African Firefinch
Dark red amaranth ( Lagonosticta rubricata )
Called The Dark red amaranth ( Lagonosticta rubricata ), also Dunkelamarant, Dark Red Astrild or Scarlet Astrild, a bird from the family of finches is ( Estrildidae ). The distribution is West, East and Central Africa.
- 6.1 Single Documents
Description
The Dark red amaranth reaches a height of up to 11 centimeters. Its plumage is bright red. On the chest, he has occasionally on some tiny speckles white. The female resembles the male, but it is colored somewhat dull. The Dark red amaranth has very close resemblance to the closely related Rosenamarant, from which he differs only in that the second hand swing is narrowed from the outside to the inner vane. From Braunbürzelamarant, the Pünktchenamarant and Senegal Amaranth, it differs by black or blackish coverts.
Way of life
The habitat of the Dark Red Amaranten are bushes, ferns and grass at the edge of the forest, dense bushes on the banks of rivers, forests and bush undergrowth lights interspersed high grass savannah. He usually missing in the dry steppe and in dense forest areas. His main food is small seeds one-year grasses. In addition, he also eats small insects. Search for food, he comes to the ground, but immediately fled into the thick brush with danger.
The vocal repertoire of the Dark Red Amaranten is very large and he is counted among the most talented vocal finches. According to His repertoire ranges from a melodic trilling and flötendem singing to chirping and meowing sounds.
The incubation period varies depending on the location. In South Africa the breeding season during the southern summer, otherwise it breeds but at the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry season. The Dark red amaranth shows the Amaranten - typical courtship in which the male is dancing with a straw or a feather in its beak before the females. Here, the tail is fanned or is moved up and down. The Dark red amaranth is a free breeder. The nest is built mostly low above the ground and stands alone, even if Dark Red Amaranten defend no territory. The nesting material is made of dry grass stalks, coconut and sisal fibers. The female lays three to five eggs, which are incubated for 11 to 13 days.
System
The geographical variation of the Dark Red Amaranten is not yet finally described and the demarcation of individual subspecies is therefore moot. Individual authors call up to five subspecies. The Mali - amaranth, which is regarded by some authors as a subspecies of Dark Red Amaranten is predominantly classified as separate species.
It is no longer possible to determine the start of the attitude of the Dark Red Amaranten accurate since some subspecies were formerly traded as a separate species with its own name and now have other subspecies species status. However, it seems that Vieillot already held the way at the beginning of the 19th century and bred.
For the caging of dark red amaranth is very useful, since it remains skittish and shy therein. It is usually kept in large aviaries. If there is a garden aviary, the birds need protection space whose room temperature is not below 20 degrees Celsius. Striking the dark red Amaranten is the short breeding season with about 12 days and the short time of feeding the young birds after leaving nest with about 8 days. Important for successful breeding is a sufficient amount of live food during the rearing phase, such as freshly molted mealworms. Otherwise, red millet, small -grained finch food and egg food should be offered. Particularly important is an adequate supply of minerals. The Dark Red Amaranth is one of the most peaceful finches and can be held without any problems in a community aviary. Also during the breeding season, there is no problems.