White-fronted Lark
| White-fronted Lark | ||||||||||||
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White-fronted Lark, male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Eremopterix nigriceps | ||||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1839) |
The white- fronted lark ( Eremopterix nigriceps ) is a species from the lark family. It is a very small, finch-like lark with a thick, short beak. It is about 35 percent smaller than a skylark . Their distribution area extends from Africa to the Indian suburbs. There are four subspecies. The IUCN classifies the white-fronted lark as harmless ( least concern ).
Position in the genus Eremopterix
The position of the white-fronted lark within the genus Eremopterix has not yet been clarified. Some authors think it is conceivable that the white-headed lark forms a super species with the nun lark , the harlequin lark and the brown-side lark . Other authors believe that the white-headed lark is most closely related to the gray- headed lark .
features
The white-fronted lark reaches a body length of about 10 to 12 centimeters, of which 4 to 4.8 centimeters are on the tail. The beak measures 1.24 to 1.36 centimeters measured from the skull. It weighs around 12 to 16 grams. There is a pronounced gender dimorphism .
In the male, the forehead, neck, back neck, cheeks, ear covers, front neck, and sides of the neck are white. A black band runs from the chin and the base of the beak over the eyes to the vertex, which is also black. The upper side of the body is otherwise brownish gray, the edges of the individual feathers are each a little lighter. The upper tail-coverts are yellow-brown. The underside of the body is black except for a white spot on each side of the chest. The arm and hand wings are dark brown with narrow yellow-brown hems. The tail plumage is blackish brown, while the middle pair of control feathers is lined with whitish to grayish brown. The sixth (outermost) control spring has a wide yellow-brown border. The beak is horn-colored, the iris is brown.
The female has a reddish-cinnamon-colored head, which appears dashed through the dark pen shafts. The eye ring is yellow-brown, the stripe above the eye is almost invisible. The rest of the top of the body is yellow-brown. The underside of the body is light yellow-brown. Individual individuals occasionally have a gray to blackish spot on their chin, neck or lower abdomen. The hand and arm wings are gray-brown and have reddish-cinnamon-colored hems.
Young birds initially resemble the adult female.
Distribution area of the subspecies and habitat
There are four subspecies:
- E. n. Nigriceps - ( Gould , 1839) : nominate form . Occurrence on the Cape Verde Islands .
- E. n. Albifrons - ( Sundevall , 1850) : Occurrence from Mauritania and Senegal to Sudan .
- E. n. Melanauchen - ( Cabanis , 1851) : Occurrence from eastern Sudan to Somalia , the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra .
- E. n. Affinis - (Blyth, 1867) : Occurrence from southeast Iran to Pakistan and northwest India .
The white-fronted lark is a standing and line bird . Outside the breeding season, the species nomadizes in its range. This can lead to considerable migration. The white-fronted lark has already been identified as a random visitor in Israel and Algeria .
The habitat of the white-fronted lark are semi-deserts, savannas and steppes. It occurs particularly frequently on sandy soils and prefers regions with a population of millet and aristidae .
Way of life
The white-fronted lark mainly eats grass seeds, other seeds and, to a lesser extent, insects such as grasshoppers and beetles. The white-fronted lark finds its food exclusively on the ground. During the day, the white-fronted lark is mostly in the shade of bushes.
The male's singing flight is very noticeable: it rises steeply until it has reached a height of six to ten meters above the ground. It can then float down like a parachute, this hovering flight is interrupted by a butterfly-like flutter with wings held over the back.
The white-fronted lark is an opportunistic breeding bird that usually breeds after the rains. Like all larks, the white-fronted lark is a ground breeder. The nest is typical of a lark and is created under the protection of a tuft of grass or stones. The nest bowl is covered with grass, hair and feathers. The nest is built exclusively by the female. The clutch usually comprises two, only in exceptional cases three eggs. The eggs have a fresh full weight of 1.88 grams. Both parent birds are involved in the brood, but it is predominantly the female that breeds. The nestlings usually leave the nest after their eighth day of life.
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 .
