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Eutriorchis astur

Eutriorchis astur

Eutriorchis astur

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Falconiformes
Familia: Accipitridae
Subfamilia: Gypaetinae
Genus: Eutriorchis
Species: Eutriorchis astur

Name

Eutriorchis astur Sharpe, 1875

References

* Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Pt3 p.73 pl.13


Vernacular names
Česky: Orlík madagaskarský
Deutsch: Madagaskar-Schlangenhabicht
English: Madagascar Serpent-Eagle
Español: Culebrera azor
Polski: Pręgoczub

The Madagascar Serpent Eagle, Serpentaire de Madagascar, or Culebrera Azor (Eutriorchis astur) is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Eutriorchis. It is endemic to Madagascar.[1]

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Description

The Madagascar Serpent Eagle is a medium-sized raptor with a long rounded tail and short rounded wings.[2] It is dark grey on its back and a lighter grey on its belly, breast, and throat.[2] Dark barring covers the bird's body. It has yellow eyes and a sharp, hooked beak with strong talons.[2]

Distribution and habitat

This bird inhabits dense, humid, and broadleafed evergreen forests in northeastern and east-central Madagascar. It rarely ventures above 550 meters (1800 ft).[2]

Ecology and behavior

This serpent-eagle is diurnal. It eats snakes, lizards, and frogs, which they hunt from high perches, swooping down from it perch and grasping its prey in its talons when it spots it.[2]

Conservation

This species was believed to be extinct, with the last confirmed sighting being from 1930.[2] However, sightings in 1977 and 1988 led to hope for the species' rediscovery.[2] It was rediscovered in 1993 by the Peregrine Fund.

This species is threatened by the destruction of its specialized habitat and a presumed low rate of reproduction.[2]

Etymology

The prefix eu- is Greek for "good". Triorchis is a Latinization (Pliny the Elder)[3] of Greek triórkhēs (τριόρχης), which Aristotle and Theophrastus used for a kind of hawk, possibly the Common Buzzard. The Greek word means "having three testicles".[4] This erroneous bit of anatomy has been connected with the ease of mistaking a bird's adrenal gland for a testicle.[5]

Astur is Latin for a kind of hawk.[6]

References

^ BirdLife International 2004. Eutriorchis astur. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.
^ a b c d e f g h "Madagascar Serpent Eagle". The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Extinct Species of Modern Times. 1. Beacham Publishing. 1997. pp. 13–14.
^ Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis, Book 10, Chapters 9, 95, 96. English translation from the Perseus Digital Library. Both retrieved on Nov. 16, 2007.
^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, retrieved 2007-11-15
^ Fisher, Peter; Higgins, Humphrey (translators) (1998), Olaus Magnus: A Description of the Northern Peoples, 1555, Hakluyt Society, p. 1011n, ISBN 090418059X, retrieved 2007-11-15. See Olaus Magnus and Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus
^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1897), A Latin Dictionary, retrieved 2009-01-15

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