Barlow Lark
| Barlow Lark | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Calendulauda barlowi | ||||||||||||
| ( Roberts , 1937) |
The Barlow Lark ( Calendulauda barlowi ), also spelled Barlow Lark , is a species of the lark family. It is a species that is widespread in the south of the African continent. It is about the size of a skylark , but has a significantly longer beak. It was originally considered a subspecies of the Karoolerche or the Zirplerche , but is now considered an independent species based on genetic data. There are several subspecies.
The population situation of the Barlow Lark is classified as safe ( least concern ). Together with the Orange Lark , the Karool Lark and the Red Dune Lark , it forms a super species .
features
The Barlow Lark reaches a body length of about 18 centimeters. Males are slightly larger than the females, but have a significantly longer beak. Barlow larks weigh between 25 and 36 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The body color differs depending on the subspecies. The nominate form is light gray-brown on the upper side of the body and has only a small amount of dashed lines. The underside of the body is light gray-brown with a whitish belly. The chest is finely dashed in brown. In the cave lark (Certhilauda barlowi cavei), the top of the body is cinnamon brown, but also without any noticeable stripes. Common to all subspecies is the light stripe above the eye and the dark line that runs from the base of the beak over the eye.
Distribution area of the individual subspecies and habitat
There are three subspecies:
- C. b. barlowi ( Roberts , 1937) : The occurrence ranges from the Koigab to the Aus settlement in southwestern Namibia.
- C. b. patae ( Macdonald , 1953) : Occurrence from the coastal area in the southwest of Namibia to the northwest of South Africa.
- Cave-Lerche , C. b. cavei (Macdonald, 1953) : Occurrence in the south of Namibia. It occurs there from Witputz to the Orange River. In the South African Republic it occurs in the Cape Province.
The habitat of the Barlow Lark are sandy plains with small bushes and sand dunes overgrown with grass.
Way of life
The habits of the Barlow lark have not yet been conclusively investigated.
It mainly eats insects and seeds. It finds its food on the ground, where it digs in the sand with its beak or picks food from the sandy surface or from the vegetation. Little is known about reproduction so far. Nests with eggs were found in October and the males' courtship flights were mainly observed in the period from August to November. Similar to the Karool lark, the Barlow lark does not breed every year.
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 c d e Handbook of the Birds of the World on the Barlow Lark , accessed on March 26, 2017
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 145.
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 141.
- ^ IOC World Bird List 6.4 . In: IOC World Bird List Datasets . September. doi : 10.14344 / ioc.ml.6.4 .