Sun lark
| Sun lark | ||||||||||||
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Sun lark |
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| Galerida modesta | ||||||||||||
| Heuglin , 1864 |
The sun lark ( Galerida modesta ) is a species from the lark family. Their distribution area is in Africa. It resembles a crested lark in its habitus , but is slightly smaller.
The IUCN classifies the stock situation of the sun lark as harmless ( least concern ).
features
The sun lark reaches a body length of about 12.5 to 15 centimeters, of which 4.2 to 5 centimeters are on the tail. The beak length measured from the skull is 1.15 to 1.35 centimeters. It weighs about 21 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism .
The top of the body of the sun lark is sand-colored to dark reddish and has strong black-brown markings. The stripe above the eyes is whitish to sand-colored. The cheeks and ear covers are yellow-brownish. The underside of the body is yellowish-brown, the breast has a light shade of red and has a strong black-brown dashed line. The arm and hand wings are dark brown with reddish borders. The tail is blackish brown with light reddish outer flags.
Possible confusion
In the distribution area of the sun lark there is also the tree rattle lark , the individual subspecies of which vary greatly in plumage. The sun lark differs from the tree rattle lark by its less reddish body underside.
Distribution area and habitat
The sun lark occurs in a broad band between 8 ° and 15 ° N. Their distribution area includes Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, the south of Sudan, the north of the DR Congo and the extreme northwest from Uganda. It is basically a resident bird, but some populations roam widely.
The habitat of the sun lark are stony areas in semi-deserts and open savannas. Occasionally, it can also be seen on cultivated land such as airfields or roads.
Way of life
The food of the sun lark consists mainly of seeds. The sun lark occurs outside of the breeding season in small groups of three to six individuals. During the breeding season, however, the sun lark occupies a territory and can then only be observed individually or in pairs.
The singing is performed from the ground or during the singing flight. The sun lark typically chooses an anthill or rock ledge as a stand guard during the ground song. The floor chant is fast and poor in melody, lasts one to two seconds and is repeated after a few seconds. The singing performed while singing, on the other hand, consists of melodic, creaky and squeaky sounds. The sun lark imitates the voices of other songbird species in its song. For example, she imitates the singing of the Graubülbül and the red swallow .
Like all species of lark, the sun lark is a ground breeder. She builds a typical lark's nest under the protection of tufts of grass or stones. The nest is laid out with grasses and roots. The clutch contains up to four eggs.
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 .