White-headed nun
| White-headed nun | ||||||||||||
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| Lonchura nevermanni | ||||||||||||
| Stresemann , 1934 |
The white-headed nun ( Lonchura nevermanni ) is a species from the finch family . No subspecies are described.
description
The white-headed nun reaches a body length of up to 11.5 centimeters. The sexual dimorphism is not very pronounced.
In the male, the skull and the sides of the head are brownish white. The feathers on the back of the head, the back of the neck and on the sides of the back of the neck are brownish with white seams. This creates a gradual transition to the earth-brown color of the back and wings. The rear rump and the upper tail-coverts are orange yellow-brown. The tail feathers are brown with yellow edges. The throat, the back belly and the back sides of the body and the thighs and the under tail-covers are black. The rest of the underside of the body is rust-brown.
Females have a less sharply delineated head markings and are rather dirty whitish on the head. Fledglings are earth-brown on the top and rust-brown on the underside.
Distribution and way of life
The distribution area is the lowlands of southern New Guinea . The habitat of white-headed nuns is grass and rice land. So far, very little is known about the reproductive behavior of this species in the field. Nest building was observed in May. In birds kept in human care, it has been observed that - similar to many other species of fine finch - the male brings the nesting material and this is blocked by the female. Nest building is completed in four to six days. One to two days later there are eggs in the nest. The breeding season is twelve to thirteen days, with both parent birds breeding. Fledglings return to the brood nest. They need about three weeks to become self-employed. Since the adult females begin to build a new nest and lay a new clutch very quickly after the young birds have fled out, it is predominantly the male who takes care of the young birds.
attitude
The white-crowned nun, like most of the fine finch species that are only found in New Guinea, was first introduced to Europe very late. The first white-crowned nuns were first introduced to Europe in 1975, the first breeding followed three years later. The species turned out to be relatively easy to breed. White-headed nuns are still one of the species that are regularly reared, but not in large numbers.
supporting documents
literature
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Australia, Oceania, Southeast Asia. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3249-4 .
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Henicophaps albifrons onthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2013.