Blackbird
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Blackbird ( Spizocorys sclateri ) |
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| Spizocorys sclateri | ||||||||||||
| ( Shelley , 1902) |
The bunting lark ( Spizocorys sclateri ) is a small bird art from the family of larks. Their distribution area is the south of Africa. No subspecies are distinguished. The specific epithet sclateri honors the British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater .
The IUCN classifies the species as potentially endangered.
features
The blackbird reaches a body length of about 14 centimeters, of which between 3.9 and 4.5 centimeters is accounted for by the tail. The beak measures between 1.3 and 1.55 centimeters from the skull. There is no gender dimorphism .
Blackbirds have a whitish stripe over the eyes, from the base of the beak a dark line runs over the eye, which only ends above the ear covers. Below the eye is a small black spot that is often teardrop-shaped. Behind it is a crescent-shaped spot. The ear covers are dark brown. The chin and throat are white; some individuals also have a brownish spot on the chin and throat. The chest and upper abdomen are light reddish brown, the chest is also thinly dashed in brown. The rest of the abdomen and the under tail-covers are whitish. The hand and arm wings are brown, the individual arm wings have light tips. The tail feathers are brown, with the two outermost rudder feathers and, in some individuals, the fourth rudder feather on the outer plumes being whitish. The beak is brownish horn-colored and becomes a little darker towards the tip.
Possible confusion
The bunting lark is very similar to the Falb- , finches and Rotschnabellerche on, all equally to the genus Spizocorys belong.
The Ammernlerche differs from the Rotschnabellerche in its longer and more wedge-shaped beak. The Rotschnabellerche also has a reddish bill and is also brownish on the top of the body. The finch lark also differs from the blackbird by having a slightly reddish beak. The falconry is almost completely white on the underside of the body and, unlike the blackjack, has slightly elongated crown feathers.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the Ammernlerche is the south of Namibia. However, it is missing here in the coastal region. It also occurs in the northwest of the Cape Province. It is a resident bird in its range.
The habitat are dry, stony areas in semi-deserts, which are only sparsely existed with low bushes.
Way of life
Outside the breeding season, the blackbird can be observed in groups of up to 25 individuals. During the breeding season, however, they can be found solitary or in pairs. It eats invertebrates such as butterfly larvae, small beetles and ants, and seeds from grass, knotweed and legumes.
The breeding season falls from July to September. Like all larks, the blackbird is a ground breeder. The clutch consists of one or two eggs. The nestlings are cared for by both parent birds.
literature
- Rudolf Pätzold : The larks of the world . Westarp Sciences, Magdeburg 1994, ISBN 3-89432-422-8 .
- Rudolf Pätzold: Compendium of Larks. All the larks on earth. Jan-Schimkat-Medienpublikation, Dresden 2003, ISBN 3-00-011219-7 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ a b Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 290.
- ↑ Bo Beolens: Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. Christopher Helm, London 2003.
- ↑ Spizocorys sclateri in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Accessed February 25 2017th
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 289.