Malabar Lark
| Malabar Lark | ||||||||||||
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_Photograph_By_Shantanu_Kuveskar.jpg)
Malabar Lark |
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| Galerida malabarica | ||||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1786) |
The Malabarlerche ( Galerida malabarica ) is a kind from the family of larks. Their distribution area is in South Asia.
The IUCN classifies the population of the Malabar Lark as harmless ( least concern ).
features
The Malabar lark, which is about the size of a sparrow, is significantly smaller than a crested lark and has a pointed hood, but it corresponds to its habitus .
The Malabar Lark reaches a body length of about 15 centimeters, of which 4.6 to 5.2 centimeters are on the tail. The beak length is 1.6 to 1.8 centimeters measured from the skull. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The Malabar Lark has a reddish-brown body top with a strong blackish dash. Sand-colored or gray-brown tones are missing in her plumage. The chest is yellow-brown and heavily speckled. The sixth (outermost) control spring is light reddish. The upper beak is horn-brown, the lower beak a little lighter. The feet are flesh-colored, the iris is hazel brown.
Possible confusion
In the distribution area of the Malabar lark, both a subspecies of the crested lark , the Devalerche and the small skylark as well as the Jerdonlark occur.
From the crested lark subspecies Galerida cristata chendoola, the malabar lark differs in its smaller body size and darker plumage. Compared to the Devalerche, the Malabar Lark is larger, it has more intense stripes on the chest and a lighter underside of the body. The Malabar lark differs from the small skylark, which belongs to the genus Alauda , mainly in the presence of a crest.
Distribution area and habitat
The Malabar lark occurs on the Indian subcontinent. It settles here on a coastal strip in western India that extends from Gujarat to the southwestern tip of this subcontinent.
The habitat of the Malabar Lark are grasslands that are only sparsely covered with bushes, forest clearings and stony slopes. It is mainly found in those areas where it corresponds to the ground tone with its reddish-brown upper side of the body. The height distribution extends up to 2000 meters.
Way of life
The Malabar lark occurs outside of the breeding season in small groups of five to eight individuals. During the breeding season, however, the Malabar lark occupies a territory.
The singing is performed from the ground or during the singing flight. The Malabar Lark typically chooses a hill or the top of a bush to act as a stand guard during the ground song. While singing, the tail is slightly stilted, the wings drooping. Occasionally the lark flutters a few meters up.
The food consists of seeds. Some of them are pecked by the plants, but it also picks up fallen seeds from the ground and searches mown grain fields for grains. During the breeding season, the predominantly plant-based food is supplemented by insects. Ants, ground beetles and grasshoppers are particularly eaten.
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 .
