Walddickkopf
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Walddickkopf |
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| Colluricincla megarhyncha | ||||||||||||
| ( Quoy & Gaimard , 1830) |
The forest thick head ( Colluricincla megarhyncha ) is a passerine bird from the genus Colluricincla within the family of the thick heads and is a representative of the avifauna of Australia and New Guinea.
The IUCN classifies the forest thickkopf as safe ( least concern ). A large number of subspecies are distinguished.
description
The forest thick head reaches a body length of 18 to 21 centimeters and a weight between 34 and 42 grams. It is the smallest representative within its genus and is reminiscent of a thrush with its physique. The gray-backed thick head is similar in size to the forest thick head , but is built much stronger. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism . On the other hand, there are greater differences in the plumage of the individual subspecies, the most striking is how strongly the over-eye stripe is developed.
Basically the head and neck are dark olive-brown to gray-brown with matt brown-white reins, a brown-white eye ring and chin. In the throat area, this tone gradually turns brown. The upper body is a single color, dark olive-brown to gray-brown. The folded wings are usually darker than the rest of the plumage on the top of the body.
The underside of the body is a lighter brown. On the chest the plumage is dotted with a diffuse darker line. The tail plumage is brown-gray on the underside.
The beak is brownish-pink. The upper beak is a little darker than the lower beak. The iris is dark red. The eye ring is gray. The legs and feet are dirty pink, gray-pink to dull purple.
Possible confusion
In the distribution area of the forest thickkopf, the gray-backed thickkopf also occurs, which superficially resembles the forest thickkopf. However, the two species can be found at different altitudes: The forest thickkopf rarely occurs above 600 meters and does not exist in the interior of rainforests. It is also slimmer and has a proportionally longer tail than the gray-backed thick head. It also shows no or only very indistinct dots on the breast and throat feathers.
The brown-breasted thick head occurs in a comparable habitat as the forest thick head . However, he is significantly larger and has a slimmer build. It also has darker body plumage.
Distribution area of the individual subspecies
The forest thick head is a widespread bird in New Guinea and also colonizes the islands off New Guinea. It is also found in the north and east of Australia. The migration movements of the Walddickkopf have not yet been conclusively investigated. But he is considered a resident .
There are around 20 subspecies:
- C. m. affinis - ( GR Gray , 1862) : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurs on Waigeo , an island west of New Guinea.
- C. m. batantae - ( titmouse , 1929) : Occurrence on Batanta , an island west of New Guinea.
- C. m. megarhyncha - ( Quoy & Gaimard , 1830) : Occurrence on Salawati and Misool as well as the Aru Islands and New Guinea.
- C. m. despecta - ( Rothschild & Hartert , 1903) : Occurrence in the extreme southeast of New Guinea.
- C. m. superflua - (Rothschild & Hartert, 1912) : Occurrence in the southeast of New Guinea.
- C. m. neos - ( Mayr , 1931) : Occurrence in eastern New Guinea.
- C. m. tappenbecki - Reichenow , 1898 : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence in the northeast of New Guinea.
- C. m. maeandrina - ( Stresemann , 1921) : Occurrence in the northeastern interior of New Guinea.
- C. m. idenburgi - ( Rand , 1940) : Occurrence in the northeastern inland of New Guinea.
- C. m. obscura - ( Meyer, AB , 1874) : Was originally described as a separate species. Found on Yapen , an island northwest of New Guinea
- C. m. melanorhyncha - (Meyer, AB, 1874) : Was originally described as a separate species. Found on Biak , an island northwest of New Guinea
- C. m. fortis - ( Gadow , 1883) : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence on D'Entrecasteaux Islands and the Trobriand Islands . Both archipelagos are located southeast of New Guinea.
- C. m. discolor - De Vis , 1890 : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence on Tagula , an island of volcanic origin in the southeast of the Louisiade archipelago .
- C. m. parvula - Gould , 1845 : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence in the northeast of the two Australian states of Western Australia and Northern Territory .
- C. m. aelptes - Schodde & Mason , 1976 : Occurrence in the northeast of the Northern Territory.
- C. m. normani - ( Mathews , 1914) : Occurrence in northern Queensland , an Australian state and on islands of the Torres Strait .
- C. m. griseata - (Gray, GR, 1858) : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence in northeast Queensland.
- C. m. synaptica - Schodde & Mason, 1999 : Occurrence in northeast Queensland.
- C. m. gouldii - (Gray, GR, 1858) : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence in northeast Queensland.
- C. m. rufogaster - Gould, 1845 : Was originally described as a separate species. Occurrence in southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales,
habitat
The forest thickkopf predominantly inhabits rainforests, but occasionally also occurs in other habitats with dense vegetation. Thus, mangroves and dense, wet deciduous forests inhabited by him. It typically lives on the edge of the forest and does not penetrate deep into the forest.
Way of life
The forest thickhead lives solitary or in pairs, only occasionally smaller groups occur. It often stays close to the ground, but occasionally visits tree tops and the forest floor. It is basically an inconspicuous bird that reveals its presence primarily through its calls.
The diet consists exclusively of invertebrates, which it finds in the foliage of trees. Only occasionally does it come to the ground while foraging for food.
The breeding season falls from August to February. The nest is usually in a fork of a branch or in a dense thicket of climbing plants. The nest is cup-shaped and is built from small branches, roots, dead leaves and parts of fern fronds. The clutch usually consists of two eggs. The parent birds usually raise two clutches in one breeding season. Both parent birds breed. The incubation period and the time it takes for the nestlings to fledge are not known.
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 .
- PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds. Volume 6: Pardalotes to shrike-thrushes. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1993, ISBN 0-19-553069-1 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World zum Walddickkopf , accessed on July 2, 2017.
- ↑ a b P. J. Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, 1993, p. 1169.
- ^ PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, 1993, p. 1181.
- ↑ a b P. J. Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, 1993, p. 1170.
- ↑ a b P. J. Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, 1993, p. 1171.
- ^ IOC World Bird List 6.3 . In: IOC World Bird List Datasets . doi : 10.14344 / ioc.ml.6.3 ( worldbirdnames.org ).
- ^ PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 6, 1993, p. 1183.