not known how these chicks were raised and prepared for cockfighting as it is no longer practiced in this form. However, larger amounts of money were bet on the outcome of such fights, from which the owner of such a painstakingly drawn rooster profited. Comparably, in what is now Bangladesh also were taps - unlike the swamp francolin a bird from the family of the Rails - used.
Attitude in Europe
Marsh frankolin was first held in Europe in 1864 at the London Zoo . The Berlin Zoo showed this species in 1900 and 1901. However, nothing is known about successful breeding with these Frankolines. In the 1970s, marsh frankolin were also briefly offered as pet birds on the US market.
literature
- Mark Cocker, David Tipling: Birds and People . Jonathan Cape, London 2013, ISBN 978-0-2240-8174-0 .
- Josep del Hoyo et al .: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: New World Vultures to Guinea Fowl. Lynx Edicions, 1994, ISBN 84-87334-15-6 .
- Steve Madge , Philip McGowan and Guy M. Kirwan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse. A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails and Sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
- Heinz-Sigurd Raethel : Chicken birds of the world. Natur Verlag, Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1991, ISBN 3-89440-440-X .
Web links
- Francolinus gularis onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- Calls of the Swamp Frankolin on Xeno Canto , accessed September 1, 2016
- Swamp frankolin on Avibase
Single receipts
- ↑ a b c Francolinus gularis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- ↑ a b c d Madge, McGowan and Kirwan: Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse . P. 197.
- ↑ Raethel: Chicken Birds of the World . P. 353
- ↑ Calls of Sumpffrankolin on Xeno Canto , accessed on September 1, 2016
- ↑ a b c d e f g Raethel: Hühnervögel der Welt . P. 354.
- ↑ a b c d e f Madge, McGowan and Kirwan: Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse . P. 198.
- ↑ Mark Cocker, David Tipling: Birds and People . P. 179