Sydneysperber
| Sydneysperber | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sydney's spider ( Accipiter cirrocephalus ) |
||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Accipiter cirrocephalus | ||||||||||
| ( Vieillot , 1817) |
The Sydney spider ( Accipiter cirrocephalus ) is a medium-sized bird of prey from the hawk-like family that is native to New Guinea and Australia. The conspicuous species feeds primarily on vertebrates and colonizes open areas in subtropical and tropical forests of the hill country. During the breeding season, the Sydney sparrow is shy and lives solitary or in pairs.
The IUCN classifies the stock situation of the Sydney sparrow as harmless ( least concern ). There are three subspecies.
features
The nominate form of the Sydney sparrow reaches a body length of 30 to 40 centimeters and has a wingspan of 55 to 80 centimeters. Males weigh an average of 125 grams, the females are significantly heavier at 240 grams. With these dimensions, the Sydney sparrow is the smallest goshawk found in Australia. The shape is typical of the hawk with a slender trunk, relatively short and rounded wings and a tail that is long in relation to its size. The legs and toes are also relatively long.
Adult birds
The upper side of the body and the sides of the face are slate gray, in some individuals the upper plumage also has a slightly brownish tone and on the upper side of the tail plumage there is a fine, indistinctly defined brownish transverse banding. Most individuals also have a chestnut-colored band on the neck. On the underside of the body and the lower wing covers, it is finely red-brown and cross-banded white. From a distance, the transverse ligament blurs, the underside of the body appears almost uniformly reddish to orange-brown. The chin and throat are lighter than the rest of the underside. The tail plumage is silver-gray on the underside with fine black transverse bands, which are only missing on the outermost control feathers. The beak is black with a gray beak base. The wax skin is yellowish green. The iris is bright yellow. The legs and feet are also yellow.
Fledglings
Young birds are more brownish on the upper side than the adult birds, the individual feathers are lined with a fine reddish brown. The tail plumage shows clearly black transverse bands. The head and neck are finely dotted with white, above the eye there is a clear white eye stripe.
Possible confusion
The Sydney sparrow is very similar to the banded goshawk ( A. fasciatus ) and can only be distinguished from this species in field observations on the basis of very few, insignificant details. The Sydney hawk is basically smaller than the banded goshawk, but only the males of the Sydney hawk can be clearly identified by the size difference. In the females there is an overlap in body size. A distinction is made in the tail plumage, the end of which is rounded in the Sydney sparrow while the tail end of the banded goshawk. The similarity between species is so pronounced that the on Rossel occurring subtype A. f. rosselianus was no longer classified as a subspecies of the Sydney spider until 2015, but as a subspecies of the banded goshawk.
Due to its small size, the Sydney sparrow can also be confused with the gray-bearded falcon and the Australian tree falcon . The shorter and wider wings, however, distinguish the Sydney sparrow from these two species.
Distribution area and habitat
The Sydney sparrow occurs in New Guinea and in large parts of Australia as well as Tasmania. In Australia it is only absent in sandy desert regions. The Sydney sparrow is a comparatively rare bird in the entire distribution area.
The Sydney boar is adaptable in its habitat requirements. It occurs in tropical, subtropical and temperate rainforests as well as other, more arid forest types and also colonizes savannahs and sparsely forested regions. He is primarily dependent on trees and bushes providing him with sufficient hiding places for his hunt. If these requirements are met, it will also colonize heathland regions, plantations, agricultural land and wetlands. In contrast, it is extremely rare in treeless regions.
The Sydney sparrow is a stationary and mooring bird in its distribution area . However, its migration and migration behavior has not yet been conclusively investigated.
Subspecies
There are two subspecies:
- A. c. papuanus - (Rothschild & EJO Hartert, 1913) - Occurrence on islands off the coast of Western New Guinea, New Guinea including the island of Yapen and on the Aru Islands .
- A. c. cirrocephalus - (Vieillot, 1817) - Australia and Tasmania.
The subspecies A. c. rosselianus , their distribution on the island Rossel is limited is now as Accipiter fasciatus rosellanus the bands Habicht assigned.
food
.jpg)
The diet of the Sydney sparrow consists mainly of small songbirds with a body weight of less than 25 grams, which it usually beats in flight. In addition, it also beats significantly heavy bird species weighing up to 400 grams, small mammals, lizards and insects.
It is a daylight hunter, but it hits most of its prey at dusk, when birds leave their resting places in the morning or visit them in the evening. The hunt is carried out either from a raised hide or in fast flight close to the contours of the landscape. He is a fast, agile and successful hunter, especially in the open forest. According to observations he has been particularly successful in the hunt for quail hunting prey but also include city pigeons , introduced in Australia spotted dove , swift parrot , yellow-bellied parrot , blackbird , superb wren , yellow-throated honeyeater ( Lichenostomus flavicollis ), Schwarzkopf Honigschmecker ( Melithreptus affinis ) and house sparrow . However, mice and young rabbits are also documented.
Reproduction
The reproductive biology of the Sydney sparrows has not yet been conclusively investigated, but Sydney sparrows are monogamous birds. The pair bond lasts for at least a year, possibly longer, because some pairs stay in the vicinity of their breeding grounds all year round.
Both parent birds are involved in the construction of the nest, the defense of the nest environment and the young birds as well as their rearing. However, the female is more involved in all activities related to rearing young and also chooses the nesting site. She also mainly feeds the young birds, but the male regularly brings prey for her.
The nest is a flat leaf shape made of green and dry twigs and twigs with a flat nesting hollow. This is laid out with green leaves. The clutch comprises three to four eggs, the typical clutch size is three eggs. The laying distance between the individual eggs is estimated at 48 hours. If the clutch is lost, the females lay up to three additional clutches within one breeding season. The breeding season is 35 to 37 days.
literature
- Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt: Birds of New Guinea; Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2016, ISBN 978-0-691-16424-3 .
- James Ferguson-Lees , David A. Christie: Raptors of the World. Helm Identification Guides, Christopher Helm, London 2001, ISBN 0-7136-8026-1 .
- PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds , Volume 2, Raptors to Lapwings, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1993, ISBN 0-19-553069-1 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ a b Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Sydneysperber , accessed on May 2, 2017
- ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 150.
- ↑ a b Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 151.
- ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 135.
- ^ Beehler & Pratt: Birds of New Guinea . P. 211.
- ↑ a b Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 152.
- ^ A b c Beehler & Pratt: Birds of New Guinea . P. 212.
- ↑ a b c Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 154.
- ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 157.
- ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 158.