Hovalerche
| Hovalerche | ||||||||||||
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Hovalerche, Madagascar |
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| Eremopterix hova | ||||||||||||
| ( Hartlaub , 1860) |
The Hovalerche ( Eremopterix hova , Syn .: Mirafra hova ) is a species from the lark family. It occurs exclusively in Madagascar and is the only member of the lark family there. No subspecies are distinguished.
The population of the Hovalerche was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
features
The Hovalerche reaches a body length of about 14.5 centimeters, of which 4.6 centimeters are on the tail. The beak length is 1.1 to 1.2 centimeters. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The Hovalerche has yellow-brown head sides with a brown mottling. A conspicuous cream-colored over-eye stripe runs above the eye. The chin and throat are white, the lower part of the throat is spotted blackish. The underside of the body is yellow-brown with brown speckles. The feathers on the upper side of the body have broad, dark feathers that are speckled with light reddish brown. The wings are more intense red than the dorsal plumage. The tail is black-brown. The upper beak is dark horn-colored, the lower beak a little lighter. The iris is brown, the feet and legs are reddish gray.
Distribution area and habitat
The Hovalerche occurs exclusively in Madagascar and is widespread across the island. Their habitat is open terrain, they are particularly common in the dry savannah in the west and the thorn savannah in the south of the island. It is less common in the humid savannah in the east of the island. It is also more common in parts of the central plateau, provided that there is almost no vegetation.
Way of life
The Hovalerche is a resident bird . It shows a similar singing flight as it is known from European larks: it ascends singing, then circles for a while and then drops to the ground, where it shows a flutter flight shortly before landing on the ground.
Like all larks, it is a ground breeder that builds a bowl-shaped nest. The clutch usually consists of four to six eggs. The eggs are beige to light grayish and have brownish or reddish spots.
Systematics
The Hovalerche was originally assigned to the genus Mirafra . It has only been generally accepted since 2014 that it belongs to the genus Eremopterix .
literature
- Rudolf Pätzold: The larks of the world . Westarp Sciences, Magdeburg 1994, ISBN 3-89432-422-8 .
Web links
- Eremopterix hova inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- Song of the Hovalerche on Xeno-Canto
Single receipts
- ↑ a b Pätzold: The larks of the world . P. 38.
- ↑ a b c Pätzold: The larks of the world . P. 40.
- ↑ Eremopterix hova in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ↑ a b Pätzold: The larks of the world . P. 39.
- ↑ Taxonomy 4.1 to 4.4 “IOC World Bird List .