Theklalerche

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Theklalerche
Theklalerche (Galerida theklae)

Theklalerche ( Galerida theklae )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Sylvioidea
Family : Larks (Alaudidae)
Genre : Galerida
Type : Theklalerche
Scientific name
Galerida theklae
( AE Brehm , 1857)
The species varies significantly, especially in North Africa: a bird from the north-eastern coastal region of Algeria (left), from the Atlas near Batna (center) and from the northern edge of the Sahara near Douz (right) is shown.

The Thekla Lark ( Galerida theklae ) is a bird art from the family of larks (Alaudidae), sufficient dissemination of Southwest Europe over large parts of North Africa. The species is also found in eastern Africa in Eritrea , Ethiopia , Somalia and northern Kenya . While the southwest European birds are very similar to the closely related crested lark, the populations on the northern edge of the Sahara are very light and sandy-colored.

The species was first described by Alfred Edmund Brehm and named in honor of his sister Thekla Brehm (1833-1857), who died early.

description

The Theklalerche is one of the medium-sized lark species and is well- sized as a sparrow with a body length of 15-17 cm . The weight is 30–40 g. It is relatively sturdy and has a noticeable hood. The wings are relatively short with a broad base. When folded, the hand wings can hardly be seen. The outer hand swing is greatly shortened. The control feathers are relatively short, the rear toe is clearly elongated at 9-14 mm. The sexes do not differ. In young birds, the hood is shorter, the top is spotted and the chest is less strongly dashed.

In adult birds of the nominate form , the apex and upper side are gray-brown with strong blackish dots, which are finer on the neck. The head drawing consists of a whitish over-eye stripe and a dark eye stripe, a light orbital ring and a dark-lined, whitish beard stripe . The beak is dark horn-colored with a slightly lightened base of the lower beak. The underside is whitish, with the sides of the chest and flanks clearly tinged with brown beige. On the lower throat, the chest and the sides of the chest, there is a dark spot that condenses into strong vertical stripes. The wings are dark olive-brown with fine beige to cinnamon-red hems. The axillary feathers and under wing coverts are greyish. The rump is almost unmarked gray-brown, the upper tail-coverts are tinted reddish. The central control feathers are olive-brown to gray, the following blackish and the outer reddish-brown. Feet and legs are brownish to yellowish-flesh-colored.

One can distinguish the Theklalerche from the partly quite similar crested lark by the shorter, less strongly bent beak and the somewhat shorter, less pointed hood. In addition, the dotted lines on the chest are usually stronger. In flight, the under wing-coverts are gray - not rust-brown as in the crested lark. However, the different habitat preferences often offer a good way of differentiating. The theklalerche also sits more often on bushes or small trees.

voice

The singing (audio sample), which is usually performed in flight or from a control room , is a somewhat dragging series of fluting, chirping and warbling sounds. It is similar to that of the crested lark, but is a little lovelier, softer and more variable. Often imitations of other species are built in. The fluting call (audio sample) usually consists of several syllables. It is more variable and energetic than that of the crested lark and is usually stressed on the last syllable.

Distribution, migrations and existence

In Europe , the Theklalerche occurs in Spain , Portugal as well as on the Balearic Islands and locally in south-east France . In addition, the area in North Africa extends along the northern edge of the Sahara from Western Sahara via Morocco , Algeria and Tunisia to western Libya and from there scattered to western Egypt . Further sub-areas can be found in the Horn of Africa , where the distribution extends from Eritrea southwards via Ethiopia to northern Kenya and further east includes large parts of eastern Ethiopia and Somalia. The nature is everywhere sedentary , locally it can but sometimes quite spacious Dismigrationen come.

The Theklalerche is not threatened and mostly common. In Africa, it is often one of the most common lark species within its range. The population on the Iberian Peninsula was estimated at 1.4–1.7 million breeding pairs in the early 1990s, of which about 94% were in Spain. The species is very common there, especially in the south, the population density decreases towards the north and west. The population in the south of France is very small with 10–100 pairs. Locally, stocks have declined due to irrigation and afforestation. There was a significant decline in the Las Amoladeras nature reserve near Almería after rabbits and foxes were stopped.

Geographic variation

The geographic variation is very pronounced in terms of plumage; it is less clear in terms of size and beak length. In the west of the area it is conspicuously clinically pronounced, from gray-brown birds on top in Spain to the sand-colored populations in the Sahara. Twelve subspecies are recognized. The subspecies G. th described for Eastern Morocco . aguirrei usually becomes G. th. ruficolor and in the subspecies G. th. deichleri are probably particularly faded birds of the subspecies G. th. carolinae .

  • G. th. theklae A. E. Brehm , 1857 - eastern and southern Portugal, Spain (with the Balearic Islands) and the extreme south of France (Roussillon).
  • G. th. Erlangeri Hartert , 1904 - northern Morocco
  • G. th. ruficolor Whitaker , 1898 - north-eastern and central Morocco, coastal regions of Algeria and northern Tunisia
  • G. th. theresae Meinertzhagen , 1939 - southwestern Morocco and western Sahara
  • G. th. superflua Hartert , 1897 - Plateau from Marrakech in northeastern Morocco (east of the Moulouya ) and northern Algeria (south to the Sahara Atlas ) east to Tunisia
  • G. th. carolinae Erlanger , 1897 - northern Sahara from the far east of Morocco (Figuig) eastward to north-east Libya, probably also the far north-west of Egypt (Salum).
  • G. th. praetermissa ( Blanford , 1869) - Highlands of Abyssinia from southern Eritrea south to central Ethiopia
  • G. th. huei Érard & de Naurois , 1973 - south-central Ethiopia (Bale Mountains, Oromia )
  • G. th. huriensis Benson , 1947 - southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya (Huri Hills south to Marsabit )
  • G. th. ellioti Hartert , 1897 - northern and central Somalia
  • G. th. harrarensis Érard & Jarry , 1973 - Eastern Ethiopia ( Harar , Jijiga )
  • G. th. mallablensis Colston , 1982 - Coasts of southern Somalia

The subspecies G. th. Erlangeri is darker than the nominate form and has the strongest dashed lines and a longer beak. G. th. ruficolor is a little lighter with reddish feather edges on the top and weaker dashed lines on the underside. The similar G. th. Theresae is even redder on the top and more finely dashed all over the body. G. th. superflua is lighter on the top to gray or sand-colored, more intense white on the underside and less clearly dashed on the top and chest. The small and very light form G. th. carolinae is light sand-colored to grayish on the upper side, with a pale pink tinge, very reduced dots and a largely white underside with a pale pink tint.

The East African forms G. th. praetermissa and G. th. huei are small and dark with strong dotted lines on top, yellowish-brown underside and relatively fine chest markings. At G. th. huei , the upper side is strongest and has blackish stinging. G. th. huriensis , on the other hand, is lighter on the top with a strong, striped hood, whiter throat and pink-tinged belly. The similar form G. th. ellioti is even lighter on the top and more reddish sand in color. G. th. harrarensis is again darker with broader dashes and a smaller beak. G. th. mallablensis is quite gray in color - it lacks the warm tones. The plumage on the upper side is brightly lined, the chest is very strongly dashed.

habitat

The Theklalerche inhabits hilly to rugged rocky landscapes with a large proportion of ungrown, mostly rocky subsoil or semi-arid pastures. The vegetation can be relatively high at 1–1.5 m; However, there must always be a sufficiently large proportion of short-grassed or ungrown areas. In the Mediterranean area, the species breeds in appropriate places in the bush steppe as well as in bush formations of different composition and can also be found in dry river beds with scattered oleander . Occasionally also be olive or almond tree groves or vineyards as habitat accepted, but corn fields shunned. In the south of the range it also lives in desert and semi-desert habitats as well as low-growing thorn bush savannah. In Kenya it is common in the lava desert. The altitude distribution is between 50 and 2200 m, but mostly below 1000 m. In the south it can still be found partly at an altitude of 3200 m.

nutrition

The Theklalerche feeds mainly on insects , other arthropods and seeds, and to a lesser extent on fresh plant components. While insects are mainly captured in spring, the proportion of seeds increases in summer, while seeds and saplings predominate from late summer to autumn. Nestlings are mainly fed with invertebrates such as grasshoppers , spiders , caterpillars, fishing rods and beetles .

The food is mostly looked for on the ground, whereby small stones are turned over. Outside the breeding season, small groups of up to 10, more rarely 20 individuals form. The Theklalerche sometimes socializes with other species such as stubby lark , Sahara-eared lark or crested lark. It is able to break open snail shells by hitting them against stones or rocks.

Reproduction

Eggs of the theklalerche

Theklalerchen lead a monogamous seasonal marriage, but foreign paternity has also been proven. There are generally one or two annual broods, sometimes even three in Spain. The breeding season is between February and June, with most broods occurring from May. In southern Somalia, eggs were also found in January and July.

The male occupies a territory and sings of waiting and in low singing flights, more rarely in high circling singing flights.

The nest is a hollow that is laid out on the ground under bushes or tufts of grass and lined with fine blades of grass, with the cup-shaped padding mostly protruding slightly over the edge of the hollow. The inside diameter is 8–9 cm. Both partners participate in the construction. The clutch consists of 3–5, more rarely up to 7 shiny eggs, which are yellowish, beige-brown or gray speckled to speckled on a whitish or light gray background, whereby the speckles can condense at the blunt pole. They are about 23 × 17 mm in size and are incubated by the female for about 12 days. The incubation begins with the last or penultimate egg. The young are fed by both parents and leave the nest after 9 days, but occasionally later if there are no problems with the nest. They are fully fledged at 15 days, but are often fed for some time.

The breeding success is often low and the losses are often between 80 and 90%.

literature

Web links

Commons : Theklalerche ( Galerida theklae )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

Unless otherwise stated, the information in the article comes from the Handbook of the Birds of the World ( see above ).

  1. ↑ AE Brehm: Preliminary compilation of the birds of Spain with critical use of the directories previously published by Spanish ornithologists , in Allgemeine Deutsche Naturhistorische Zeitung, NF 3, Issue 12, 1857, p. 456, ( digitized ), see in particular the footnote: in sororis dilectae defunctae memoriam appellata
  2. ↑ Viktor Wember: The names of the birds in Europe - meaning of the German and scientific names , Aula-Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2007, ISBN 3-89104-709-6 , p. 151
  3. ↑ Fernand DEROUSSEN: XC135572 · Theklalerche · Galerida theklae . xeno-canto.org. March 2012.
  4. ↑ Patrik Åberg: XC149048 · Theklalerche · Galerida theklae . xeno-canto.org. March 31, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h De Juana et al. (2004), see literature
  6. ↑ a b c d e C. Harrison, P. Castell, H. Hoerschelmann: Young birds, eggs and nests of birds in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East , Aula Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2004, ISBN 3-89104-685-5 , p 206/345