Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea Scientific name definitions

14–15 cm; 20–26 g. Medium-sized lark with short, rather weak bill , adult  with distinctive brick-red crown  and breast-side patch, crown feathers sometimes raised to form prominent short crest  ; wing shape rather distinctive, with elongate outer primaries and inner secondaries and tertials. Nominate race has white supercilium contrasting with crown, plain brown or buffy face , slightly darker on ear-coverts; upperparts  brown with slightly darker feather centres, rump rufous; flight-feathers and tail dark brown with paler buff-brown margins, outer primary and outer tail feathers with buffish-white outer webs, central tail with broad buffy margins (in flight, dark tail and flight-feathers contrast with paler wing-coverts and back); throat, partial collar beneath ear-coverts and underparts whitish, red patch on breast side, flanks variably washed buffy; eyes brown; bill blackish, with paler base; legs flesh-brown to dark brown. Easily distinguished from other larks by entirely red pectoral patches. Sexes alike. Juvenile is darker than adult, back and crown feathers with broad whitish margins and blackish-brown subterminal bars (appearing spotted or scaled above), breast diffusely spotted dark brown, pectoral patches mottled blackish, bill paler. Races  differ mostly in upperpart coloration , varying from rather pale sandy-brown or grey-brown to warmer rufous-brown (paler and plainer in more arid areas): e.g. <em>spleniata</em> is much paler, pale yellow-sandy, and only lightly streaked; millardi is more whitish-grey above; fulvida is generally darker; <em>saturatior</em> is distinctly brighter, more rufous; <em>williamsi</em> is greyer overall, crown and breast patches duller rufous, upperparts darker and more heavily streaked than nominate.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Open grassland and bare ground, including recently harvested or ploughed fields, and edges of wetlands; common in short saltmarsh vegetation at coastal lagoons. Often nests in areas of poorly drained, clayey soils, frequently around wetland margins. In montane grasslands of E South Africa occurs at significantly higher densities on annually burned fields  , and slightly more abundant in heavily grazed grasslands; often moves into burned areas immediately after a fire. Mainly short grassland in E Africa, to 3000 m. Frequently encountered on roads and road margins, especially after rain. Apparently flies to bare areas after sunset to roost.

Poorly understood. Some populations resident; others move extensively, usually in response to local conditions, and some apparently undertake regular migrations. Race saturatior is a dry-season (Jul–Oct) breeding visitor to Zambia and Malawi; unclear where this population goes at other times, but may migrate N, perhaps even crossing the equator. Vagrants recorded in N Gabon and PRCongo.

Seeds, insects and snails. Stomach contents mostly seeds of grasses and sedges; relatively few insects, e.g. caterpillars, bugs (Hemiptera), grasshoppers (Acrididae), beetles (Coleoptera) and wasps (Hymenoptera), and only Margarodes scale insects (which feed on roots but emerge after rains) were frequent. In contrast, only 2% of seeds consumed in the Karoo were of grasses. Takes winged termites (Isoptera) at emergences; also larvae of flies (Diptera) and beetles. Stomachs often contain grit, apparently to aid digestion. Identifiable prey items fed to chicks were invariably insects, including caterpillars and moths (Lepidoptera), grasshoppers, mantids, beetles, fly larvae, ants and termites; roughly half of food brought to chicks is collected outside territory. Forages on ground, singly or in groups, sometimes large flocks outside breeding season. Searches ground for items; often forages in areas with plentiful game, breaking open dung with the bill to obtain larvae. Occasionally undertakes brief aerial pursuits after flying moths or termites. In arid areas, regularly visits water to drink.

Male song, in flight, a series of simple, rather unmelodic whistles and short trills, may include mimicry of other birds’ songs; also subsong with mimicry while foraging on ground, one bird recorded as mimicking in 5-minute period elements from 11 other species, including canaries (Serinus) and other finches, sparrows (Passer), barbets (Capitonidae), shrikes (Laniidae), weavers (Ploceidae) and starlings (Sturnidae). Loud, sparrow-like “chwerp”  often uttered in flight or when flushed.

Associated with rains or just before onset of rains (possibly to avoid nest flooding in poorly drained soils) in most areas, although after rains (Sept–Oct) in SW South Africa; peak in Aug–Oct in E South Africa, extending through to May in NW South Africa and Namibia; Aug–Sept in Zimbabwe and Zambia; Jul–Aug in Tanzania, and Mar–May and Nov–Dec in rest of E Africa; at least some pairs double-brooded, in one case laying in newly built nest 21 days after brood had left first nest. Monogamous and territorial; breeds singly, but often at high densities, inter-nest distance usually at least 50 m, sometimes only 20–25 m. Male vigorously proclaims territory with undulating aerial display like that of a pipit (Anthus), rising steeply up to 50 m from ground, then alternately fluttering and diving, singing almost continuously, for up to 10 minutes; sometimes resorts to fights on ground, with threat displays including crouched posture with fanned tail and raised, quivering wings; occasionally chases other species away from nest-site. Nest built mainly by female, in 4–5 days, an open cup, lined with grass and other vegetation, in shallow hollow on ground, usually at base of a shrub or grass tuft, often with “apron” of coarse material (soil, dung, pebbles) on exposed side; in hot, arid areas nests situated predominantly on E or SE side of sheltering vegetation, apparently for shading from afternoon sun. Clutch 2–3 eggs, rarely 4 (mean 2·2), laid one per day; incubation by female alone, fed on nest by male, period lasts 12–15 days; hatching synchronous, suggesting that incubation starts with final egg, parents remove eggshell fragments after hatching; chicks cared for by both parents, female probably doing majority of brooding and provisioning, brooded for up to 7 days, shaded on hot, still days by parent standing over them; during middle of day chicks fed 2–23 times (average 8 times) per hour, average hourly rate of feeds increased with brood size, 4·4 for single-chick nests, 10·8 for two chicks and 13 for three chicks; male tends to make fewer visits but delivers more food on each visit; parents remove faecal pellets from nest rim; adults occasionally feign injury to distract predators, but this rare; chicks remain in nest for 9–18 days, mean 12 days. In South Africa, crude breeding success in one study was 61%, with hatching success 81% and fledging  success 76% (but hatching success overestimated owing to failure to include eggs lost before nests found), and in another study, in E grasslands, success much lower, less than 10%; in both studies, predation major cause of nest failure, other causes including starvation of chicks, nest desertion, egg damage by parent, fire, and nest burial by mole-rat (Bathyergus) diggings; in one study 2-egg clutches tended to produce greater relative success (1·5 chicks fledged per nest) than 3-egg clutches (2 chicks per nest).

Not globally threatened. Common to locally abundant in S, becoming more local and uncommon in N; common but patchily distributed in E Africa; uncommon and very local in Nigeria. Breeding densities of up to 2–4 pairs/ha in South Africa. In non-breeding season, average flock size in the Karoo (South Africa) of 8 individuals, but flocks of up to 100 birds are regular, and rarely even gatherings of thousands. Has probably benefited from human activities in many areas, as often prefers agricultural lands and heavily grazed areas for foraging.