Cinnamon
| Cinnamon | ||||||||||||
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Cinnamon ( Spatula cyanoptera ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Spatula cyanoptera | ||||||||||||
| ( Vieillot , 1816) |
The cinnamon ( Spatula cyanoptera , syn .: Anas cyanoptera ) belongs with its five subspecies to the family of duck birds (Anatidae) and belongs to the genus Spatula . The cinnamon is a species of duck from the New World and is widespread in North and South America. In many ways it resembles the North American blue-winged duck , to which it is closely related. The females of the two species can hardly be distinguished from one another by their plumage. However, the beak of the cinnamon is long and broad and resembles that of the shoveler. Cinnamon looks for food similarly to the shoveler.
Appearance
The cinnamon reaches a body length of around 41 cm, a wing length of 19 cm and a weight of a good 340 g. It is therefore one of the smaller duck species. The female is predominantly chestnut brown in her plain dress . The male also has a maroon color on the head and underside. The abdomen is predominantly dark brown, the rear back greenish brown. The elytra are bluish in color. In the shoulder area the feathers are yellowish to green in color. The male's magnificent plumage during the breeding season is bright red on the head, belly and flanks. The back side is dark brown. The eyes are reddish in both sexes, the beak is orange in color.
Occurrence
Cinnamon is widely used in the New World. The main distribution areas are in the northwest of the United States , Central America , Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia to the Falkland Islands. They prefer ponds, swamps and lakes with permanent vegetation.
Way of life
Cinnamon are waterfowl , but they can also move around well on land. In the air they are agile fliers who form synchronized flight patterns, especially when migrating in larger flocks. At lunchtime, cinnamon is usually seen on land while cleaning plumage or taking a nap. The birds live in pairs or in small groups of up to 20 animals. Males are extremely territorial during the breeding season and bitterly defend their territory against conspecifics and enemies. Females protect their clutch by attracting the attention of enemies and luring them away from the nest. The northern and southern populations are migratory birds that mostly find their winter quarters in northern South America. The species is still not threatened today.
nutrition
Cinnamon feed on both plant and animal foods. The food spectrum includes in particular aquatic plants, small arthropods , grass, flowers, fruits and seeds as well as all kinds of insects and snails . They look for food both on land and in water.
Reproduction
The cinnamon reaches sexual maturity around one year. In the northern distribution areas, the breeding season falls in May, in the southern distribution areas between November and December. The ducks have a seasonal marriage. Mating occurs on the surface of the water. The cinnamon builds its nest on dry ground from stalks and other plant components. The female lays eight to ten reddish-brown elongated eggs that are about 4.8 cm in length. The female incubates the eggs over a period of 24 days. The male watches over the clutch during this time and leaves the family after the chicks hatch.
The chicks flee the nest and follow the mother shortly after hatching. They are led by the mother and spend the first time in the bank area. The young birds fledge after about 50 days and are then already independent. In the first year the mortality rate in the offspring is a good 70 percent, in the second year another 40 percent often die. A cinnamon can reach an age of up to twelve years in freedom.
Subspecies
The following subspecies are distinguished:
- Spatula cyanoptera cyanoptera - Peru , Argentina and the Falkland Islands . On the Falkland Islands, however, the cinnamon is a very rare species and occurs there with only 12 to 22 pairs. It has been a protected bird species there since 1953.
- Spatula cyanoptera borreroi - Colombia . Unlike A. c. tropica , which is native to the Colombian lowlands, this subspecies of cinnamon occurs mainly in the highlands.
- Spatula cyanoptera orinomus - Peru, Bolivia, and Chile . This subspecies is limited to the Puna highland area of the Andes. It is the largest subspecies within the cinnamon group.
- Spatula cyanoptera septentrionalium - Northwest North America . It is the only subspecies of cinnamon found in the Holarctic. Their distribution area extends from western Texas over California to Washington and Montana and into British Columbia in Canada. In Mexico this subspecies is often a resident bird.
- Spatula cyanoptera tropica - Colombia. This subspecies is the smallest of the cinnamon and has a strongly dotted chest.
attitude
Cinnamon was imported to Europe from around 1875 and has been kept as ornamental poultry ever since . The animals in need of warmth need a frost-free shelter, but are otherwise considered suitable for breeding in small enclosures.
supporting documents
literature
- John Gooders and Trevor Boyer: Ducks of Britain and the Northern Hemisphere , Dragon's World Ltd, Surrey 1986, ISBN 1-85028-022-3 .
- Janet Kear (Ed.): Ducks, Geese and Swans. Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-19-854645-9 .
- Hartmut Kolbe: The world's ducks . Ulmer Verlag 1999, ISBN 3-8001-7442-1 .
- Hadoram Shirihai: A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife - The Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and Southern Ocean , Alula Press, Degerby 2002, ISBN 951-98947-0-5 .
- Robin Woods, Anne Woods: Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Falkland Islands. , Anthony Nelson, Shorpshire 1997, ISBN 0-904614-60-3 .
Web links
- Spatula cyanoptera in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2004. Retrieved on January 2 of 2009.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Spatula cyanoptera in the Internet Bird Collection