| י37) נחשון אפריקני | ||||||||||
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:נחשון . דומה לקורמורן אך זנבו וצוארו המעוקל ארוכים, גופו צר ומקורו חד . צבעו שחור ובצוארו פסים אנכיים, ערמוניים ולבנים . הצעירים בהירים יותר וגחונם לבן. מניע את צוארו בתנוע המזכירה נחש ומכאן שמו, בזמן שחייתו ראשו וצוארו מחוץ למים בית גידולו מקוי מים, מתוקים או מלוחים במקצת, רדודים, עומדים . או זורמים לאיטם. באזורים עטורי צמחים ועצים . בארץ עד שנות ה50 היה מבקר חורף שכיח באגם החולה, כיום נדיר | ||||||||||
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Subspecies and Distribution.
P. a. aristotelis Iceland and N Scandinavia S to Iberian Peninsula.. A. m. melanogaster India to Philippines. A. m. rufa S Sahara to Middle East. A. m. vulsini Madagascar. A. m. novaehollandiae Australia, New Guinea. | ||||||||||
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Descriptive notes.
90 cm; 1,5 kg, wingspan 120 cm. Scapulars elongated and lanceolate, bare colours variable. Juvenile similar to female but white and black areas generally riplaced by buff and brown. Habitat. Mainly still, shallow inland waters, freshwater or alcaline lakes, swamps slow flowing rivers and reservoirs. Less often estuaries or tidal inlets and coastal zones with mangroves and lagoons. Requires scattered emergent trees, forested margins or islets with dense vegetation. Food and Feeding Mainly fish also takes amphibians, water snakes, terrapins and aquatic invertebrates including insects, crustaceans and molluscs. Prey speared under water without active pursuit. Breeding. Seasonal in some areas, at any time of year in others. Usually colonial, often with cormorants or ciconiiformes. Nest is platform of sticks and sometimes reeds often 2 m above water. 2 eggs incubation 26-30 days. Sexual maturity probably only after at least two years. Known to have lived over 9 years in wild and over 16 in captivity. Movements. Generally sedentary with sporadic movements usually related to drought conditions. Status and Conservation. Not globally threatend. Common to locally abundant in Africa, with 10,000 nests in colony in tanzania. Israel. In Israel subspecies A. m. rufa. Up to 1950s was scarce to fairly common now rare winter visitor. |
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