Falcipennis
Fir chicken, males
The sickle chickens ( Falcipennis ) are a species of bird from the family of pheasant -like ( Phasianidae ), which belongs to the order of Galliformes ( Galliformes ). Two species to the genus nowadays generally reckoned that occur in East Asia and North America. As next of kin applies the Rocky Mountain chicken, but they differ significantly in the appearance of the chicks, the lack of inflatable air bags and a smaller body size.
Appearance
Both species reach a body size of 38-43 centimeters. The fir chicken is slightly lighter, weighing 450-650 grams. The sickle chicken is slightly heavier. Males weigh 625-735 grams, females 650-740 grams.
Basic color of the faucets of the Crescent Chicken is a dark gray- black. Head and neck are usually darker, the feathers collar is trimmed with a fine bright stripes from the remaining body plumage. Over the entire trunk light, almost white spots are arranged irregularly; on the ventral side they show a typical heart shape. The breast plate is black. The coverts wearing a white lace and are indistinct light gray banded. The tail feathers are black and have a distinct white line on the shaft. The tips of the tail feathers are white. The short bill is slate gray; of the beak base runs a white lining up behind the eye. The dark legs are feathered to the toes basis. The bare red skin above the eyes, the so-called " Roses" are very well developed, especially in spring; they regress in the further course of the year a little.
The males of the fir chicken are mostly gray - brown feathered with a black chest with white dashes on the side, a black throat. The black tail has auburn spikes in Nominatsform. During the breeding season the male swells a red comb above the eye. The male who lives in the northern Rocky Mountains subspecies F. c. franklinii missing the brown tail ends; but it has this white tips of the upper tail-coverts.
Dissemination
The hazel grouse about large sickle chicken is mainly found in the taiga of the lower Amur region and on Sakhalin. The name derives from the pointed primaries that give the small wings a crescent shape. It is believed that the populations of the species have declined in the last 40 years; therefore the sickle chicken is currently performed at the early warning of endangered species. The distribution area of pine chicken Alaska comprises large parts of Canada and parts of New England, Michigan, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The chicken fir inhabits coniferous forests.
System
The systematic position of the sickle chickens is unclear. This assignment in the separate genus Falcipennis is controversial: BirdLife recorded the two types together with the two types of Rocky Mountain chickens ( D. obscurus and D. fuliginosus ) and the fir chicken ( D. canadensis) in the genus Dendragapus. Morphological and behavioral similarities indicate a close relationship with the fir chicken. Recent molecular studies brought no final clarification of the relationships, however, show a relative special status of sickle chicken within the Falcipennis / Dendragapus group.