Eastern clapper lark | |
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M. f. subsp. fasciolata at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Alaudidae |
Genus: | Mirafra |
Species: | M. fasciolata |
Binomial name | |
Mirafra fasciolata (Sundevall, 1850) | |
Subspecies | |
See text | |
resident range | |
Synonyms | |
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The eastern clapper lark (Mirafra fasciolata) is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It derives its name from the wing clapping which forms part of its display flight.
The Eastern clapper lark was originally placed in the genus Alauda . This species and the Cape clapper lark were formerly considered conspecific as the clapper lark (M. apiata) until split in 2009. [2] The Eastern clapper lark and the Cape clapper lark are regarded as forming a superspecies with the flappet lark, which is found further to the north. [3] Damara clapper lark is an alternate name for the Cape clapper lark.
Five subspecies are recognized: [4]
This lark is a 15-cm-long bird, with a brown crown, rich rufous underparts, and a strong bill. It has brown upperparts (greyer in the north of its range). Its call is an ascending "pooooeeeee".
The eastern clapper lark is found in much of the drier parts of southern Africa in Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. It is a species of open grassland and savannah.
The eastern clapper lark is a skulking species, difficult to find when not displaying. It is not gregarious, and individuals tend to be seen in dry habitats feeding on the ground on seeds and insects. The display commences with an ascending flight with wing flapping. It then parachutes down with trailing legs.
The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
The Cape clapper lark is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It derives its name from the wing clapping which forms part of the display flight. The Cape clapper lark is a species of open grassland and savannah, also inhabiting karoo, fynbos and fallow agricultural land.
The red-capped lark is a small passerine bird that breeds in the highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland. In the south, its range stretches across the continent to Angola and south to the Cape in South Africa.
The red-winged lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in eastern Africa.
The monotonous lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa.
The flappet lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae, widespread across Sub-Saharan Africa. The name flappet originates from the distinctive wing flapping sound made during its breeding season.
The sabota lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Africa in its natural habitats of dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is generally sedentary but local movements occur in drier regions. The species name is derived from sebotha or sebothé, the Tswana generic name for a lark.
The dusky lark, also known as the dusky bush lark or rufous-rumped bush lark, is a species of migratory lark in the family Alaudidae. It is native to the southern Afrotropics.
The pink-billed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
The spike-heeled lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Africa.
The grey-backed sparrow-lark or grey-backed finch-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern and south-central Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Sometimes, the name 'grey-backed sparrow-lark' is also used to describe the black-eared sparrow-lark.
The sun lark or Nigerian sun lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. Its range extends mainly across the Sudan region, from Guinea to South Sudan. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
The rufous-naped lark or rufous-naped bush lark is a widespread and conspicuous species of lark in the lightly wooded grasslands, open savannas and farmlands of the Afrotropics. Males attract attention to themselves by a bold and often repeated wing-fluttering display from a prominent perch, which is accompanied by a melodious and far-carrying whistled phrase. This rudimentary display has been proposed as the precursor to the wing-clapping displays of other bush lark species. They have consistently rufous outer wings and a short erectile crest, but the remaining plumage hues and markings are individually and geographically variable. It has a straight lower, and longish, curved upper mandible.
The fawn-coloured lark or fawn-coloured bush-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in south-central Africa.
The foxy lark or Abyssinian lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in east-central Africa.
The Angola lark or Angola bushlark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern and central Africa.
The buffy pipit is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family. It is found in plains and open countryside in southern and eastern Africa. The IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern.
The black-collared barbet is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Indigenous names include Rooikophoutkapper in Afrikaans, isiKhulukhulu and isiQonQotho in Zulu, and Isinagogo in Xhosa.
Michael Patrick Stuart Irwin was a British-Rhodesian ornithologist.