Abyssinian Scimitarbill
Rhinopomastus minor
This all-black bird has a curved orange bill and a fairly long tail. Northern birds have white bars across the wings, which are conspicuous in flight, while southern birds have entirely black wings. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub. Separated from other scimitarbills by its orange bill. Similar to some woodhoopoes, but separated by its smaller size, shorter all-black tail, and black legs. Vocalizations include a series of wavering, rising notes and an agitated-sounding series of “dok” notes.
识别特征
The bird is all black with a blue-purple iridescence which covers their whole body and especially the back of the head. The bird's beak is bright orange to red and is characteristically curved and pointed. It is slightly longer than the length of its head and is built to probe into cracks and crevices for insects. It can be differentiated from other wood hoopoes by its all black legs and shorter tail, which is about the length of the bird’s body excluding its head. <p>The males coloring tends to be more blue, whereas the females have more brown tones especially in the head.Males also tend to be slightly larger than females. Their bill length is: Male; 3.33 cm; Female; 2.78 cm. Their tail length is: Male: 10.7 cm; Female; 9.5 cm. Their body mass is around 22-28g with the males being on the heavier end.
分类信息
The bird is the smallest in the group of Scimitarbills which contains three other species. They are in the family of wood hoopoes, and in the order of Bucerotiformes which contains the hornbills, ground hornbills, hoopoes and wood hoopoes.
- 学名
- Rhinopomastus minor
- 命名信息
- (Rüppell, 1845)
- 目
- Bucerotiformes
- 科
- Phoeniculidae
- 属
- Rhinopomastus
分布与栖息地
The bird is found commonly in open bushed, and dry savanna habitats and is an uncommon resident in thorn srubs in low altitudes below 1400m (an intermediate biome between a dessert and tropical forest).<p>There are two subspecies which occupy different ranges of Africa. The Rhinopomastus minor minor occurs on the eastern edge of Africa Ethiopia to Somalia and Kenya, and Rhinopomastus minor cabsanisi occurs further west in Sudan to Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. See range map<p>The species has a breeding range is around the equator with minimum to maximum latitudes of -9.01 to 11.78 degrees.<p>The species has a combined total of around 20,000km2 of territorial range, although this area is largely fragmented. While the population is declining, it appears to be at a rate of only 5% over three generations and therefore the bird is considered to be of least concern.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The Abyssian Scimitarbill and the Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) both emit sharp cries and an unpleasant odor to deter predators (Hedley & Caro, 2022). Their warning calls sound like a series of rising notes "dok". Other calls sound like shrill elongated chirps which rise and then fall minutely in pitch over the course of around eight to twelve chirps. Their song sounds similar to their calls, but with more silence between chirps. Listen here<p>The bird is insectivorous and eats mostly live insects such as bees, beetles, larvae, caterpillars, ants, flies and wasps. They will also eat seeds and berries. While much research has been done on the species, it has been observed to nest in abandoned beehives, although it does not consume honey or other bee products.<p>The bird is a monogamous solitary nester. The age of their first breeding is on average 1.23 years with an average clutch size of 2 eggs. The adults have an annual survival rate of 0.66 and the average length of a generatio is 2.89 years. They typically nest in holes or fissures, sometimes excavated by other species. This includes holes in trees and sometimes abandoned beehives that are a height of around 0.5-2m from the ground. The cabanisi race has a strong preference for breeding in the dry season.<p>The greater honeyguide will occasionally parasitize the nest of the scimitarbill. The exact frequency and effect that this relationship has on the species is not fully documented but there are several observations on clutch success rates.<p>In one case from June to July 2009, a pair raised three young in a nest box at Green park. In another case in June to July 2009, three young were raised by a pair of birds in a nest box at Greenwood Park Estate, Eburru, near Naivasha. In another instance between October 2009 to July 2012, a pair of birds laid a total of 33 eggs (11 clutches of 3) over 3 years. However, none of these eggs survived because the greater honeyguide parasitized on the clutches. During the three year period, no scimitarbills hatched, while 7 out of a total of 12 of the parasitic honeyguide eggs successfully fledged. On four cases out of eleven, the scimitarbills ejected all eggs from the nest. Later from August 2012-September 2014, four clutches (12 eggs total) were laid without any honeyguides, and all but one individual was successfully fledged.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Chuuk Flycatcher
Myiagra oceanica
Sadly, despite the name, not an ocean-going flycatcher; instead, this is a species of forest and forest edge habitats on Micronesia’s Chuuk Islands. Combination of bluish-gray head, pale orange throat and breast, brown-tinged wings, and slightly peaked head is unique on the islands. “Flycatches” from a perch, often close to the ground. Gives a variety of vocalizations, including a series of cheerful rising whistles, a repetitive squeaky series, a descending chatter, and hoarse meows.
Asian Fairy-bluebird
Irena puella
Chunky tree-dweller with blood-red eyes. Spectacular male is decked out in midnight black and electric blue. Female is dark turquoise with dark wingtips. Gathers at fruiting and flowering trees. A species of lowland and foothill evergreen forests, though will occasionally venture into gardens and plantations. Song includes various notes, often paired, such as “wit!” and “wi’wit!” Gives “tik” calls when flying overhead.
Black-chested Prinia
Prinia flavicans
An active, unstreaked warbler with a long graduated tail that is sometimes cocked. It is yellowish below with a distinct white throat. When breeding it has a broad dark chest band (narrower in the female) that is reduced or absent in northern populations. Pairs inhabit arid savanna, shrubland, and gardens, where they glean small insects from leaves. The species’ typical song is a dry harsh “dziiip” note repeated 10-30 times in rapid succession. The similar Tawny-flanked Prinia may resemble non-breeding Black-chested Prinia, but Tawny-flanked can be identified by the rusty wings and lack of yellowish underparts.
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