Oranjelerche
| Oranjelerche | ||||||||||||
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Oranjelerche ( Calendulauda burra ) in South Africa |
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| Calendulauda burra | ||||||||||||
| ( Bangs , 1930) |
The oranjelerche ( Calendulauda burra ) is a species of bird of the genus Calendulauda in the family of the larks (Alaudidae) and is widespread in the south of the African continent .
About the size of a skylark , it has a long tail and a compact beak. No subspecies are distinguished. Together with the Barlow Lark , the Karool Lark and the Red Dune Lark , it forms a super species .
The stock situation of the Oranjelerche is classified as endangered ( least concern ). The reason for the classification is a loss of suitable habitat, so that today it only occurs on about 1000 square kilometers.
features
The Oranjelerche reaches a body length of about 19 centimeters, of which 6.6 to 8.8 centimeters are on the tail. The beak measures between 1.5 and 1.72 centimeters measured from the skull. Orange peas weigh between 25 and 36 grams. There is no noticeable sexual dimorphism , but males are slightly larger than females. Rudolf Pätzold also points out that the females tend to be a bit more gray-red than the males.
The Oranjelerche is reddish-brown in color on the upper side of the body and has hardly any dashed lines. The coat is slightly darker than the back. The face shows a striking pattern: the white stripe above the eyes begins at the base of the upper beak and runs first towards the neck, then around the ear covers and cheeks back to the base of the lower beak . The reins, as well as a cheek and a chin stripe are brown-black, the beard stripe is white. The cheeks and the ear covers are brown. The chin and throat are whitish. The breast is conspicuously dark brown and wedge-shaped spotted on a whitish background. The rest of the underside of the body is whitish.
The hand and arm wings are dark brown and have red-brown hems. The tail plumage is predominantly black-brown, from which the middle pair of control feathers is distinguished by its red-brown color. The sixth (outermost) control spring is lined with reddish brown on the outer vane. The beak is dark horn-colored, the iris is brown.
Possible confusion
The Oranjelerche is similar to the Karoolerche ( Calendulauda albescens ), which has a similar pattern on the chest. However, the top of the body is gray-brown with a more pronounced dash.
Distribution area of the individual subspecies and habitat
The Oranjelerche has a comparatively small distribution area. It occurs only in the northwest of the South African Cape Province .
The Oranjelerche habitat is made up of sand dunes and sparse slate soils. The Kalahari belongs to the distribution area .
Way of life
The oranjelerche mainly eats insects and, to a lesser extent, seeds. The invertebrates that are eaten include termites, butterfly larvae, weevils, other beetles and their larvae, grasshoppers and ants. It also eats the fruits of wolfberry species . She looks for her food exclusively on the ground. Frightened oranges fly briefly and look for the next red sand area near the bush, where the plumage color offers protection from discovery. During the hottest part of the day, they seek shelter from bushes and trees. The male sings from a stand guard, but also shows the singing flight typical of many species of lark. It rises 15 to 20 meters with its tail spread fan-shaped and depressed.
Orange peas can brood all year round. For birds that live in the west of the range, however, the main breeding season falls in the period from August to October and for birds that occur in the east in the period from March to May. Like all larks, the oranjelerche is a ground breeder. The nest is made of grass. The clutch consists of two to three eggs. Both parent birds feed the nestlings with grasshoppers and other insects.
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 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Handbook of the Birds of the World zur Oranjelerche , accessed on March 26, 2017
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks. P. 202.
- ↑ IUCN zur Oranjelerche , accessed on March 26, 2017
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks. P. 200.
- ↑ a b c Pätzold: Compendium of Larks. P. 201.
