Rudd's Lark Heteromirafra ruddi Scientific name definitions

14–15 cm; 26–27 g. Peculiar lark with very short thin tail, extremely long hind claw, rather slender bill extending up forehead almost as “shield” (deep, unusually broad base); in erect stance, head appears large on a long, slender neck. Has pale median crownstripe, prominent pale supercilium , darker eyestripe, mottled buff-brown ear-coverts; large, dark eye prominent in otherwise rather plain face; crown and back feathers blackish-brown with buff fringes, contrasting with paler buffy-brown neck and mantle, which only lightly streaked darker; flight-feathers dark brown with rufous edges, tail with narrow white margins of outer feathers; cream below, diffuse brown streaks on buff-washed breast; eyes brown; bill pinkish-horn, slightly darker tip; legs pale pink. Distinguished from H. archeri by slightly smaller size, darker-looking upperparts (narrower pale fringes), bigger but more diffuse spots on breast; from H. sidamoensis by slightly smaller size, less rufous appearance, paler outer tail. Sexes alike. Juvenile has broader buff margins above, appearing more heavily scaled.

NE & E South Africa: C & S Mpumalanga to N KwaZulu-Natal, and extreme NE Eastern Cape & SW KwaZulu-Natal.

Moist montane grassland, at 1600–2200 m, in areas where annual rainfall predictably exceeds 600 mm. Usually found on ridges and slopes with short, dense grass but relatively low ground cover. Prefers natural grassland that is moderately to heavily grazed; avoids planted pastures and rocky areas.

Resident.

Caterpillars, grasshoppers (Acrididae), beetles (Coleoptera), other insects, also seeds. Feeds on ground, walking quickly for a few paces, then stopping and standing erect to survey area; gait recalls that of Chersomanes albofasciata, but perhaps more “leggy”, and centre of gravity farther forward. Forages singly, taking most prey from bases of grass tufts, or gleaning from leaves; not known to dig for food. Crouches when threatened, and scurries away through grass.

Male song, usually in aerial display, sporadically also from ground, a buzzy series of 3–8 (mean 6) whistles, trills and clicks, repeated every 5 seconds, each song motif repeated 10–20 times before switching to another motif, sometimes different motifs alternated with only few repeats of each; repertoire size not known but each motif created by reordering or omission of notes. Rapid series of 5–7 “peep” notes, 1 per 0·1 seconds, as alarm, usually near nest.

Breeds Nov–Feb. Monogamous; territorial, with adjacent nests at least 100 m apart. Displaying male circles 20–30 m over territory, or hangs motionless by fluttering slowly into wind, for protracted period, up to 40 minutes; before copulating, struts in front of female while holding a beakful of nesting material. Nest built by one of pair (probably female), which collects all material within radius of 10 m of site, in one case material delivered 10 times in 30 minutes; in scrape in ground between two grass tufts, made from old grass stems and leaves, lined with finer material, once including a piece of wool, well constructed, with thick roof and walls forming dome, often a short entrance tube; no regular pattern in nest orientation. Clutch 3 eggs, rarely 2, will re-lay several times following loss of clutch; incubation period not known, although eggs hatch within at least 14 days; chicks fed by both parents, fledging period unknown. Breeding success low, daily nest-failure rate 8–9%; most losses apparently due to predation.

ENDANGERED. Previously listed as Critically Endangered and Vulnerable. Restricted-range species: present in South African Grasslands EBA. Occurs as several isolated populations limited to grasslands; potential range 22,000 km², but actual range probably much smaller. Global population estimated at 2500–5000 individuals, the vast majority in Mpumulanga, E Free State and N KwaZulu-Natal; small, isolated populations occur near Matatiele (SW KwaZulu-Natal), Ncora Dam and Molteno (Eastern Cape). Even where present, it is very patchily distributed within seemingly suitable habitat; density reaches 1 singing male/ha; becomes hard to locate outside breeding season. This species’ population has been severely fragmented by agriculture and afforestation. Most individuals are found on privately owned land; only a few in the Verloren Vlei Nature Reserve. Analysis of data from consecutive Southern African Bird Atlas Projects suggest a possible range contraction of 40% between 1987–1992 and 2007–2014 BirdLife International (2018) Species factsheet: Heteromirafra ruddi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 14/01/2018. . The establishment of a Grassland Biosphere Reserve centred on Wakkerstroom, in Mpumulanga, would encompass a significant number of this species, but progress towards this goal has been slow. Conservation targets include research to facilitate an understanding of reasons for its patchy distribution, and the identification of beneficial land-management practices.