Amber Mountain Rock Thrush
Ambrerötel ( monticola sharpei erythronotus )
The Ambrerötel ( monticola sharpei erythronotus ) is a subspecies of Madagaskarrötels ( monticola sharpei ), a species of bird in the flycatcher family. It is endemic to the Montagne d' Ambre in northern Madagascar.
Features
The Ambrerötel reaches a length of 16 cm. The male is similar to the male of the Madagaskarrötels. It has a slightly longer beak and the head is bluish. In contrast to Madagaskarrötel the blue color of the hood extends only to the neck and to the throat. The body and wing coverts are chestnut -colored dull. The rump is orange, the outer tail feathers are bright orange. The female resembles the female of the Madagaskarrötels. The top is stained but lively and rötlichebraune tint on the rump and tail is brighter. The underside is lighter and less broken lines. The juvenile birds are hardly known. One had held in captivity juvenile male yellow-brown spots on the wing covers and light rims on the secondaries.
Vocalizations
The singing is hardly known. He is described as bright sounding and harmonically rich and or short. He is often heard at dusk. The phrases are similar to those of the nominate form, but they are less varied and include a number of stereotyped melodies. The Ambrerötel is able to mimic other bird calls. The alarm call is a peculiar harsh cry.
Habitat
The Ambrerötel inhabits evergreen montane moist forests and cloud forests with a closed canopy at altitudes 800-1300 m. The habitat is quite lush forest lower layer consisting of lianas, ferns, bushes, screws, trees, grass, vegetation and debris. The Ambrerötel preferred the environment of streams and keeps more in the undergrowth, as the Madagaskarrötel.
Way of life
His food he picked up with touch of a raised hide to the ground or occasionally in the air in swift pick flight. The Ambrerötel is a sedentary bird that inhabits usually an area of up to one hectare. Rarely, the area sizes of up to 2.5 hectares occur. The breeding season takes place between October and November. The nest resembles that of the nominate form. It is hidden behind built Schraumbaumblättern three to six meters above the forest floor in a tree hollow, in a crevice in an overhang, in the trunk of a tree fern or frequently. The nest consists of two to three unspotted light turquoise colored eggs. The incubation period lasts at least 15 days. The nestling period is unknown.
Status
The Ambrerötel is limited to the mountain forests on the massif of Montagne d' Ambre in the extreme north of Madagascar. Its distribution area covers an area of about 380 km ². The IUCN classifies this taxon as a " high risk " ( endangered ) and estimates the backlog at less than 5,000 individuals with a decreasing trend. The greatest hazard is due in agricultural areas used by commercial logging and the conversion of the forest.
System
The Ambrerötel described in 1929 by Louis Lavauden as a subspecies of Madagaskarrötels. In 2002 he received from Steven M. Goodman and Lee Weigt under the name Pseudocossyphus erythronotus species status. Based on molecular studies carried out between 2007 and 2010, he was demoted in 2012 by the International Ornithological Congress as a subspecies.