Green-winged Pytilia
Buntastrild ( Pytilia melba )
The Buntastrild ( Pytilia melba ) is a species of bird in the family of finches from tropical Africa south of the Sahara. Besides the nominate numerous subspecies have been described for this first placed in the genus Fringila bird, of which nine are currently recognized:
- Pytilia melba Citerior Strickland, 1853
- Pytilia melba soudanensis ( Sharpe, 1890)
- Pytilia melba belli Ogilvie - Grant, 1907
- Pytilia melba jessei Shelley, 1903
- Pytilia melba grotei Reichenow, 1919
- Pytilia melba hygrophila Irwin & Benson, 1967
- Pytilia melba flavicaudata Welch & Welch, 1988
- Pytilia melba thamnophila Clancey, 1957
- Pytilia melba percivali Someren, 1919
Description
Buntastrilde reach a body length of twelve to 13 inches. Striking are the red beak and red face mask. From the beak base starting, runs a narrow band over his eyes towards the neck where it forms a large patch on the neck of. The chest and the upper wing covers are olive green. The underside is cuckoo. Females are similarly colored males, but lack the red face mask. The singing is gurgling and whistling. The subspecies of Buntastrilds be divided according to the size of the red face mask in a rotzügelige and in a gray trains celled subspecies group.
Distribution and habitat
The habitat of the Buntastrilds are the drier savannah and bush areas of Africa. The type is missing in the rainforest of West and Central Africa as well as in the north adjacent thereto, savannah and in the highlands of Ethiopia. The rotzügeligen subspecies inhabiting the northern part of the range. They are widespread from Senegal on Sudan and northern Kenya to the East African coast. The gray trains celled subspecies group occurs in the southern part of Africa. Their range extends north into the interior of Kenya and Uganda. Isolated by a distribution area celled Buntastrilde rotzügeliger forms gray trains are also available in Eritrea. Compared with the Wienerastrild which belongs to the same genus, Buntastrilde prefer drier terrain. They live mainly in dense thorn bushes.
The diet consists mainly of grass seeds and insects. At times, life Buntastrilde mainly by termites. They are less sociable than other finch species and usually only seen in pairs. Only at the end of the breeding season, small family groups can be observed. Buntastrilde are free breeders. The nesting material consists of grasses, coconut fibers and feathers. The female lays four to six eggs. In Set, containing seven eggs, is scrim, have added to the brutschmarotzende widow birds of the genus Vidua an egg. Incubation period is twelve to 13 days. Both parents birds breed. The young birds leave the nest after 21 days. The incubation period varies depending on the area of distribution, but usually falls in the second half of the rainy season and dry season extends into the inside. Notwithstanding these fall in southern Africa the breeding season in the end of summer and the beginning of southern winter.
Attitude
Buntastrilde among the finch species that have already been imported to Europe very early. In a smaller number of pieces they were introduced in the 1870s several times in Germany and arrived among others in the collection of the later Ferdinand of Bulgaria. Since 1953, the Buntastrild is offered regularly in the bird trade. He is bred only by a few breeders. In most Buntastrilden commercially is wild-caught, which mainly arrive in a very poor state of health in Europe. For the caging Buntastrilde are unsuitable. Do you need a spacious indoor aviary, followed by a course dichtbepflanzte free aviary. Buntastrilde are aggressive birds and can be kept only in larger aviaries with other birds. It has been shown that Buntastrilde compared with the closely related Wienerastrild, which also has a red facial mask, are very aggressive.