Siberian Rubythroat

Male Rubinkehlchen (Luscinia calliope )

The Rubinkehlchen (Luscinia calliope ), sometimes referred to as Siberian Rubinkehlchen or Taigarubinkehlchen, is a species of bird in the family of flycatchers ( Muscicapidae ). It is relatively closely related to Nightingale and Thrush Nightingale and colonized the Asian taiga east of the Urals.

Description

Appearance

The Rubinkehlchen is 14.5 to 16 cm with about as big as Thrush Nightingale and Nightingale and also resembles these strongly in habit. The plain olive brown the top is a little lighter on chest and flanks away and goes over there in the cream white of the abdomen. The rump is slightly reddish, the impact something darker brown. The closed wings show a hot - to reddish-brown field.

The drawing of the male head is reminiscent of the Bluethroat. About A white eye-streak, which ends just behind the eye, consists of the black box in front of the eye, which expires on the cheek, significantly. Just like the white cheek stripe, which is delimited by a fine beard line against the eponymous, bright ruby- red throat.

In the female and young birds in the first year, the head pattern is very much blurred. About The eye-streak is light beige, pale beige lining of the cheeks and the black areas are only gray brown dark. The bright red of the throat is missing, this is stained beige to light beige. This year also indicate parts of the large feathers of the wings pale brownish tips, but disappear from autumn through wear.

The dark eye has a bright edge. The beak is dark brown, blackish in males in breeding plumage. The feet are pink -brown gray -bis, flesh color in young birds.

Voice

The Voice ( Sample, MP3, 1.4 MB) is described as loud bubbly and shows similarity with that of robins and garden warblers, but comes in the volume almost to the of Nightingale and Thrush Nightingale zoom. Not infrequently imitations of other species are weaved. He can be heard mostly in the morning or in the evening until after dark, but sometimes all night. In mountainous areas with cold nights, the male often sings from early afternoon until dusk.

Behavior

The Rubinkehlchen generally described as quite shy moves similar to the nightingale or the Bluethroat bounding over the ground where it usually seeks its food. After several hops, it pauses for a moment. When excited, the tail is often raised is spread just above the level of the back. The singing males constantly switches between several preferred waiting in the shrub or lower tree layer, often at heights of 3-4 m. In singing, the ruby- red breast is presented in disturbances, the bird can but immediately fall into the coverage. In the mountains the Rubinkehlchen is often less shy and sings there on high, exposed waiting. This could be related to the lower incidence of birds of prey in this habitat.

Dissemination

The Rubinkehlchen colonized the taiga zone of Siberia from the Urals ( located on the west side of the only European populations ) to the Kuril Islands and after Hokkaidō. In the north of the site boundary follows the edge of the taiga 59-67 °. In the south of the occurrence, the Small and Large Hinggan Mountains, the Khentii and Khangai Mountains and the Altai includes. In West Siberia it is limited by the boundary of taiga and forest-steppe. An island -like deposits found in central China.

Hiking

The Rubinkehlchen is a migratory bird that winters in tropical Asia. The wintering areas ranging from northeast India and Nepal to the north of Indochina (Thailand and Myanmar ) and eastward to southern China, Taiwan and the Philippines. The departure takes place from about the beginning and the middle of August, the return to the breeding areas is approximately between early May and mid-June.

Habitat

The habitat requirements of Rubinkehlchens similar to those of Nightingale and Thrush Nightingale. It colonizes the light- poor, lower shrub layer in young trees, shrubs and perennials large thickets in damp locations. The tree layer is hardly a concern, but it must allow a lush undergrowth.

In the coniferous forests of the Asian middle - and high mountains or the taiga the Rubinkehlchen inhabited mostly punches, windthrow areas, stages of decay or richly structured forest edges with a lot of undergrowth, brushwood, undergrowth and dead trees and tall grass, nettle and herbaceous communities. In addition, it also settled rod woods, for example, dauricum with undergrowth of rhododendrons.

And often in swampy break and swamp forests as well as locations in waters close to shore with brushwood or shrubs of willow, birch, black cherry, alder, aspen or alder are accepted. Here particularly high population densities are often achieved.

In the mountains the Rubinkehlchen comes up to 3500 m above sea level. M. before. It colonizes the subalpine shrub belt between the treeline and the alpine zone. For example, in Hokkaido in the holdings of the dwarf pine or elsewhere in stands of alpine roses, shrubs and dwarf willows.

More unusual habitats are corridors of dwarf bamboo or stocks of Sakhalin knotweed plantain.

Reproduction

The Rubinkehlchen performs a monogamous breeding season or marriage. It breeds once a year, replacement clutches before coming. The nesting sites are occupied immediately after arrival at the breeding grounds, even if the males in the cold not sing sometimes.

The nest is usually built close to the ground at the foot of branching shrubs, on grass or Moosbulten, in exceptional cases, about 50 cm high on a tree branch. It is usually hidden in the vegetation. It is about 90-160 mm wide and 70-120 mm high, spherical construction of dry grasses and other plant parts. The exterior walls are 24-40 mm thick, the interior is barely padded. The entrance hole is relatively high at the side, where it nests both with very large input are acting almost cup-shaped, and nests with indicated input tube.

The nest consists of 5, rarely 4-6 eggs, of about 21 × 15 mm in size, moderately shiny, blue-green coloration (similar Redstart ) and. , In most cases with a very faint, slight brownish mottling Wölkung or at the blunt end Nests are found from late May to mid-June, Nachgelege come before the end of July. Incubation period is 13, the nestling period 12 days. The boys fly from mid to late July, Young fledge but were also observed in August.