Sabotalerche
| Sabotalerche | ||||||||||||
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Sabotalerche |
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| Calendulauda sabota | ||||||||||||
| ( Smith , 1836) |
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The Sabotalerche ( Calendulauda sabota ) is a species from the lark family. It is a common in the south of the African continent Art. It is significantly smaller than a skylark and reminds the habit of a lark . There are several subspecies.
The stock situation of the Sabotalerche is classified as harmless ( least concern ). It was assigned to the genus Mirafra , but genetic studies have confirmed its assignment to the genus Calendulauda .
features
The Sabotalerche reaches a body length of 14 to 15 centimeters, of which 4.1 to 4.6 centimeters are on the tail. The beak measures between 1.4 and 1.66 centimeters measured from the skull. Sabo larks weigh between 21 and 31 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The vertex and the top of the body of the Sabotalerch are brown with a distinct blackish dash. While the crown feathers are lined with yellow and brown, the feathers on the coat and back have a reddish border. The whitish stripe above the eyes is very pronounced and extends almost to the nape of the neck, giving the impression of a cap. A dark line runs from the base of the beak over the eye. The cheeks and ear covers are light brown. The chin and throat are white, the front neck and the sides of the neck are yellowish brown with a slightly darker stripe. The breast is light reddish-brown with more distinct dark brown dots. The rest of the underside of the body is pale yellow-brown to white. The hand and arm wings are dark brown with narrow yellow-brown hems. The tail feathers are ocher-colored, the middle pair of control feathers is broadly lined with yellowish-brown, the sixth (outermost) control spring has a yellow-brown outer flag. The beak is dark horn-colored. The iris is brown.
Possible confusion
The steppe lark , with which it can be confused in field observations, occurs in the distribution area of the Sabotalerche . The steppe lark, however, has a white component in the outermost (sixth) control feather, which is not found in the sabotalerche. In addition, the over-eye stripe in the Sabotalerche is much more noticeable.
singing
The Sabotalerche is one of the larks with a pronounced mocking ability and imitates numerous other bird species with its song. Up to 60 different bird species were counted. In a study in the Kalahari among others were double belt Rennvogel ( Rhinoptilus africanus ), the Zirplerche , the Drosselschnäpper ( Melaenornis infuscatus ), the rust tail ( Cercomela family ), the mustache ( Sporopipes squamifrons ) and the Cape Sparrow detected. In western Namibia the imitation was Langschnabel Lerche , the Bleichschnäppers ( Cercomela Schlegel ) and the Pale wing Stars ( Onychognatus napouroup ) detected.
Distribution area and habitat
The Sabotalerche occurs from the coast of western Angola to the south of Angola. Their distribution area also includes the north of Namibia, Botswana, the south of Zimbabwe and the south of Mozambique as well as the south of the South African Republic.
The Sabotalerche occurs in savannah areas that have clay or sandy soils. It can also be found on stony slopes and on bank areas lined with thorn bushes.
Distribution area of the individual subspecies
There are nine subspecies:
- C. s. plebeja - ( Cabanis , 1875) : Originally described as a separate species in the genus Alauda , this subspecies occurs in the extreme northwest of Angola ( Cabinda province ).
- C. s. ansorgei - ( Sclater, WL , 1926) : Occurrence in western Angola
- C. s. naevia - ( Strickland , 1853) : Western Namibia. Occasionally used together with C. s. bradfieldi and C. s. herero treated as a separate species.
- C. s. waibeli - ( Grote , 1922) : Occurrence in the north of Namibia and Botswana
- C. s. herero - ( Roberts , 1936) : Occurrence in the south and east of Namibia and in the north-west of the South African Republic. * C. s. sabota - ( Smith , 1836) : Occurrence in the east of Botswana, in the central area of Zimbabwe and in the northeast of the South African Republic.
- C. s. sabotoides - (Roberts, 1932) : Occurrence in the central area and in the south of Botswana, in the west of Zimbabwe and in the north of the South African Republic.
- C. s. suffusca - ( Clancey , 1958) : Occurrence in the southeast of Zimbabwe, in the south of Mozambique and in the east of the South African Republic.
- C. s. bradfieldi - (Roberts, 1928) : Occurrence in the central area of the South African Republic.
Way of life
The Sabo lark eats a wide range of insects, including caterpillars, grasshoppers and termites. Ants play a lesser role. She has not yet been observed at water points; she probably covers her fluid requirements with dew drops. She lives solitary or in pairs.
Like all larks, the Sabotalerche is a ground breeder. The nest is a bowl made of dry grass, which is usually built at the foot of low vegetation. In places where the nest is shaded by little vegetation, grasses are built in by the Sabotalerche in such a way that they arch over the nest. The clutch consists of two to four eggs. The fresh full weight is 2.47 grams.
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 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 121.
- ↑ a b c d Handbook of the Birds of the World zur Sabotalerche , accessed on March 23, 2017
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 117.
- ^ Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 118.
- ↑ a b Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 119.
- ↑ a b Pätzold: Compendium of Larks . P. 120.
- ^ IOC World Bird List 6.4 . In: IOC World Bird List Datasets . September. doi : 10.14344 / ioc.ml.6.4 .