Tuamotuliest

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Tuamotuliest
Systematics
Order : Rockers (Coraciiformes)
Family : Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Subfamily : Lieste (Halcyoninae)
Genre : Todiramphus
Type : Tuamotuliest
Scientific name
Todiramphus gambieri
( Oustalet , 1895)

The Tuamotuliest ( Todiramphus gambieri ) is a rare species of kingfisher found in the Gambier Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago .

description

The Tuamotuliest reaches a length of 20 centimeters. The head and neck are washed out in cream color. The top of the head shows a patch of blue feathers. The forehead is creamy white. A wide band runs across the neck. The ear covers are dark blue. The chin and underside are white. A reddish brown band runs across the upper chest. The coat, back, rump, wings and tail are blue. The beak is black. His alarm call consists of a ki-ki-ki-ki .

Way of life

The Tuamotuliest breeds between September and January. The nest hole is built in rotten trunks of coconut palms . Its diet consists of beetles and small lizards.

status

The Tuamotuliest was once native in two subspecies on Niau in the Tuamotu Archipelago and on Mangareva in the Gambier Islands . The nominate form T. g. gambieri of Mangareva is probably extinct before the 1,922th The subspecies T. g. niauensis from the island of Niau in 1974 had a population of about 400–600 specimens. Still relatively common in 1990, the stock decreased so much that in 2003/2004 only between 40 and 50 copies were counted. A search in 2006/2007, however, resulted in a stock of over 200 copies. The main reasons for the decline in the Tuamotuliests are rats and the destruction of the nesting trees by clearing and tropical storms.

literature

Web links