Titicaca diver
| Titicaca diver | ||||||||||
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Titicaca diver ( Rollandia microptera ) |
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| Rollandia microptera | ||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1868) |
The Titicaca Grebe ( Rollandia microptera ) is a bird from the family of grebes (Podicipedidae). It is named after Lake Titicaca ; its distribution area includes several other lakes of a Peruvian - Bolivian plateau, which is between 3700 and 3850 meters high.
The IUCN classifies the Titicaca Grebe as "high risk" ( endangered ), since the stocks declined sharply in recent years.
Appearance
The titicaca diver is one of three flightless species of grebes. The adult bird reaches a height of 39 to 45 centimeters and weighs an average of 635 grams. The chest and neck are maroon, the throat and face are white. Its erect head cap is black-brown. Outside the breeding season, all colors fade.
Duration
The Titicaca diver was given the status of "potentially endangered" by the IUCN in 1988, but was downgraded to "not at risk" in 1994. After a sharp decline in population, it has been considered "critically endangered" since 2002. In 1986 one count found 1,147 divers on Lake Titicaca alone; In 2001 there were only four left. Overall, the number of Titicaca divers in the region was under 250, 212 of them on Lake Arapa . According to the IUCN, the last known worldwide population is estimated at 1,600 sexually mature individuals (status: 2003).
Much has been puzzled over the causes of the dramatic population collapse. In 1998/99 there was a drought in the region that caused many smaller lakes to dry up. In addition, fishermen increasingly used close-meshed nets in which the divers got entangled. The introduction of foreign fish species by sport anglers pushed back native fish and changed the microfauna.
literature
- Jon Fjeldså: The Grebes . Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-850064-5
Web links
- Rollandia microptera in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed September 17, 2017th
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Rollandia microptera in the Internet Bird Collection
Single receipts
- ↑ a b BirdLife factsheet about the Titicaca diver , accessed on December 5, 2010
- ^ Fjeldså, p. 147