Thornspic
Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus - Roodrugelfje)
Wetenschappelijke naam:
Malurus melanocephalus
Nederlandse naam:
Roodrugelfje
Engelse naam:
Red-backed Fairywren
Vogelgroep:
The Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) is a species of passerine bird in the Maluridae family
Veldkenmerken.
The smallest member of the genus Malurus, the Red-backed Fairywren measures 11.5 cm (4½ in) and weighs between 5–10 g (0.18–0.35 oz), averaging around 8 g (0.21 oz). The 6 cm (2½ in) long tail is black in the breeding male, and brown in eclipse males, females and juvenile birds. Averaging 8.6 mm (0.3 in), the bill is relatively long, narrow and pointed and wider at the base. Wider than it is deep, the bill is similar in shape to those of other birds that feed by probing for or picking insects off their environs.
Like other fairywrens, the Red-backed Fairywren is notable for its marked sexual dimorphism; the male adopts full breeding plumage by the fourth year, later than all other fairywrens apart from its relative the White-winged Fairywren. The male in breeding plumage has a black head and body with striking red back and brown wings. At other times it has a brown upper body and white underparts. Some, mainly younger, males do remain in eclipse plumage while breeding. The female looks remarkably similar with a buff brown body and a yellowish spot under the eye. The female of this species differs from those of other fairy wren species in that it lacks a blue tint in the tail. Geographically, it follows Gloger's rule; female birds have whiter bellies and paler brown upperparts inland in sunnier climates. Juveniles of both sexes look very similar to females.
Geluid.
The typical song used by the Red-backed Fairywren to advertise its territory is similar to that of other fairy wrens, namely a reel made up of an introductory note followed by repeated short segments of song, starting weak and soft and ending high and shrill with several syllables. The call is mostly made by the male during mating season.Birds will communicate with one another while foraging with a soft ssst, barely audible further than 10–15 m (30–50 ft) away. The alarm call is a high-pitched zit.
Voorkomen.
The Red-backed Fairywren is endemic to Australia and can be seen along rivers and the coast from Cape Keraudren in northern Western Australia through the Kimberleys, Arnhem Land and the Gulf Country and into Cape York, with the Selwyn Range and upper reaches of the Flinders River as a southern limit. It is also found on the nearby offshore islands Groote Eylandt, Sir Edmund Pellew, Fraser, Melville and Bathurst Islands. It then occurs all the way down the east coast east of the Great Dividing Range to the Hunter River in New South Wales, preferring wet, grassy tropical or sub-tropical areas, with tall grasses such as bladygrass (Imperata cylindrica), species of Sorghum, and Eulalia. It is not a true migrant, although it may be locally nomadic due to the changes in vegetation, and may leave its territory after the breeding season. The species will retreat to fire-resistant cover at times of fire.
The Red-backed Fairywren avoids arid habitats, and is replaced to the south of its range by the White-winged Fairywren.
Gedrag
The Red-backed Fairywren is diurnal, and becomes active at dawn and again, in bursts, throughout the day. When not foraging, birds often shelter together. They roost side-by-side in dense cover as well and engage in mutual preening. The usual form of locomotion is hopping, with both feet leaving the ground and landing simultaneously. However, a bird may run when performing the rodent-run display. Its balance is assisted by a relatively long tail, which is usually held upright and is rarely still. The short, rounded wings provide good initial lift and are useful for short flights, though not for extended jaunts. Birds generally fly in a series of undulations for a maximum of 20 or 30 m (60–100 ft)
In dry tall grasslands in monsoonal areas, the change in vegetation may be so great due to either fires or wet season growth that birds may be more nomadic and change territories more than other fairywrens. They form more stable territories elsewhere, such as in coastal areas. Cooperative breeding is less common with this species than with other fairywrens; helper birds have been sporadically reported, but the Red-backed Fairywren has been little studied.
Both the male and female adult Red-backed Fairywren may utilise the rodent-run display to distract predators from nests with young birds. The head, neck and tail are lowered, the wings are held out and the feathers are fluffed as the bird runs rapidly and voices a continuous alarm call.
Voedsel.
Like other fairywrens, the Red-backed Fairywren is predominantly insectivorous; they eat a wide variety of insects, including beetles such as weevils, leaf-, jewel-, flea- and ground-beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, moths, wasps and cicadas. Insect larvae and eggs are eaten as well as spiders. Seeds and other plant material make up only a very small proportion of its diet. It can be found hunting for insects in leaf litter, shrubbery and on the edges of bodies of water, mostly in the morning and late afternoon. Adults of both sexes as well as helper birds feed the young.
Apparatuur:
Body: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + Canon extender 1.4x III
Bron informatie: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-backed_Fairywrenrel
Bezoek ook eens mijn website See also my website: www.thornspic.nl
Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus - Roodrugelfje)
Wetenschappelijke naam:
Malurus melanocephalus
Nederlandse naam:
Roodrugelfje
Engelse naam:
Red-backed Fairywren
Vogelgroep:
The Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus) is a species of passerine bird in the Maluridae family
Veldkenmerken.
The smallest member of the genus Malurus, the Red-backed Fairywren measures 11.5 cm (4½ in) and weighs between 5–10 g (0.18–0.35 oz), averaging around 8 g (0.21 oz). The 6 cm (2½ in) long tail is black in the breeding male, and brown in eclipse males, females and juvenile birds. Averaging 8.6 mm (0.3 in), the bill is relatively long, narrow and pointed and wider at the base. Wider than it is deep, the bill is similar in shape to those of other birds that feed by probing for or picking insects off their environs.
Like other fairywrens, the Red-backed Fairywren is notable for its marked sexual dimorphism; the male adopts full breeding plumage by the fourth year, later than all other fairywrens apart from its relative the White-winged Fairywren. The male in breeding plumage has a black head and body with striking red back and brown wings. At other times it has a brown upper body and white underparts. Some, mainly younger, males do remain in eclipse plumage while breeding. The female looks remarkably similar with a buff brown body and a yellowish spot under the eye. The female of this species differs from those of other fairy wren species in that it lacks a blue tint in the tail. Geographically, it follows Gloger's rule; female birds have whiter bellies and paler brown upperparts inland in sunnier climates. Juveniles of both sexes look very similar to females.
Geluid.
The typical song used by the Red-backed Fairywren to advertise its territory is similar to that of other fairy wrens, namely a reel made up of an introductory note followed by repeated short segments of song, starting weak and soft and ending high and shrill with several syllables. The call is mostly made by the male during mating season.Birds will communicate with one another while foraging with a soft ssst, barely audible further than 10–15 m (30–50 ft) away. The alarm call is a high-pitched zit.
Voorkomen.
The Red-backed Fairywren is endemic to Australia and can be seen along rivers and the coast from Cape Keraudren in northern Western Australia through the Kimberleys, Arnhem Land and the Gulf Country and into Cape York, with the Selwyn Range and upper reaches of the Flinders River as a southern limit. It is also found on the nearby offshore islands Groote Eylandt, Sir Edmund Pellew, Fraser, Melville and Bathurst Islands. It then occurs all the way down the east coast east of the Great Dividing Range to the Hunter River in New South Wales, preferring wet, grassy tropical or sub-tropical areas, with tall grasses such as bladygrass (Imperata cylindrica), species of Sorghum, and Eulalia. It is not a true migrant, although it may be locally nomadic due to the changes in vegetation, and may leave its territory after the breeding season. The species will retreat to fire-resistant cover at times of fire.
The Red-backed Fairywren avoids arid habitats, and is replaced to the south of its range by the White-winged Fairywren.
Gedrag
The Red-backed Fairywren is diurnal, and becomes active at dawn and again, in bursts, throughout the day. When not foraging, birds often shelter together. They roost side-by-side in dense cover as well and engage in mutual preening. The usual form of locomotion is hopping, with both feet leaving the ground and landing simultaneously. However, a bird may run when performing the rodent-run display. Its balance is assisted by a relatively long tail, which is usually held upright and is rarely still. The short, rounded wings provide good initial lift and are useful for short flights, though not for extended jaunts. Birds generally fly in a series of undulations for a maximum of 20 or 30 m (60–100 ft)
In dry tall grasslands in monsoonal areas, the change in vegetation may be so great due to either fires or wet season growth that birds may be more nomadic and change territories more than other fairywrens. They form more stable territories elsewhere, such as in coastal areas. Cooperative breeding is less common with this species than with other fairywrens; helper birds have been sporadically reported, but the Red-backed Fairywren has been little studied.
Both the male and female adult Red-backed Fairywren may utilise the rodent-run display to distract predators from nests with young birds. The head, neck and tail are lowered, the wings are held out and the feathers are fluffed as the bird runs rapidly and voices a continuous alarm call.
Voedsel.
Like other fairywrens, the Red-backed Fairywren is predominantly insectivorous; they eat a wide variety of insects, including beetles such as weevils, leaf-, jewel-, flea- and ground-beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, moths, wasps and cicadas. Insect larvae and eggs are eaten as well as spiders. Seeds and other plant material make up only a very small proportion of its diet. It can be found hunting for insects in leaf litter, shrubbery and on the edges of bodies of water, mostly in the morning and late afternoon. Adults of both sexes as well as helper birds feed the young.
Apparatuur:
Body: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + Canon extender 1.4x III
Bron informatie: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-backed_Fairywrenrel
Bezoek ook eens mijn website See also my website: www.thornspic.nl