Single lark
| Single lark | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Eremalauda | ||||||||||||
| WL Sclater , 1926 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Eremalauda dunni | ||||||||||||
| ( Shelley , 1904) |
The single lark ( Eremalauda dunni ) is a species from the lark family. Their distribution area is in Africa and the Middle East. It is the only recent representative of its genus. There are two subspecies.
The IUCN classifies the population of the single lark as harmless ( least concern ).
features
The single lark reaches a body length of about 14 centimeters, of which 5.0 to 5.5 centimeters are on the tail. The beak length measured from the skull is 1.38 to 1.58 centimeters. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The solitary lark has a sand-colored top of the body with red-brown dots. The comparatively wide dark circles on the face stand out, from which a whitish line runs towards the neck. The cheeks and ear covers are light sand-colored. The underside of the body is whitish to creamy white and hardly streaked on the chest. The hand and arm wings are reddish brown with cinnamon-colored outer flags. The middle control spring is sand-colored like the back, the adjoining second control springs are blackish with cinnamon-colored areas, the control springs 3 to 5 are black with narrow reddish-yellow lines. The outermost pair of control springs is black with a yellowish-brown outer flag. The beak is yellowish white and becomes darker towards the tip. The iris is brown.
Possible confusion
In countries with Einödlerche both coming sand lark , the rust lark that Kordofanlerche and the Desert Lark ago.
The single lark differs from the cordofanlark in the lack of white in the tail plumage. The rust lark is darker on the underside of the body and has more dense dotted lines. Compared to the sand and stone lark, the single lark has a larger head, a thicker beak is more marked on the face by the white circles under the eyes.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the single lark is disjoint , but in Africa and Arabia it is generally between the 15th and 20th parallel north. It occurs in Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Yemen, Oman, as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The habitat of the lark are sparse grasslands in wadis and on the edge of deserts. Occasionally it occurs in open bushland. She is a resident .
Way of life
With its plumage colors, the lark is strongly adapted to its habitat and as long as it does not fly up and is on the ground, it is difficult to make out. The diet consists of seeds, whereby millet plays a special role. In addition, the lark eats small insects.
There are different statements about the singing flight of the male. Both singing flights are described, in which the male climbs six to 10 meters against the wind and lands again after about two minutes. However, longer singing flights are also described, in which the male stays at a height of about 50 meters above the ground and only lands after four to five minutes.
Like all larks, the single lark is also a ground breeder, but the reproductive biology of the species has not yet been conclusively investigated.
Subspecies
There are two known subspecies:
- Eremalauda dunni dunni ( Shelley , 1904) occurs from Mauritania to Central Sudan .
- Eremalauda dunni eremodites ( Meinertzhagen, R , 1923) is distributed from Syria via Jordan and Saudi Arabia to Oman .
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 .
