Dwarf moose
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Pygmy moose ( Porzana pusilla ), Australia |
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| ( Pallas , 1776) |
The pygmy moorhen ( Porzana pusilla ) is the smallest species of railing found in Europe. The range of the species is very large and reaches far beyond Europe. It encompasses several disjoint areas in Africa (southern Africa, Madagascar and North Africa) and extends from Europe to the northeast and east of China, Korea and Japan, and via Indochina to New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. In appearance, the pygmy moorhen is similar to the little moorhen . However, it has flesh-colored legs, a striking black banding on the flanks, and no red spot on the base of the beak.
A total of six to seven subspecies are distinguished. In Central Europe the pygmy moorhen is a very rare and only irregularly breeding summer bird.
features
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Body measurements
The dwarf grouse reaches a body length of 17-19 centimeters, its wingspan is 23-35 centimeters, depending on the subspecies. The male can weigh 23–45 grams, the female 17–55 grams.
male
The crown, nape of the neck, back of the neck and the middle of the forehead are cinnamon-colored with diffuse black vertical stripes. The stripe above the eyes, the face and the front neck are light gray. Some individuals also have a lightened region on their chin and / or throat. Many individuals also have cinnamon-colored ear covers and reins (region between the base of the beak and the eye), some individuals also have a cinnamon-colored eye stripe that runs from the base of the beak over the eye to the ear covers. The rest of the upper side of the body is cinnamon brown with black longitudinal stripes and white spots on the mantle, elytra and back. The tail plumage is cinnamon brown and has no color markings.
On the underside of the body, the sides of the neck, the chest and the front flanks are cinnamon brown, while the belly is white. The other flanks, the thighs, the rump and the under tail-coverts are drawn in black and white, while the belly is white. The bill is greenish in most individuals with a dark gray ridge and a dark gray tip. The iris is bright red. The legs and feet are olive green to yellowish olive.
female
The female is very similar to the male. The top of the body, however, is a duller brown, the eye stripe is less developed, although most females have a recognizable eye stripe. The size of the light spot on the chin and throat varies more individually.
Fledglings
The upper side of the body is like that of the adult birds, the stripe above the eyes, the face and the sides of the neck, however, are either reddish brown, light gray or whitish. The chin and throat patch is white, the sides of the neck and the front neck, on the other hand, are monochrome reddish brown. The chest is sometimes still spotted white, the sides of the body, the flanks and the thighs are cross-banded gray-black. The under tail-coverts, however, are cross-banded in black and white, as in the adult birds.
Occurrence and habitat
The strongly fragmented distribution area includes southern Africa, Madagascar, North Africa from Mauritania to Egypt, Ukraine and Russia, the Indian subcontinent, southern Asia including northeast China and Japan, Wallacea , Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, the distribution area extends from the Iberian Peninsula to the Netherlands and in an easterly direction to Greece. In Western and Central Europe, the dwarf grouse occurs only irregularly in a few places. They are migratory birds and overwinter in the Mediterranean area. Some of them fly over the Sahara to hibernate in southern Africa.
In Germany there are currently only evidence of breeding in Hesse and Mecklenburg. In other federal states only a few certificates. In Western Europe there are individual breeding records in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.
The habitat are the densely overgrown riparian zones in wetlands, lakes and rivers. Suitable habitats often also have a dense population of floating plants. It is also found in salt marshes in New Zealand.
Brood and rearing of young
The pygmy moose breed in the dense vegetation of silting societies and sedimentary meadows. The nest is built over water. From the six to nine eggs laid in May or June, young hatch that can fly at around five weeks. Both parents participate in the breeding business.
food
In the early morning and early evening until dusk, they sometimes hunt for insects and their larvae while standing on aquatic plants. They also eat seeds, snails and crustaceans. They usually peck their prey from the leaves. They are good swimmers and look for food while standing in shallow water.
Duration
The total European population is estimated at only 760 to 3200 breeding pairs. Stocks with more than 50 breeding pairs exist only in Bulgaria, Croatia and the European part of Russia. The Central European population is estimated at only ten to 60 breeding pairs. The Central European distribution focus is Hungary with a maximum of forty breeding pairs at the beginning of the 21st century.
literature
- Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds. Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 .
- 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 2, Raptors to Lapwings, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1993, ISBN 0-19-553069-1 .
Web links
- Zapornia pusilla in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 19 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Porzana pusilla in the Internet Bird Collection
Single receipts
- ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 545.
- ↑ a b c Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 544.
- ↑ Stefan Stübing, Thomas Sacher: Small, but "oho": The occurrence of the dwarf marsh fowl "Porzana pusilla" in Germany. Rare birds in Germany 2010 , 50–57.
- ↑ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds . Volume 2, p. 546.
- ↑ Bauer et al., P. 401