Bridle
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Zügelastrild ( Estrilda rhodopyga ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Estrilda rhodopyga | ||||||||||||
| ( Sundevall , 1850) |
The bridle tiger ( Estrilda rhodopyga ) is an African species from the finch family . There are two subspecies for this species. The bridle tiger may form an allospecies together with the gray tiger . Since keeping it is relatively easy, this species is more often kept as an ornamental bird in Europe.
The IUCN classifies the Zügelastrild as not endangered ( least concern ).
description
The bridle tiger reaches a body length of eleven centimeters and is therefore one of the medium-sized splendid finches. There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism . The male has slightly more distinctive colors, mainly a darker eye rein and a more lightened throat.
The plumage is predominantly light brown. The back is finely banded across. The throat is lightened. The reins and eye stripes are bright red. The upper tail-coverts are vivid red. The large wing cover feathers and the inner arm wings are lined with red. Otherwise the two sexes hardly differ.
The young birds are more dull and lack the horizontal stripes on their backs.
There is a possibility of confusion with the wavy feathers, which also has striated plumage. The Zügelastrild, however, has a red rump and red-edged control feathers. The underside of the body is ocher and the beak is always black.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the Zügelastrild is East Africa . It occurs from inland Sudan and from Eritrea southwards through the drier grasslands in Sudan, Ethiopia , western Somalia , Kenya , Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi , Tanzania to northern Malawi and the eastern shore of Lake Malawi . The habitat is the dry steppe and Zügelastrilde also colonize highlands, which offer appropriate living conditions. The height distribution can be up to 1,500 meters. In northeast Africa they reach altitudes of up to 1,200 meters and can also be observed here together with the closely related gray catfish .
The Zügelastrild is only sporadically represented in large parts of its distribution area, but occurs frequently in places.
Way of life
During the breeding season the bridleworm lives in pairs, outside the breeding season it can be observed in small groups of up to twenty-five individuals. It is occasionally associated with wave astrids and magpies . The food is small seeds. Grass seeds, which the bridles pick from the fruit stands, play a special role. In addition, insects are also eaten.
The breeding season of the bridle tiger varies depending on the area of distribution, but generally falls in the second half of the rainy season. It is a monogamous single breeder.
The Zügelastrild is one of the few species of splendid finch that build their nest in tufts of grass or directly on the ground. However, the more common nesting location is low shrubbery. The clutch consists of four to five white eggs. The Dominican widow is a brood parasite of the bridle tiger, so that clutches occasionally also contain eggs of this species.
attitude
Ferdinand of Bulgaria is one of the first owners of the Zügelastrild , who cared for an individual of this species from 1877 to 1879. Between the two world wars, Zügelastrilde were offered on the market relatively regularly. In the meantime they are kept less than the livelier wave and greyastrilde, which they very much resemble in behavior. Zügelastrilde need an aviary for their well-being, which has shrubs and grass bulbs, especially in the lower third.
literature
- Horst Bielfeld : Knowing and caring for 300 ornamental birds. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-5737-2 .
- Peter Clement, Alan Harris, John Davis: Finches and Sparrows - An Identification Guide , Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
- C. Hilary Fry and Stuart Keith (Eds.): The Birds of Africa. Volume VII. Christopher Helm, London 2004, ISBN 0-7136-6531-9 .
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann, Claudia Mettke-Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Afrika , Series Handbuch der Vogelpflege, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8001- 4964-3
Single receipts
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 240
- ↑ Clement et al., P. 372
- ↑ Fry et al., P. 297
- ↑ Nicolai et al., P. 241 and p. 242
Web links
- Estrilda rhodopyga inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2013.