Rotschnabellerche

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Rotschnabellerche
Rotschnabellerche

Rotschnabellerche

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Sylvioidea
Family : Larks (Alaudidae)
Genre : Spizocorys
Type : Rotschnabellerche
Scientific name
Spizocorys conirostris
( Sundevall , 1850)
Distribution area of ​​the Rotschnabellerche

The Rotschnabellerche ( Spizocorys conirostris ) is a small species of the lark family with a finch-like beak. Their distribution area is the south of Africa. Several subspecies are distinguished.

The IUCN classifies the species as harmless.

For a long time it was assumed that the Red Schnabellerche and the Ammernlerche form a super species . Today, however, it is believed that it is more closely related to the falconry .

features

The Rotschnabellerche reaches a body length of about 12 to 13 centimeters, of which between 3.8 and 4.5 centimeters on the tail. The beak measures between 1.1 and 1.55 centimeters from the skull. There is no gender dimorphism .

Rotschnabellerchen are reddish-brown on the crown, neck, back neck, coat and back. The darker feather centers create a striped appearance. The upper tail-coverts are lighter, on them the strong stripes are missing. The sides of the neck are brown with darker dashes. The stripe above the eyes is whitish. A dark line runs from the base of the beak over the eye and delimits the brown ear covers. The eye ring is white. The chin and throat are white, the rest of the underside of the body is reddish yellow-brown. There are teardrop-shaped dark brown spots on the chest. The hand and arm wings are brown and lined with whitish to yellowish brown. The tail feathers are brown, the sixth (outermost) control spring has a yellow-brown outer flag, the fifth control spring is lined with yellow-brown on the outer flag.

The beak is conical and solid pink to yellowish brown. The iris is reddish to yellowish-brown.

Possible confusion

The Rotschnabellerche is very similar to the Fallow , Finch and Ammernlerche , all of which also belong to the genus Spizocorys .

The Ammernlerche differs from the Rotschnabellerche in its longer and more wedge-shaped beak. The Rotschnabellerche also has a reddish bill and is a bit brownish on the top of the body. Compared to the finch lark, the red beak has a thicker beak, and it lacks the dark tip. The Falblerche is almost completely white on the underside of the body and has slightly elongated crown feathers.

Distribution area and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the Rotschnabellerche is the interior of Namibia, the west of Zambia, the west of Botswana and parts of the South African Republic. The individual subspecies have the following distribution areas:

  • S. c. makawai (Traylor, 1962) - West of Zambia.
  • S. c. harti (Benson, 1964) - southwest of Zambia.
  • S. c. damarensis (Roberts, 1922) - north of Namibia and north-west of Botswana.
  • S. c. crypt (Irwin, 1957) - northeast of Botswana
  • S. c. barlowi (Roberts, 1942) - south of Namibia, south of Botswana and north cost of the South African Republic.
  • S. c. conirostris (Sundevall, 1850) - South African Republic and northwest Lesotho.

The habitat of the Rotschnabellerche is open grassland in the high steppes. It is also found in the tall grass of the Kalahari, as well as on stubble fields and roadsides.

Way of life

The Rotschnabellerche mainly eats seeds and also invertebrates. It finds its food on the ground. During the breeding season it lives solitary or in pairs. Outside the breeding season, it is also observed in small groups.

The breeding season falls mainly in the period November to January and is triggered by the summer rains. Like all larks, the Red Schnabellerche is a ground breeder. She builds a typical lark's nest that is not covered with grass. It is usually protected by a tuft of grass. The clutch consists of one to three eggs. These have a fresh full weight of around 1.8 grams. The eggs are greenish white with dense dark brown speckles. The female starts brooding after laying the first egg. The breeding season is about 12 days. The nestlings are fed by both parent birds. They leave the nest when they are around 10 days old, but are not yet able to fly at this point.

literature

Web links

Commons : Rotschnabellerche ( Spizocorys conirostris )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Single receipts

  1. ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 286.
  2. ↑ Spizocorys conirostris in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Accessed March 12, 2017th
  3. ↑ a b c d Handbook of the Birds of the World zur Rotschnabellerche , accessed on March 11, 2017
  4. ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 283.
  5. ↑ a b Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 284.
  6. ↑ a b Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 285.