Snow Mountains Robin
The Felsenschnäpper ( Petroica archboldi ) is a Singvogelart from the family of flycatchers ( Petroicidae ). Its distribution is restricted to the regions at the Carstensz Pyramid and Puncak on TRIKORA in the Orange Mountains in central New Guinea.
Features
The Felsenschnäpper reached a size of 14 cm. In the male, the upper head and the neck are dark slate gray with a reddish- pink tint. The sides of the head are slate gray. The springs at the base of the beak ridge and on the reins are black. There is a small white patch on the forehead. The top is dark slate gray. The rump is slightly lighter. The upper wings are black. The secondaries have narrow, gray seams at the distal half of the outer webs. The inner primaries and outer secondaries have the white spots on the inner webs, the away form a strip one-third from the base of the lower wing. The tail is black. In the control springs the basal half of the outer webs and the distal half of the inner webs is white. The outermost tail feathers have large white tips. The applied control spring pairs have small white tips. Chin and throat are slate-colored with a reddish- pink tint. The chest is slate-colored. The breast center has a bright red spots, which passes on the flanks greyish. The belly is gray - white, the under tail-coverts are white. The legs are slate-colored. The iris is dark brown. Beak and legs are black. The female resembles the male. However, it is smaller and paler. The reddish coloration is also pale chest. The immature birds the plumage is tinged brownish and lacks the red chest patches.
Vocalizations
The song includes a wide range of tones that recall the sounds of water droplets or Parrots. Furthermore loud " chip" sounds and harsh, scolding tones are heard.
Habitat
The Felsenschnäpper inhabited the edges of bare rock slopes and cliffs, boulders on talus slopes and valleys between rocky tundra or alpine heath. He comes above the tree line in front at altitudes 3850-4150 m.
Way of life
The Felsenschnäpper is mainly bottom dwellers. Its food consists of insects, which he captured between the rocks. He sits on a rock while he searches the environment. Has he spotted an insect, he pounces on the prey, thereby returning to the sitting room. Through its reproductive behavior There is little information. There is only one observation of a Altvogels who has fed a young bird in September.
Status
The IUCN lists the Felsenschnäpper in category " insufficient data " ( data deficient ). Due to the high altitude of its habitat should be safe. A hazard could, however, come from the area as mining. Another potential hazard is the global warming that has leads that the ice sheet at Puncak TRIKORA has been declining for several decades.
Etymology and History of Research
On September 18, 1938 collected at an altitude of 4100 meters during the Archbold Expedtions No. 25 at Mount Wilhelm, the expedition members Richard Archbold ( 1907-1976 ), Austin Loomer Rand ( 1905-1982 ) and William B. Richardson Mammologe the type specimen, which was used to first description. Rand described it then in 1840 under its present name Petroica archboldi.
The word " Petroica " is of Greek origin and is composed of the words " petros " for "Stone " and " oikos " for " dwelling house" together. The epithet " archboldi " honors the sponsor of the expedition Richard Archbold.