Taiwan tit
| Taiwan tit | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taiwan tit ( Machlolophus holsti ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Machlolophus holsti | ||||||||||||
| ( Seebohm , 1894) |
The Taiwan Meise ( Machlolophus Holsti , Syn. : Parus Holsti ), also called Formosameise called, is a small, predominantly yellow-black songbird from Taiwan .
description
The Taiwan tit reaches a length of 13 cm. The male is strikingly colored and is characterized by a long hood. The cap, the hood , the back, the wing covers and the rump are colored black and contrast with a bright yellow forehead, cheek parts and underside. The back of the hood is white. The wings are colored light blue and have white outer edges. The hood is slightly smaller in the females. It is paler in color and the back is olive green. In contrast to the male, the female lacks the belly spot. Young birds are generally lighter, their belly is whitish to cream-colored. The iris is dark brown, the beak is black, and the legs are gray.
habitat
The Taiwan tit lives in primary temperate deciduous forests and occasionally secondary forests in the mountainous regions of central Taiwan at altitudes of 700 to 2500 m. She avoids coniferous forest plantations and bamboo forests .
Way of life
The Taiwan tit can be found singly, in pairs or in small schools . She hunts insects in the middle layer of the tree . The breeding season is in April. The nests are built in holes in large trees. The clutch consists of three to four eggs. Outside the breeding season, it occasionally socializes with other small songbirds.
status
The Taiwan tit has become quite rare in large parts of its range. By BirdLife International it was "potentially at risk" in the early warning as classified (Near threatened). In the past, many young birds were nested and exported as cage birds. The clearing of the forests has also contributed to the depletion. Today about 11% of their habitat are under nature protection.
literature
- Simon Harrap , David Quinn: Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers. Christopher Helm, London 1999, ISBN 0-7136-3964-4 .
Web links
- Birding in Taiwan - Yellow Tit (engl.)
- BirdLife factsheet - Yellow Tit (Engl.)
- Machlolophus Holsti in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 31 of 2009.