Black Mannikin
The Hades Nun ( Lonchura stygia ) is a species of the family of finches. We distinguish between no subspecies. The species is classified by the IUCN due to its small distribution area than to a small extent at risk ( near threatened ).
Description
The Hades nun reaches a body length of eleven inches and weighs between ten and twelve grams. The wings of the males are brown black. The upper tail-coverts are black with golden yellow tips, the brown- black tail feathers are edged in yellow. The rest of the plumage is shiny black. The eyes are dark and the beak is dark gray.
Females are similar to males, but their body top is brown black and gloss, which is characteristic of the plumage of the male is missing.
Circulation area and way of life
The distribution of Hades nun is extremely small. It occurs only in the area of Kurik and Merauke in the lowlands of southern New Guinea. The Hades nun settled there, the reeds and the floating islands of grass on the middle Fly River. However, search for food, they also examined the adjacent savannas and the rice fields. There she is occasionally associated with Sonnenastrilden and white vertices nuns. The diet consists mainly of half-ripe seeds. How many types of bronze male climbs the Hades nun very skilled up straws.
The nest is located in the grass of the floating islands of the Fly River. The nest consists of four to five white eggs. Both parents participate in the bird breeding business.
Attitude
How many finch species that have their range only in New Guinea, the nun Hades were introduced very late to Europe. The first Hades nuns arrived in 1981 to Germany. The present affirmed succeeded in the same year in Switzerland. Today it is bred only in small numbers.
System
The Hades nun is considered to be closely related to the white vertices nun. The two species occur in the same distribution area and because full compliance of the body measurements and the sympatric occurrence of the two species have individual authors classified this species as melanistic variant of the white vertices nun. But speak the differences in juvenile plumage against this classification. The young birds of Hades nun have a much brighter plumage than that of white vertices nun, which argues against a classification as a melanistic mutant.