| Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark | |
|---|---|
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| male | |
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| female both in Senegal | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Alaudidae |
| Genus: | Eremopterix |
| Species: | E. leucotis |
| Binomial name | |
| Eremopterix leucotis (Stanley, 1814) | |
| Subspecies | |
See text | |
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| Synonyms | |
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The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark (Eremopterix leucotis) is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark was originally placed in the genus Loxia . [2] It was later moved to the Lark family Alaudidae under the genus Eremopterix which includes all other sparrow-lark species. Alternate names for this species include: chestnut-backed finch-lark and white-cheeked sparrow-lark.
Five subspecies are recognized: [3]
This is a small lark at 11 cm. The male is striking, with solid black underparts and head apart from brilliant white patches on the nape and behind the eyes. The upperparts and wings are chestnut with some dark streaking. The thick bill is grey.
The female chestnut-backed sparrow-lark is a drabber bird with heavily streaked buff-white underparts and head, and a white nape collar. The upperparts are chestnut with mottling. Young birds are like the female.
This lark is a bird of open dry habitats such as open grassland and arid savanna, preferring recently burned turf, open fields, and gravel plains. They shuffle along in bare patches foraging for seeds and insects. They are both resident and nomadic, although movements are poorly understood. It is often found in mixed flocks with chestnut-headed sparrow-lark where their ranges overlap in NE Africa.
Geographic range:
•Eremopterix leucotis: South Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, and northwestern Somalia
It nests on the ground and lays one egg. Its food is insects and seeds.
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Fischer's sparrow-lark or Fischer's finch-lark is a species of passerine bird in the family Alaudidae. It is found from central Kenya to eastern Zambia, Malawi and north-western Mozambique. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
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The chestnut-headed sparrow-lark or chestnut-headed finch-lark is a species of passerine bird in the family Alaudidae. It is found in eastern and north-eastern Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, and hot deserts.
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 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.
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The African hobby is a small species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae.
The little spotted woodpecker or green-backed woodpecker, is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is native to large parts of tropical central Africa. It has an extensive range and is an uncommon species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Blanford's lark or Blanford's short-toed lark is a small passerine bird of the lark family, Alaudidae, which is native to north-eastern Africa. Its common name commemorates the English zoologist William Thomas Blanford.
