Quail-plover

Lerch running chicken ( Ortyxelos meiffrenii ), illustration

The Lerch running chicken ( Ortyxelos meiffrenii ) is a small species of the family of the running chicken ( Turnicidae ), which settled the Sahel zone in the central Africa and also scattered in the northern East Africa occurs. It is the only species of the genus Ortyxelos, which differs from the chicken run of the genus Turnix by longer and wider wings and relatively long tail. Some authors the assignment to the chicken run is doubted. The species is monotypic.

Description

The Lerch chicken run is only as big as a small songbird with 10-13 cm body length. The wing length is 72-76 mm in the male, the larger females 76-80 mm. The tail is 29-36 mm long. Weight data are available with 15.7 to 19.5 g before only for the male. The nature of the ground constantly reminds a little of a racing bird in flight the black and white wing pattern falls clearly on. The flighty flight is reminiscent of larks of the genus Mirafra or a butterfly.

The top adult male is mainly reddish sand color, the underside cream beige to whitish. Forehead, crown and nape are reddish brown with bright spring seams. Reins, over- eye-streak and the cheeks are rahmfarben with gold beige tint. From the eye a reddish-brown stripes on the sides of the neck runs. The ear-coverts are brownish in color. The feathers of the throat are white with gold beige lace. Towards the chest they are golden brown and the sides of the chest and upper flanks reddish brown with black -rimmed, rahmfarbenen spots. The reddish brown color runs out on the rahmfarbenen belly and the white sides and under tail-coverts. The feathers on the shoulders, back, are reddish brown, blackish margins and referred to the center and carry a wide, pale beige hem. The tail feathers are reddish brown with pale beige lace hems and darker Subterminalzeichnung. The outer show a bright outer edge and the two outermost a dark Subterminalfeld. The rockers are predominantly black with whitish to beige Endsäumen. The small and medium coverts are rahmfarben and the great coverts white. The shield feathers are reddish brown with pale lace and darker drawing in the centers. The iris is pale to dark brown, the bill yellowish horn-colored to pale greenish and the legs and feet whitish flesh-colored to yellowish beige.

Females are generally brighter and gerfärbt reddish-brown on the breast. Birds in juvenile plumage are oberseits sand-colored and rather spotty as streaky. The wing pattern is irregular pronounced.

Voice

About the vocal utterances are few observations. There is described a deep, soft pipes, but lacks the penetrating quality of the calls of other running chicken.

Distribution and population

The distribution of the Lerch chicken run extends over large parts of the Sahel. It ranges from Senegambia and the Southern Mali east to northern Cameroon, southern Chad and the Sudan. Other deposits are scattered in East Africa; so in southwestern Ethiopia, Uganda, in the northern and southeastern Kenya and northeastern Tanzania. As an occasional guest is the way to find the Ivory Coast, Gambia and Togo.

The species is usually rare and only locally common, but probably not at risk in the portfolio. In some regions, they could expand their area due to desertification and forest felling, elsewhere there were probably long-term declines.

Habitat

The Lerch run chicken populated arid and semiarid habitats, especially savannas with a vegetation of acacia and grasses of the genus Chrysopogon. The coverage ratio of grasses should be at least 25%. In West Africa, the species prefers locally dry and sandy habitats with Cenchrus and Aristida species, but also occurs in humid coastal plains, thorn bush savanna or areas with sparse tree growth. The altitudinal distribution ranges up to 2000 meters in extent, but is typically below 1200 m.

Way of life

Little is known about the life of the Lerch chicken run. It probably feeds on seeds of grass, termites and other insects. In some areas, the species appears to be sedentary, in others it is each found only in the rainy or dry season. There will probably take some walks within the continent, but more accurate is not known about.

The incubation period is usually in the cooler phase of the dry season between September and March. The nest is a simple soil dump, which is often located at the base of a plant on otherwise sparsely vegetated sites and is lined with leaves and stalks. Sometimes it is surrounded with small stones. The nest consists of two oval eggs on black rahmfarbenem reason are mottled brown and gray. They are used alone incubated by the male. This fact could indicate occasional polyandry, which was not observed in contrast to other running chicken in this species. Presumably she lives mostly monogamous.