Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clotbey Scientific name definitions

17–18 cm; male c. 52–55 g, female c. 45 g. Rather large lark with heavy head, huge deep-based bill laterally compressed distally (with small tooth in lower mandible that fits in notch in upper one), rather long and broad-based wings with narrow and pointed outer primary reduced (falls 4–12 mm short of primary-covert tips), shortish tail slightly forked; legs long, claws rather short (hind claw 6·7–8·5 mm) and slightly curved. Adult male has black face with distinct white patch on lower side, white chin; crown and upperparts pink-isabelline with grey tones, greater and median coverts with blackish centres and broad pinkish-brown edges, tertials blackish-brown with broad buff fringes; remiges mostly black, broad white tips of secondaries and inner primaries (striking wing pattern in flight, with broad white trailing edge); blackish subterminal tailband (more noticeable from below); pale buffish underparts strongly blotched black, black underwing with broad white trailing edge; iris dark brown; bill pale bluish-grey with darker tip; legs dull bluish-grey to pale straw. Female differs from male in having black areas of head less intense, more greyish, underparts less heavily blotched, bill pale horn with darker tip. Juvenile has only faint markings on head and underparts, bill less heavy, outer primary rounded at tip and longer (from 1 mm short of to 2 mm beyond tips of primary coverts).

Deserts of NW Africa (Western Sahara, extreme N Mauritania, S & SE Morocco, W & interior N Algeria, C & S Tunisia, NW Libya), C Jordan and N Saudi Arabia; occasionally S Israel (1 Sapir, N. (2003). Six new breeding bird species in Israel during 1995-2002. Israel Journal of Zoology 49(2–3):203–218. Close , 2 Perlman, Y., and Y. Kiat (2012). Large-scale breeding of Thick-billed Lark, Dunn’s Lark and Pale Rockfinch in southern Israel in spring 2010. Dutch Birding 34:1–10. Close ) and Kuwait (3 Spencer, S.T., Pilcher, C.W.T. and Cowan, P.J. (2007). The first breeding record of Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clotbey in Kuwait and concomitant behavioural observations. Sandgrouse 29(2): 205–208. Close ), and probably S Syria (4 Kirwan, G.M. (2004). A Syrian record: the case of Aharoni’s Thick-billed Larks Ramphocoris clotbey. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 124(4): 227–232. Close ).

Borders of deserts , including true desert, with annual rainfall less than 200 mm; prefers flat or undulating terrain, but sometimes occurs on slight slopes. Mostly on stony or compact soils, as in hammada areas; also wadi beds. Habitats occupied in N Africa range from open Stipa or Lygeum steppes to arid areas with widely variable vegetation types, including wormwood (Artemisia) shrubs or succulent Aizoon, and to very barren areas.

Resident; mostly nomadic in non-breeding season, normally in small parties, although flocks of up to 50 individuals recorded in Morocco. Rare and irregular visitor to Egypt; uncommon winter visitor to C & S Saudi Arabia , and small numbers seen occasionally in W Kuwait and nearby regions. Sporadic visitor to S Israel; vagrant in S Yemen, Oman and Iraq (5 Mohammad, M.K., Al-Rammahi, H.M. and Lahony, S.R. (2013). The first record of the Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clotbey (Bonaparte, 18598) for Iraq. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum 12(3): 37–41. Close ).

Seeds, invertebrates and green plant material. In Western Sahara takes ants, other insects, and some seeds; in W Algeria and NC Sahara mostly green material, insects and seeds, also a small lizard; in Jordan diet includes small fruits of Euphorbia kahirensis. Locusts (Orthoptera) reported as fed to chicks. Forages singly or in small flocks. Searches on ground , sometimes hopping; pulls branches down to ground to reach seeds; also digs. Not clear if it needs water, but flocks recorded at watering points.

Male song  , from ground or in flight, a jingling series described both as soft and rather quiet medley of tinkling and warbling notes and as rapid stanza of twittering notes. Calls  include sharp “prit”, given commonly in flight, also “coo-ee”, “co-ep”, “wick-wick”, “wheet-wheet-wheet”, “sree”, and similar; alarm a long, plaintive whistle, “tsu-ee”.

Lays Feb–May. Song-flighting male apparently rises to considerable height, and descends by parachuting in zigzag. Nest a shallow scrape lined with vegetation , on ground beneath or beside bush or stone, with rampart of pebbles on exposed side; occasionally built in open site. Clutch 3–5 eggs (mode 4); female recorded as incubating, chicks fed by both parents; no information on incubation and nestling periods, nor on fledging period of chick.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Relatively small breeding range highly discontinuous and imperfectly known. Widespread and frequent to sparse in NW Africa, where rather scarce in sublittoral zone of Western Sahara, and rare, perhaps scarce, breeder in Tunisia; uncommon to abundant in S & SE Morocco, found in flocks of up to several dozen, with a winter record of “thousands” at Jerada Pass. Two old records from NE Libya (El Mechili, in Cyrenaica). In Saudi Arabia probably uncommon resident in N deserts, with small numbers breeding in Harrat Al Harrah Reserve; scarce in Jordan, breeding not confirmed until 1990. Has bred Egypt (1995),  Israel (1999) and Kuwait (2002) (6 Spencer, S.T., Pilchert, C.W.T. and Cowan, P.J. (2002). The first breeding record of Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clotbey in Kuwait and concomitant behavioural observations. Sandgrouse. 29(2): 205–208. Close ), and old breeding record from “Syrian desert” (1930s).