Red Lark Calendulauda burra Scientific name definitions

c. 19 cm (male 5–11% larger than female); male 37–43 g, female 32–38 g. Fairly large, chunky lark with long, heavy tail. Has whitish supercilium  , dark loral line, white patch below eye, dark moustachial and malar stripes enclosing white submoustachial stripe; crown and upperparts variable, from plain brick-red (on red sands in R Koa Valley and E around Vanwyksvlei) to browner with variable darker streaking (on shale and clay soils); whitish below, with strongly contrasting large dark brown streaks on breast  , rarely extending faintly to flanks (“aridula”); eyes brown; bill dark horn, paler base; legs dull flesh-brown. Sexes alike in plumage. Juvenile has white-tipped upperpart feathers with blackish subterminal bars, breast streaks rounder, more diffuse.

Bushmanland, in NW & C Northern Cape and extreme N Western Cape, South Africa.

Sand dunes, including old, stabilized dunes, also clayey, shale-derived soils mostly on alluvial plains. Occurs in dwarf shrublands and vegetated dunes, preferring areas with large-seeded grasses.

Resident, but at least some local movement, possibly by immatures, indicated by occasional records outside its normal restricted range, e.g. two specimens collected in adjacent S Namibia.

Wide range of invertebrates, including beetles (Coleoptera), caterpillars, grasshoppers (Acrididae), ants, termites (Isoptera), spiders, ticks (Acarina); also seeds of grasses and other plants; fruits sometimes taken from bushes. Prefers large, smooth seeds; those of grasses make up only 27% of seeds consumed. At one nest, bagworm caterpillars formed almost half of the items fed to chicks; parents removed these from the silken sheaths by beating and shaking them. Feeds on ground; frequently digs in the ground with its heavy bill, but also picks food from soil surface or from vegetation. Not recorded as drinking water.

Male song, in aerial display or from elevated perch or ground, a stereotyped short series of notes  lasting 1–1·5 seconds, “tip tip tip cher-r-r-r”, superficially similar to that of C. albescens but deeper and slower, and with significant difference in structure, leading notes and, especially, terminal trill more complex, trill typically comprising 3 repeated multi-element notes; regional dialects, but different songs also given at same sites, and one male recorded as singing at least two types; within each bout, each male sings only one song type, with different birds synchronizing types. Also has chittering alarm call, elements of which incorporated into song when male agitated.

Nesting records scattered through year, with peaks in Aug–Oct in W and Mar–May in E. Territorial and monogamous; occurs in pairs and male sings throughout year. Male performs song flight with heavy, fluttering beats, often with trailing legs, 10–20 m above territory. Nest a cup lined with dry grass leaves and seed awns, with partial or complete domed roof, once including moulted reptile skin, well concealed on ground at base of a grass tuft. Clutch 2–3 eggs; incubation period not known; parents circumspect when approaching nest, land 10–20 m away and walk up to it; chicks brooded by female when small, fed by both parents, food delivered 8 times per hour in early morning; fledging period unknown.

VULNERABLE. Scarce to uncommon or locally common. Patchily distributed within a small range covering maximum area of 72,000 km². Average density estimated at 1 pair/30 ha, giving total population of 9400 individuals; decreasing, primarily as a result of habitat loss caused by overgrazing by livestock, especially in sensitive dune fields; has disappeared from dunes where grazing by cattle has removed grass cover. Those inhabiting the E dune fields around Vanwyksvlei form the most distinctive population and are probably the most severely threatened, having disappeared from several areas. Nevertheless, it remains locally common in some areas, with singing males defending territories of less than 10 ha in favoured habitat. Significant populations are protected in private reserves, notably the Black Mountain Mine Nature Reserve (800 pairs), Mattheusgat Conservation Area (250 pairs) and Bitterputs Conservation Area (200 pairs). Conservation targets include the promotion of beneficial farming practices and the monitoring of grazing pressure in core areas of its range.