Africa Wild

507. Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea (Rooikoplewerik)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Alaudidae


Description
Size 14-15 cm. It has a typically upright stance. It is a long-winged, slender lark with a short, blackish beak and plain white underparts.
Upperpart coloration is very variable (streaked grey to brown) but the bright rufous cap, unmarked, white underpart and russet smudges on the sides of the breast are diagnostic.
Adult: Crown rufous, with fairly short, erectile hind-crown crest. Lores white, merging with whitish supercilium; narrow black eye stripe extends above ear coverts behind eye. Ear coverts whitish, finely streaked brown, darkest towards rear. Nape and hind neck sandy brown to mid-brown (pale grey-brown in some areas); sides of neck brown, with whitish streaks. Mantle sandy brown to mid-brown, finely streaked darker brown; back similar, but more heavily marked. Rump reddish brown, upper tail coverts rufous. Tail dark brown, outer pair of rectrices with white outer webs, next pair with narrow whitish outer edge, central pair with buffy margins. Flight feathers dark brown, outer primary with buffy-white outer web, remainder with narrow, paler brown outer edges. Scapulars, greater and median upper wing coverts and elongated tertials brown, with rufous-buff margins; lesser upper wing coverts sandy brown, with darker centres. Underwing coverts and axillaries pale brown. Foreneck brown, with whitish streaks. Remainder of underparts white, sides of breast with prominent rufous patches, sometimes almost meeting in centre; flanks with variable amount of brown or rufous. Bill black; small, fairly slender. Eyes brown. Legs and feet dark brown to black.
Male is redder than female and has a longer crest. Epaulettes (shoulder patches) on the sides of the breast are normally larger and more prominent in the male.
Juvenile has dark brown upperparts, spotted with white, and is pale below with a heavily spotted breast; it lacks the red cap and epaulettes of the adult.

Distribution
From southern DRC and Kenya through Zambia and Angola to southern Africa. Probably the most widespread lark species. Its range extends across most of South Africa, with the exception of the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

C. c. saturatior: Uganda and w Kenya s to Angola, ne Namibia, n Botswana and Zambia
C. c. spleniata: wc Angola to wc Namibia
C. c. cinerea: s, c Namibia, s Botswana, Zimbabwe and s Africa



Habitat
Open country with very short grass cover.

Diet
The red-capped Larks feeds mainly on seeds and insects in very short grass or on patches of bare ground. It eats termites, grasshoppers, wasps, snails and ants. Also takes seeds and grasses.

Breeding
Sometimes 2 to 4 pairs will nest as close as 25 m apart. The nest is built mainly by the female in about 4-5 days, it is a deep open, cup, which is set into the ground, and is usually situated close to a grass tuft, stone or mound. The nest is lined with fine grass and rootlets. The eggs are usually laid just before rainfall in the period from March-December, peaking from July-September. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 12-15 days, while the male feeds her at the nest. The chicks are fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 9-18 days.

Call
The call of the Red-capped Lark is a sparrow-like tchweerp, given in flight; song a sustained jumble of melodious phrases treee, treee, tip-tip, tippy, tippy tippy, given display flight. It also imitates other birds. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident. In dry season often found in flocks.

507. Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea







© Michele Nel
Busanga Bush Camp, Kafue National Park, Zambia

© Michele Nel
Juvenile

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2

508. Pink-billed Lark S p i z o c o r y s conirostris (Pienkbeklewerik)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Alaudidae


Description
Size 12-13 cm. Similar to Botha´s Lark, but bill stouter, and belly uniformly plain light rufous; above rufous brown mottled and streaked dark brown; throat white; breast streaked blackish; flanks not streaked; Iris pinkish brown to yellowish brown; bill conical and pink; legs and feet pinkish.
Juvenile: Darker than adult; more speckled above and below; bill blackish.

Distribution
Near endemic to southern Africa, its distribution extends from patches in western Zambia to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

Habitat
It generally prefers open, short grassland (often recently burnt), Kalahari sand dunes with dense grass cover and fallow fields and croplands shortly after harvesting.

Movements and migrations
Resident and sedentary throughout most of its distribution, although in Namibia it is nomadic, searching for areas which have had recent rainfall.

Diet
It eats invertebrates and grass seeds, doing most of its foraging on the ground, pecking food items from the soil.

Breeding
The nest is a cup built of dry grass and rootlets and lined with finer material; the rim is often extended to form an "apron" surrounding the cup, especially in the arid west. It is typically placed in a scrape or hoofprint in the ground, usually propped against a grass tuft, shrub or clod of earth. It is an opportunistic breeder, lay its eggs after rainfall at any time of year. It lays 1-3 eggs, which are incubated for about 11-13 days. The chicks are fed by both adults, leaving the nest after about 10 days, before they are able to fly.

Call
Flight call characteristic quick musical chirp of 2-3 syllables, si-si-si repeated often; alarm call similar, but accented on first syllable, SI-si-si.

Status
Common nomad; numbers fluctuate greatly.

508. Pink-billed Lark S p i z o c o r y s conirostris

© Michele Nel
Kgalagadi ransfrontier Park, Leijersdraai waterhole - Jan 2016

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2

512. Large-billed Lark, Southern Thick-billed Lark Galerida magnirostris (Dikbeklewerik)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Alaudidae




Description
A robust, heavily built lark with a relatively short, dark tail and boldly streaked underparts. It’s about 18 cm in length (about bulbul size) with thick-based, heavy bill with a yellow base to the lower mandible. Streaked brown-grey upperparts and a long white supercilium. Cream underparts with heavy dark streaking on the breast. The crest is usually held flat, but may be raised in alarm or when the bird is singing. In display, the male rises up and circles in fluttering flight.
Adult: Crown pale brown, heavily streaked blackish brown; feathers long and erectile, forming short crest. Supercilium creamy buff, broad, contrasting with streaked crown and dark brown eye stripe. Cheeks finely streaked brown and white, with darker brown patch below eye, linking to eye stripe behind eye. Sides of neck brown, streaked whitish. Remainder of upper parts pale brown, streaked blackish, but less so on hind neck and rump. Upper tail coverts grey-brown, with dark centres. Tail dark brown, outermost rectrices with narrow whitish outer web; central pair medium-brown, with pale edges. Flight feathers dark brown, secondaries with pale outer edges and tips. Scapulars, tertials, and greater and median coverts dark brown, broadly edged pale greyish brown; lesser coverts medium-brown, fringed paler. Underwing coverts and axillaries pale brown. Chin and throat whitish, with indistinct moustachial streak. Foreneck brown, streaked whitish. Remainder of underparts whitish, belly and undertail coverts sometimes lightly washed yellowish. Breast heavily streaked dark brown, lower breast and flanks more sparsely marked with narrow streaks. Bill dark brown, with yellow base; medium-long and robust. Eyes brown. Legs and feet pinkish brown.
Similar species: The heavy bicoloured bill distinguished this species from all other African larks.
It is easily confused with the ‘thick-billed’ race of the Sabota Lark, which also inhabits Karooveld. Differs from Dusky Lark in well-marked upperparts and lack of bold facial markings.
Range abuts all other long-billed larks. Cape Long-billed Lark slightly larger, with heavily streaked plumage. Upper parts grey-brown. Underpart streaking extends across flanks to undertail coverts. Agulhas Long-billed Lark smaller, with shorter bill and tail; upper parts buffy brown, more heavily streaked. Underpart streaking extends across flanks to undertail coverts. Eastern Long-billed Lark smaller and, in area of overlap, upper- and underparts redder and less streaked; lacks greyish nape contrasting with rufous-brown upper parts. Separation from Benguela Long-billed Lark based on genetic evidence; no distinctive morphological characters known, but southern birds av smaller and more streaked than northern populations of Karoo Long-billed Lark.

Taxonomy
Three subspecies are recognised, mainly on size. G. m. magnirostris from the coastal plain of South Africa's west coast and south-western South Africa, has a larger bill and shorter wing than the other subspecies. G. m. harei from the grasslands east of 24° E has a short and slender bill. G. m. sedentaria is found east of the nominate race in semi-arid karoo shrublands. It has more rufous upper parts than the other subspecies and longer wings and tail than the nominate race.

Distribution
Western and most of the Eastern Cape, southern parts of the Northern Cape and the Free State, in Lesotho and in the southern tip of Namibia.



Habitat
Grassland and shrubland. It is also found in cultivated and fallow agricultural land. Galerida magnirostris is a succulent karoo counterpart of the savanna Sabota lark Mirafra sabota.

Diet
Food is seeds and insects, the latter especially in the breeding season.

Breeding
The nest is an open cup built of twigs, coarse grass and rootlets, often lined with finer material such as wool, feathers and plant down. It is typically placed on a foundation of twigs in an excavated burrow, usually at the base of a shrub, grass tuft or stone, occasionally out in the open. Egg-laying season is from July-December, usually peaking earlier in the winter rainfall area. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated for roughly 16 days. The chicks are brooded for the first 5 days of their lives by both parents, both of whom also take care of the feeding. They are are particularly fearless when defending the nest from intruders.

Call
A soft creaking treeeeleeeeleee or tree-tiddley-pee. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
A locally common resident.

512. Large-billed Lark Galerida magnirostris

© Tina
West Coast National Park, Western Cape

© leachy
Tankwa Karoo National Park

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2

515. Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark (formerly known as Chestnut-backed Finchlark) Eremopterix leucotis (Rooiruglewerik)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Alaudidae


Description
The Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark has a height of 13 cm and weighs around 22 g.
The male is striking, with solid black underparts and head apart from brilliant white patches on the nape and behind the eyes. The upperparts and wings are chestnut with some dark streaking. The thick bill is grey/white and heavy. Legs and feet are pale grey. Pale rump in flight.
The female is a drabber bird with heavily streaked buff-white underparts and head, and a white nape collar that extends around the ear coverts. The upperparts are chestnut with mottling. Lower breast and belly are black. Flanks are unstreaked.
Juvenile resembles female but is paler below, above mottled with buffy white.
Similar species: Male differs from male Grey-backed Sparrowlark in having a chestnut back and forewings and a wholly black crown. Female differs from female Grey-backed Sparrowlark in having chestnut wing coverts; plumage altogether darker than that of female Grey-backed Sparrowlark.

Distribution
Occurs in a band from Senegal to Ethiopia, with a separate population from Malawi to southern Zambia, Angola and southern Africa. Two of the five subspecies occur in southern Africa (E. l. hoeschi and E. l. smithi).



Habitat
It is common in short grassland and semi-arid savanna woodland, especially in recently burnt areas; it may also occupy croplands, road verges, fallow fields and airstrips.

Diet
It mainly eats seeds taken from cultivated cereal crops or grasses, supplemented with invertebrates (especially during the breeding season). It lives and forages in groups of 5-50 birds in the non-breeding season, occasionally up to several hundred.

Breeding
Both sexes build the nest, which is a cup of dry grass and rootlets placed in a shallow excavated depression in the ground. It is often positioned against a grass tuft or stone in recently fallowed agricultural land, with clods of dirt or stones surrounding the entrance. Egg-laying season is year-round, varying from region to region. Generally in arid areas (such as Botswana) it begins during rains in January-March, where as in more moist regions (such as Zimbabwe and eastern South Africa) it begins after rainfall from February-September (peaking from March-July). The eggs are greyish white, freckled with brown, concentrated at thick endThe female lays 1-3 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 11 days, with the female taking the night shift and the male helping her in the day. The chicks are brooded and fed by both parents, leaving the nest at about 10-12 days old, before they are able to fly.

Call
A short chip-chwep, uttered in flight.

515. Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix leucotis (Rooiruglewerik)

© BluTuna
Male

© BluTuna
Female, Kruger National Park

© Amoli
Kruger National Park

© nan
Male

© pooky
Male

© nan
Male & juvenile, Kruger National Park

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
Chamberlain's LBJs
Mahlodi Lucket Dikgale: ASPECTS OF THE BIOLOGY OF THE CHESTNUT-BACKED SPARROW-LARK
The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa

516. Grey-backed Sparrowlark (formerly known as Grey-backed Finchlark) Eremopterix verticalis (Grysruglewerik)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Alaudidae


Description
Small, sexually dimorphic lark with appearance like that of a finch (Fringillidae). Length 13 cm. Iris brown; bill conical, bluish to pearly grey; legs and feet pale grey to pinkish grey.
Male: Head and underparts black (no white on thigh as in Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark); large earpatch, patch in centre of crown, broad collar on hindneck and patches on sides of chest white (no white on crown or chest of female Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark); back dark or sandy grey, mottled dusky; bill heavy, whitish.
Female: Head, breast and upperparts mottled brownish and pale grey (no rufous coloration as in females of Chestnut-backed and Black-eared Sparrowlarks); centre of belly black (diagnostic in combination with greyish back); bill heavy, whitish.
Immature: Similar to female, but mottled with buff above.

Distribution
Near-endemic to southern Africa, occurring from south-western Angola and Zambia to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, marginally extending into Zimbabwe.

Habitat
It generally prefers semi-arid to arid open habitats, such as sand or gravel plains punctuated by grass clumps and shrubs, also recently burnt grassland, harvested cropland and fallow fields.

Movements and migrations
It is extremely nomadic, moving in groups of up to several thousand to areas with better rainfall and grass growth/

Diet
It mainly eats seeds, doing most of its foraging in small groups, pecking food items from the ground.

Breeding
The nest is built solely by the female in about 4-5 days, consisting of a cup built of small dry stems, leaves, feathery awns of grasses and occasionally with fluffy Karoo rosemary seeds (Eriocephalus) or wool. It is typically placed in an excavated hollow on a foundation of stones, usually at the base of a shrub with the entrance facing south or east, to maximise shade in the heat of the day. It is an opportunistic breeder, meaning that egg-laying season is year-round. Laying dates usually coincide with rainfall and the onset of grass growth - especially when bushman grass (Stipagrostis) develops its feather awns. The female lays 1-5 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 9-11 days. The chicks are cared for by both parents, who mainly feed them invertebrates such as grasshoppers and caterpillars. They eventually leave the nestafter about 7-10 days (later if there has been rainfall), but only taking their first flight at about 15-20 days old.

Call
Sharp tinkling song twip twip chik in flight; sharp pruk alarm note; chirping flight calls, chip chreep chip chip chreep.

Status
Very common nomad; numbers fluctuate greatly.

516. Grey-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix verticalis

© nan
Female, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, around KTC © nan

© Mel
Male, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Lijersdraai, March 2013

© nan

© nan
Female, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, around KTC

© Dewi
Namibia

© Michele Nel
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Bedinkt

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
Chamberlain's LBJs
The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa